Abyssinian Meeting House

The Abyssinian Meeting House is an historic house built by free African-Americans in Portland, Maine at 73–75 Newbury Street in the Munjoy Hill and downtown neighborhoods.^[1] Established in 1828, the Meeting House was the cultural center for African-Americans in southern Maine from its inception until foreclosure in 1917. It housed Portland's nineteenth century public school for black children. The house was redeveloped into tenement apartments in 1924 before being seized for unpaid taxes by the City of Portland in 1991.^[2] After sitting vacant for 6 years, the Meeting House was bought in 1998 for historic preservation by the Committee to Restore the Abyssinian. When established, it was the third African American Meeting House in the United States after Boston and Nantucket, Massachusetts.^[3][4] It is one the few houses remaining following the 1866 Great Fire of Portland, Maine. In April 2008, an archeological dig was conducted to obtain further information on the Meeting House.^[5]

References

External links

• Abyssinian supporters plan Boston meeting Portland Daily Sun, February 18, 2011
• www.abyme.org