Abyssinian Meeting House

Infobox_nrhp2 | name =Abyssinian Meeting House
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location= 73-75 Newbury St., Portland, Maine
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locmapin = Maine
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built =1828
architect= Unknown
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added = February 3, 2006
governing_body = Committee to Restore the Abyssinian
refnum=05001612

The Abyssinian Meeting House is an historic house built by free African-Americans in Portland, Maine at 73-75 Newbury St. [ [http://www.nr.nps.gov/iwisapi/explorer.dll?IWS_SCHEMA=NRIS1&IWS_LOGIN=1&IWS_REPORT=100000039 National Historic Registry] ] Established in 1828, the Meeting House was the cultural center for African-Americans in southern Maine from its inception until foreclosure in 1917. The house was redeveloped into tenement apartments in 1924 before being seized by the City of Portland in 1991. After sitting vacant for 6 years, the Meeting House was bought for historic preservation by the "Committee to Restore the Abyssinian". When established, it was just the 3rd African American Meeting House in the United States after Boston and Nantucket, Massachusetts. [ [http://www.abyme.org/images/Abyssinian.pdf Official Web Site (PDF)] ] [http://www.mainepreservation.org/Endangered/02.shtml 2002 Maine's Most Endangered Historic Properties] It is one the few houses remaining following the 1866 Great Fire of Portland, Maine. In April 2008, a dig was led to further information on the Meeting House. [ [http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=85712 Volunteers, Archaeologists Dig At Old Abyssinian Meeting House] WCSH6.com, April 26, 2008 ]

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