Jewish nonprofit hopes to acquire historic Quaker meeting house in Fairfield, Maine, for $18

The North Fairfield Friends Meeting House, first established by Quaker settlers in 1784, sits unused off Middle Road in Fairfield. Its interior still shows rows of cushioned pews, working light fixtures, a brassy ticking clock and books left about as if recently set down. The doors closed seven years ago because the congregation could no longer support the space.

Mifneh L’Kedushah, a Jewish nonprofit, is in the process of purchasing the property’s deed for $18. The source notes that the figure is significant in Judaism because of the Hebrew letter chai, meaning “life.” Dr. Sonja Birthisel, the nonprofit’s board president, said the group hopes to reopen the building this spring as a multi-faith community center, working with local Quaker groups to create a space that respects its history.

Birthisel said the wider Quaker community had hoped that a spiritual, religious or community-oriented organization would take on the work of maintaining the building. “It has been sitting, kind of awaiting new life for the last seven years,” she said.

The New England Yearly Meeting, a regional Quaker body, approved the transfer of the building in May. The deed took months to locate because it was filed before the state of Maine or Somerset County existed. The property also includes a small parking lot and Friend Cemetery, which is still maintained by its original caretakers, the Friend Cemetery Association. The Vassalboro Quarterly Meeting has kept the building winterized and free of leaks and pests since it was emptied, though plumbing work and roof patching are still needed.

The upper levels, about 1,700 square feet, include a main sanctuary, a choir loft and a narthex, the enclosed porch often found at church entrances. The basement has a kitchen and sleeping space. The nonprofit’s early vision includes community dinners and concerts, which Birthisel said should come largely from community members. “I’m really open to and excited about all of those ideas in the works,” she said, citing proposals for dance classes, open mic nights and worship services. Community dinners, she said, could help the building serve neighbors in the spirit of sharing bread with the hungry (Isaiah 58:7).

Birthisel said the congregation’s remaining members did not sell the building earlier for fear it might be developed for real estate. In the meantime, the local historical society had been asking around for nonprofits that might want the space. Fairfield resident Joey LeBlanc, who grew up near the meeting house, said he had always hoped it would have new uses. “I also think Fairfield needs more positive community spaces,” he said.

LeBlanc’s mother, who owns Quaker Hill Disc Golf down the road, called her son last September to ask whether he knew of any nonprofits. He was at the breakfast table with Birthisel when the call came. Birthisel said she immediately expressed interest and called Rabbi Benjamin Gorelick, spiritual leader of Mifneh L’Kedushah, to tell him the group wanted “the old church.”

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