South Solon Meeting House

During the 1950s, artists from the nearby Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture painted colorful religious frescoes on the ceiling, in the Vestibule, and on every wall of the South Solon Meeting House.

The Meeting House is now under the care of the South Solon Historical Society and is open to visitors year-round. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

On your way, you should stop by the “World’s Tallest Indian” in Skowhegan.

The Building

The South Solon Meeting House was built in 1842. It is a simple, one-story white clapboard building, with two front doors, large arched windows, and a small central tower. It was described as a typical colonial church with Gothic touches. When it was built, it was intended to serve as a house of worship and also to be used by the village for meetings and events.

Inside, you’ll find the original numbered box pews, the pulpit, and the choir loft. There is a pump organ in the loft and stacks of books are seen here and there. It probably looks a lot like most rural meeting house – except for the colorful paintings that cover every wall and ceiling. When you walk through the door, you are shocked by golds, blues, greens, reds, and yellows that were used to depict mostly Biblical scenes. It is quite a contrast to the austere exterior of the building and you certainly would not expect to find such a treasure in the Maine countryside.

You can visit any time, as the doors are unlocked and you can just walk around. Be warned that there is no electricity (or heat). Walk up the staircase to the choir loft to really take it all in.

What’s a Frescoe?

A frescoe is a kind of painted mural. The Skowhegan School, established in 1946, was one of the few places still teaching frescoe painting (which is the same technique used by Michelangelo at the Sistine Chapel). Frescoe painting is a technique that involves mixing ground pigments with water and applying them to freshly laid lime plaster. This creates a permanent part of the wall, instead of merely painting on top of the wall.

A Benefactor

But why was the Meeting House interior painted? Well, as the story goes, the Meeting House wasn’t in the best shape in the early 1900s. Regular services had ceased during WW1, and the building just wasn’t used much for meetings and events. In 1939, it was restored due to the efforts of a neighbor who organized a bunch of locals to donate shingles, paint, and labor. Once it was fixed up, services were offered every other Sunday afternoon.

Fast forward to the 50s and enter Margaret Day Blake. Mrs. Blake was a wealthy widow, the first female trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, and she happened to attend the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. While driving around the Solon countryside, she stumbled upon the Meeting House. For some reason, she decided that this aging building should get some artistic attention.

The Fellowship

She decided to grant three annual Fellowships for five years to be managed by the Skowhegan School. Students submitted sketches to a jury at the school that included faculty as well as the Directors of the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Artists were selected and the first fellowship was awarded in 1952 (and the last in 1956).

As part of the project, repairs were made to the building, though I couldn’t find much information about that.

The submission guidelines were:

There shall be no limitation of subject-matter; however, bearing in mind the religious character of the building, which is non-sectarian from its inception, it is suggested that the New and Old Testaments offer rich and suitable subject matter. This material should not limit the approach, but should be interpreted in imaginative terms which allow complete freedom to develop symbols, associations, or legends.

From 1952 to 1956, 15 artists in total contributed to the frescoes.

The Artists

• Ashley Bryan: Painted the center panel on the east wall, depicting the Parable of the Sower
• Alfred Blaustein: Painted on the north wall
• Anne Poor: Painted in the vestibule
• Edwin Brooks: Painted on the ceiling
• Henry Varnum Poor: Painted a fresco on the north vestibule wall
• John Wallace: Painted on the east wall in the gallery
• Judith Roth: Painted on the north wall in the gallery
• Sidney Hurwitz: Painted frescoes on the left and right sides of the east wall
• Sidney Simon: Painted in the vestibule on the east wall
• Sigmund Abeles: Painted on the south wall in the gallery
• Thomas Mikkelson: Painted on the south wall (including the Last Supper)
• Willard W. Cummings: Painted in the center of the vestibule
• William King: Painted on the west wall

Subject Matter

(To be honest, I needed online help with the following because I didn’t recognize many of the scenes).

Most of the paintings are religious, while the sectarian paintings in the Vestibule include a “group portrait.” The ceiling is probably the most prominent feature and has a large “God-head” Jesus looking down upon the pews. The rest of the walls include various scenes from the Old Testament including Job’s Suffering, the Foolish Men, the Burning Bush, Aaron’s Rod, the Sacrificial Lambs with the Tablets of the Ten Commandments, Noah’s Ark, and the Sacrifice of Isaac. Other frescoes depict Jesus preaching to a crowd, angels in a choir, animals, men in a boat, and others.

Maine art historian Daniel Kany wrote a piece for the Portland Press Herald where he raved about the frescoes:

“Maine has more than a few overlooked art treasures, but the South Solon Meeting House might be the greatest of them all.” – Daniel Kany

The Building Today

The Meeting House is under the care of the South Salon Historical Society. When they found rotted timbers on the east wall in 2006, they retained Mills Whitaker Architects to perform an existing conditions assessment. The architects’ website says that they developed a strategy for repairs and restoration, but it’s unclear how much of that work has been done. I think it’s safe to say that the Meeting House needs funding to fight the elements.

It the summer of 2023, someone started stealing stones from the stone walls that surround the building.

If you visit – and you should – please leave a few dollars in the donation box. And don’t steal stones.