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Other Colonial Meetinghouses in New Hampshire |
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The Allenstown meetinghouse was built in 1815. |
The Allenstown NH meetinghouse is now located in the middle of Bear Brook State Park.
No, it was not moved here.
As with several of the meetinghouses I have photographed,
the population center of Allenstown has moved,
and is now about 6 miles away from where the town used to be.
Other than the building, there is no indication that a town was once centered here.
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This was probably the most difficult meetinghouse to find (so far), because it is located in the middle of nowhere. Following sketchy directions obtained from a local police officer, I drove 5 or 6 miles along very steep dirt roads, and finally located this little oasis of serenity in the middle of a New Hampshire forest. As with Allenstown, the town of Bridgewater is now no longer anywhere near where it was when this meetinghouse was built.
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(GPS location N43° 29′ 56″, W72° 16′ 46″)
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(GPS location N43° 28′ 0″, W72° 23′ 7″) 836 Chase Rd., Cornish, NH 03745 This is another Anglican "meetinghouse," built by the early settlers who were members of the Church of England. Known as Trinity, this structure has preserved the Anglican form of worship since 1793. It is surrounded by "God's Acre," a term used in earlier times for the church's graveyard. |
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(GPS location N43° 38′ 33″, W71° 37′ 55″) 295 Dana Hill Rd., New Hampton, NH 03256
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Located near the town of New Hampton, NH, the Dana Hill Meetinghouse was built in 1803.
Although its small size prevented the builders from following
the "typical" plan (see Sandown, Freemont, Amesbury, or Danville),
nonetheless there are the 3 doors and multi-paned windows that
are hallmarks of the colonial meetinghouse.
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The meetinghouse at Derry, NH was built in 1769 by Irish settelers.
In fact, the graveyard behind the meetinghouse (now the Congregational Church)
contains the graves of some of the original immigrants who were born in Ireland.
The graveyard is a fascinating place to visit in its own right.
The meetinghouse has been substantially modified from its original form,
including being cut in half sometime in the 19th century to allow an enlargement to be placed
between the two ends.
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The Smith Corner Meetinghouse, located near the town of Gilmanton, NH,
is in a quiet, out of the way place in central New Hampshire.
As with several of the other meetinghouses,
the town of Gilmanton is now several miles away from where it used to be.
It was built in 1774, and has been modernized very little in its appearance,
but in fact is quite modern "beneath the skin."
For example, there is heat and electricity, and a bathroom,
which was very welcome the day I visited.
Thank goodness the door was not locked.
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14 Emerson Ave., Hampstead, NH 03841
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The meetinghouse at Hampstead, New Hampshire now serves as a community center.
The interior has been substantially modernized,
and a floor has been added at the former balcony level.
However, the exterior is kept in its original style, and is well maintained by the town.
It is also one of the oldest surviving meetinghouses.
It was built in 1745, although the interior was not completed until 1792.
The belfry boasts an original Paul Revere bell.
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In Henniker, New Hampshire, the meetinghouse now serves as the town hall.
The interior has been substantially changed,
and a floor has been added.
This building does not retain the archiectural interest of its past.
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The meetinghouse in Lempster, New Hampshire, is now occupied by
the Silver Mountain Grange.
Dispite the storm windows, the pulpit window is unmistakeable.
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(GPS location N43° 37′ 27″, W71° 37′ 41″) 100 Town House Rd., New Hampton, NH 03256
This building is not far from the Dana Hill meetinghouse, and it is not clear why two such structures would be built in the same neighborhood. Maybe there were 2 groups of people who didn't get along with each other. Town politics has not changed much. |
The New Hampton meetinghouse, built in 1798, was probably of similar design to the typical meetinghouse,
but now is half its original height.
The interior has also been greatly modified, and is used for town meetings.
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306 Main St., Salem, NH 03079
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The meetinghouse in Salem, New Hampshire was built in 1738, making it older than most of the surviving
meetinghouses.
It was moved to its corrent location in 1840 when the "new" Congregational church was built.
In 1846 the town of Salem took it over, added a floor at the balcony level,
and used it for their town offices for more than a century.
It now serves as the town's historical society museum.
The clapboards have been replaced,
leaving no trace of the original location of doors or pulpet window.
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2 Halfmoon Pond Rd., Washington, NH 03280
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The meetinghouse in Washington, New Hampshire,
was built in 1789,
and originally resembled the one in Sandown.
The exterior still strongly resembles a colonial meetinghouse, however
a floor has been added at the balcony level, and it now serves as Town Hall.
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1138 Battle St., Webster, NH 03303
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The meetinghouse at Webster, New Hampshire is relatively untouched
from its original design,
except for the addition of a 2nd floor at the balcony level.
It was built in 1791,
and was used for worship until 1823 when the "new" church was built.
After that, it was used for town business for many years.
Today it seems to be used as an historical society museum,
although there does not seem to be a lot of activity.
The building has been moved since the early photo
(taken in the 1930s)
because there is no longer a cemetery next to it.
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