$1.7 Million to Support Abyssinian Meeting House Secured by Senator Collins in Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that she secured $1,700,000 in the draft Fiscal Year 2022 Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill to support the restoration of the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland. Senator Collins is the Ranking Member and lead Republican on the Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee. The bill, which was officially released by the full Appropriations Committee this afternoon, must still be voted upon by the full Senate and House.
“As one of the oldest African-American meeting houses in the United States, the Abyssinian is a cultural landmark that preserves an integral part of our nation’s history as well as African-American heritage in Maine,” said Senator Collins. “As the appropriations process moves forward, I will continue to champion this investment to help support the ongoing efforts to renovate and restore the Abyssinian so that current and future generations can learn about this historically significant building as well as the people who worshipped and preached here.”
Built in 1828 as a house of worship, the Abyssinian became the center of social and political life for Portland’s African American community throughout the 19th century. In addition to serving as a church, the building also hosted a segregated public school, concerts, dinners, and entertainment. It has been recognized by the National Parks Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
If the Fiscal Year 2022 Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill is enacted into law, the Committee to Restore the Abyssinian Meeting House will use this funding to support the fifth and final phase of restoration to preserve and restore the Abyssinian. The last phase of the project includes the design and construction of the building’s interior community education, exhibit, and programming spaces.
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