Alna Calendar The Alna calendar raises money to help preserve the historic Head Tide Church.

Head Tide, a section of the small town of Alna (population about 600) was once the scene of prosperous farms and mills, as well as forest and shipping enterprises.

Those late eighteenth century mills are long gone, but it looks much the same as it did in its heyday with many of its lovely old homes and buildings still hugging the shores of the Sheepscot River.

The historic Head Tide Church is one of those remaining buildings, saved from deterioration in the mid 1900s, and again from the effects of a lightning strike in the 1960s by people who recognized the importance of preserving the building.

Although it is owned by the town of Alna, it is a nonprofit organization called The Friends of the Head Tide Church, who now support the maintenance of the church which overlooks the tiny village of Head Tide. It is the only public historical building in Head Tide maintained solely through donations.

In its 2008 calendar, The Friends include a history of the church, along with a number of historic photos, "culled from collections of numerous local people interested n family and local history." First published in 2000, the calendar is now a yearly fundraising event.

A woman spinning wool in her kitchen in the early 1900s, seven members of the Peaslee family fishing in the Sheepscot River, and the nine members of the 1951 eighth grade class at the Head Tide school are some of the photos included in the latest calendar.

This calendar celebrates the 170th anniversary of the church, built in 1838, as an alternative to using the 1789 Meeting House as a place of worship. The Meeting House, a two and a half story yellow colonial building right next to Route 218 still stands, and is sometimes used for summer town meetings.

According to the history included in the calendar, "there was increasing dissatisfaction" with using the Meeting House for religious purposes "with the enforcement of the principal of the separation of church and state;" moreover, "it was no longer possible for the town to hire one (Congregational) minister to serve everyone. The Baptists and also Methodists, were gaining adherents, and wanted their own churches. The Baptists planned a church building in Puddle Dock and `a union' church (Congregational, Baptist, Methodist) had been built in Sheepscot in 1825."

"Nearly all of the most active members of the Congregational denomination in Alna then lived in Head Tide or Puddle Dock, three miles from the Meeting House. A smaller church, closer to home, seemed desirable, one which could have a steeple like the pretty little church in Sheepscot," the history continues.

The "New" or "North Meeting House" was dedicated on November 21, 1838.

Between 1922 and 1940, however, the building deteriorated rapidly. One of the town's citizens, Mrs. Esther C. Averill, formed a group in 1940 to restore the building. The group obtained releases from the descendants of the five original owners, Jeremiah Pearson, Daniel Carleton, Paul Pearson, Jeremiah Jewett and Stephen Croker. Work began in 1945 and was completed two years later.

But, as the calendar history says, "restoration never stops." In 1962 the steeple was hit by lightning.

"The Paul Revere bell crashed into pieces on the floor below. Again the community pulled together to ensure that the steeple and bell were replaced. In 1974 the entire village of Head Tide was placed on the National Register of Historic Places."

In addition to publishing the calendar for the last eight years, The Friends hold a number of fundraising events, including a June baked bean supper and pie auction at the Alna fire station; an annual appeal letter; opening to the public on Saturdays in July and August; and an annual event - either a concert or a lecture, followed by a raffle.

Proceeds from the new calendar will be used to paint the interior of the church and help restore the chandelier. Copies of the calendar are available in Alna at the Alna Store, the town hall, and Erskine Hall (on food sale Saturdays).

In Wiscasset the calendars are available at Wiscasset Hardware on Water Street, next to Red's Eats; Ames Supply on Route 1; Sarah's Café, at the corner of Main Street and Water Street. In Damariscotta, they are available at Rising Tide Co-op and Louis Doe Hardware.