The Bell Hill belfry is falling apart, and the folks in Otisfield have launched a campaign to repair the damage and restore the dome and its weathervane. It’s a worthy project.

The 165-year-old meetinghouse is one of the town’s most important landmarks, not merely because it’s the most visible, but because it’s a mark of the very foundation of the town and its citizens.

The people of Maine, and throughout New England, have an obligation to protect and preserve what our founding fathers set down when this land was colonized. It’s important to keep as much of this heritage intact as possible.

Last year in Durham, citizens watched as a new copper dome was swung into place above the historic Union Church’s new steeple. Like the meetinghouse in Otisfield, the Durham dome was built on a wooden frame with spokes like a wheel. Underneath that dome, housed in the steeple, is one of an estimated 25 Paul Revere bells mounted in Maine churches. Most recently, the Durham building had served as a town office.

The only reason that anything crafted during Revere’s time is still in use today is because, over the years, people felt obliged to protect and preserve the connection we have to our past.

The meetinghouse in Otisfield was placed on the National Register of Historic Places last year, before the decay in its dome was noticed. The placement on the register signifies the importance of the building, an importance that justifies the restoration project.

Donations can be sent to Belfry Fund, c/o Jean Hankins, treasurer, 202 Scribner Hill Road, Otisfield, ME 04270.