Baptists in Readfield - "Bowdoinham Association"

Dedicated Baptist missionaries spread the word in
the backcountry of Central Maine in the 1790's.

By 1790 in the Central part of the state (where Readfield is located) newcomers were rapidly settling the area. That led to the development of the Bowdoinham Association, which began its gradual development simultaneously with the York Association (see below FMI). Churches organized prior to 1800 in the Bowdoinham Association included: Bowdoin 1783; Lewiston 1792; Readfield 1792; Fayette 1792; Greene 1793; Wayne 1794; 2^nd Lewiston (Webster) 1794; Litchfield 1798; Wales 1799; and Jay 1799.


Elder James Potter, Rev. Isaac Case and Rev. Eliphalet Smith were responsible for bringing the Baptist's message to Readfield and the immediate area, where the Baptists were established even before the Methodists, for which Readfield is best known. See this blog for more information about Potter, Case and Smith. 


"The first Baptist association in the Province of Maine was in York County and was called the York Association. It was begun in 1776 with three churches, one of them being in New Hampshire. By 1790 when the population of Maine included 3,572 families living in 2,789 houses, there were only 11 Baptist churches with not more than 500 members.
It appears from dates given that the third Baptist church in Maine to be recognized was the one in Sanford in 1772 and in Oct.1780 fourteen persons were set apart under newly ordained Nathaniel Lord in the town of Wells. Shapleigh (1781) was next as a few pious Baptists united together for worship under Nehemiah Davis and in nearby Lyman twenty-nine members were constituted a Baptist church where Simon Locke faithfully presided until he died in1821. Davis and Locke succeeded in establishing a Baptist church in Waterborough in 1791 which later joined the Saco River Assoc. Other late Baptist churches in the York Association was Buxton in 1799 from which later the churches in Hollis and Scarborough owed their existence."
Source: "Old Maine Pastor, History of Baptists in Maine http://www.oldmainepastor.com/baptist-history-in-maine.html

Rev Eliphalet Smith

Rev. Eliphalet Smith was born 1742 in Grafton, MA. He came to live in Readfield well before 1800 and served the area as a Baptist preacher. About 1790 (1) he purchased land in the 30 Mile River Gore, which is now part of Readfield. Two local histories reveal that Rev. Smith performed weddings in Winthrop in 1795 and preached in Jay in 1799 (2).  No doubt, there are  more of his activities recorded in other local histories.


Little more is known about Rev. Smith at this time. We do know he died before April 17, 1807 because on this date Eliphalet's "farm with buildings thereon" were sold by his sons Eliphalet and Charles for $1,200 to Josiah Gordon of Mt. Vernon. Their father had willed them his property (both of them were residents of Readfield). The deed placed it in 30 Mile River Gore and size 75 acres. It also provides another important piece of information "the homestead where he (Eliphalet) formerly lived". Josiah Gordon sold this property to Luther Sampson later on, who was the founder of Kents Hill School (Maine Wesleyan Seminary) in 1821. I find it ironic that Maine Wesleyan Seminary was built on the home site of an early Baptist missionary. An institution where many Methodist and Universalist ministers hence received their religious training. This is hallowed ground indeed.


(1) Kennebec County Registry of Deeds book 11 page 222
(2) Stackpole's History of Winthrop; pub 1925 and History of Jay by Benj. Lawrence; pub.1912

Rev. John Leavitt Stevens



Rev. John Leavitt Stevens

Rev. John Leavitt Stevens born in Mt. Vernon 1820 and lived much of his life in Hallowell. He attended Maine Wesleyan Seminary (Kents Hill School) and became a Universalist minister. His friend James Blaine convinced him to leave the ministry and become co-owner with him of the Kennebec Journal. He was very active in the Anti-Slavery movement in Maine, among many other accomplishments. His involvement seems contradictory to me in view of his role in the US overthrowing Hawaii. At any rate, his life is a very interesting and controversial one! He and his wife and daughter Gracie are buried in Hallowell Village Cemetery. There is extensive info about him on Wikipedia. I was pleased to see the author used one of my web sites as a reference (#38). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Stevens