MAINE, Maine — There’s a top-five list you don’t want to be on, and the latest edition was just released.
Each year, the nonprofit Maine Preservation compiles a list of historic places it believes are in danger of being lost. This year’s list includes Fort George in Castine; the St. Louis Church in Auburn; and the Pigeon Hill Schoolhouse in Oxford, which was built in 1867. Once a stretch of farmland, the school now sits feet away from the Oxford Casino parking lot and within eyesight of a Hampton Inn.
The land the schoolhouse sits on is being sold, but Oxford Historical Society President Patricia Larrivee said the current owners gifted the building to the society. Larrivee is trying to raise money to move the one-room structure across town near the existing elementary school.
"All this land is being sold and redeveloped to something to improve and to support revitalization of the town," Larrivee said. "But it’s also important for us not to forget our history."
Preservation Maine’s Brad Miller explained the city of Auburn wants a buyer for St. Louis, which held its last service in 2013. He said a new owner would be welcome to use their vision to make it a place for gathering again, one way or another.
"These are places that anchor our communities and, kind of, remind us of where we came from," he said. "But, also, it’s important to use these spaces to create new memories and look into the future."