The historic Rumford Center Meeting House was raised three feet from its old foundation last week.
RUMFORD – Under the supervision of contractor Jim Barnett, the historic Rumford Center Meeting House was raised three feet from its old foundation, according to Linda Macgregor of the Rumford Center Village Improvement Society.
The lifting took about an hour and was done in two steps of 18 inches each.
Macgregor said Barnett indicated that the building will be floated while a new foundation is constructed. This will make the building 20 inches higher off the ground than before. In the final stages of the restoration project, the new foundation will be clad in granite.
Built in 1828, the building is Rumford’s original town hall and meeting place.
The house has stood on the same site, 1352 Route 2, in Rumford Center, since 1804, when Francis Keyes was commissioned to build a meeting house “as near the center as possible.” It has always served as the community’s meeting place. Although it is still in use, its foundation is crumbling, the paint is peeling, and not a single facility is up to code.
And since 1924, the association has used the building exclusively and organized everything from plays to concerts to making it available to the public.
The Select Board leased the building to the nonprofit Rumford Center Village Improvement Society in 2023, months after a non-binding advisory vote in 2021 in which residents voted against having the city raise and provide the then-estimated $600,000 for repairs and improvements.
Donations can be made online at https://fundly.com/help-us-save-the-meeting-house.
A reminder to potential donors: Donations to this nonprofit are tax deductible.
Membership in the Rumford Center Village Improvement Society is $25 per household per year. The membership year runs from May to April. To become a member, send payment to Rumford Center Village Improvement Society, PO Box 361, Rumford, ME 04276. Include your name and contact information and note that payment is for membership.
The foundations have now been poured at the Rumford Center Meeting House.
In the final phase of the restoration project, the new foundation will be clad with granite.
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