Belfast ‘Chouse’ up for sale

BELFAST, Maine (WABI) - Back in March, we told you about a house for sale in Stockton Springs that was once the town’s schoolhouse.

By the way, it is still on the market.

The realtor for that listing, also has another unique property currently listed.

The Little Stone Church on Meeting House Hill, just off Route 1 in Belfast, is for sale. Loanne and Bruce Spaulding have lived there since 1995.

A church with a history

Belfast’s first Little Stone Church sat on the site, but the wooden structure caught fire and was destroyed. The stone church was built in 1907 by the Dutch Reformed. It was gifted to the Christian Scientists out of Boston in the 1960s. When the Christian Scientists ran into financial trouble a few decades later, the property went up for sale.

“On our way to church every day in Belfast, Loanne would say- if that ever goes up for sale, I want to live there,” Bruce Spaulding said.

Preserving the past while making it home

The Spauldings made it their mission to preserve the church’s history while also making it home.

“I wanted it to look like it had been here for 200 years. And so I had a plan that most of the function is underneath where you don’t see it,” Loanne Spaulding said.

The former sanctuary is now called the Great Room. It once held the altar. Part of the original Sunday School room was converted into a hallway that now serves as a coat closet and powder room. What was once the entrance for the Dutch Reformed Church, and later changed by the Christian Scientists, is now a guest bedroom.

The property has a three-story stone bell tower, without the bell. The original attendance board for Sunday service is still visible, showing a collection of three dollars.

Restoration work

The Spauldings restored woodwork, found Moorish-style windows and hid modern appliances in the kitchen to help authenticate what is now 119 years of history.

The Spauldings said curiosity got the best of people driving by on Route 1.

“One day I heard a little bit of noise and I came out into the kitchen and two elderly women had their noses pressed right up against the glass door,” Loanne Spaulding said. “We’ve had people want to get married.”

“Married, yeah,” Bruce Spaulding said.

“At 8 o’clock one night,” Loanne Spaulding said, noting they politely told the couple no.

Selling after three decades

The Spauldings spent three decades first renovating the inside, then creating gardens outside along with a separate space for Bruce known as “the Roost.”

Asked when the work would be done, Bruce Spaulding said, “Just about now.”

So why sell the place they’ve worked so hard to make a home?

“Well, health,” answers Loanne, adding with a chuckle, “I didn’t think I was going to age quite as fast as I have. Her husband Bruce fondly nods in agreement.

As the couple gets ready to downsize, they have mixed thoughts on leaving the church.

“Well, that will be bittersweet,” says Loanne. “It needed to be saved and it needed to be shared. It’s truly been a labor of love.”

Property details

The Chouse includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It sits on a little more than an acre of property. There is a small driving range in the back.

For more information on the property, click here.