Frescos make South Solon Meeting House a national treasure

THE PRESS HERALD
By Daniel Kany

The center panel on the east wall, by Ashley Bryan, depicts the Parable of the Sower. Photos by Daniel Kany

SKOWHEGAN, ME---The South Solon Meeting House is a handsome Gothic Revival Structure, straight-lined, spacious and simple. It was built as a non-sectarian place of worship in 1842. After a few decades of being shuttered, it was restored in 1939. In 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is also, without a doubt, one of the most interesting art spots in America. While it still features its original box pews, pulpit and choir gallery, the Meeting House is now best known for its unique frescoed interior, painted in the 1950s by artists associated with and overseen by the nation’s leading artist residency: The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. [More]