FIRST MEETING-HOUSE BUILT 1768 AT CENTER (CONGREGATIONAL)--SECOND IN 1816 AT VILLAGE (CONGREGATIONAL)--THIRD IN 1834 AT CENTER (BAPTIST)--FOURTH IN 1838 AT CENTER, REBUILT 1877 (CONGREGATIONAL AFTERWARDS METHODIST)--FIFTH IN 1845 AT VILLAGE (CONGREGATIONAL)--SIXTH IN 1869 AT VILLAGE (EPISCOPAL)--SEVENTH IN 1890 AT VILLAGE (SECOND METHODIST)

FIRST MEETING-HOUSE (CONGREGATIONAL)

By the terms of the grant the settlers were required to build a meeting-house before the last day of May, 1751, fit for public worship of God, and the subject began very soon to be agitated.

In 1752 the building of a meeting-house was discussed, and Alexander Walker and Benjamin Richards were chosen a committee to build the same. The dimensions of the house and form were approved, and the committee instructed to proceed with the construction, and the whole should be completed in one year from the date thereof.

Little or no attention was paid to this vote and nothing further was done until 1766, five years after the incorporation, when the subject was again under consideration, and Capt. James Karr, John Little and Alexander Gilchrist were appointed a committee to build a house 45 feet long, 38 feet wide, and 22 feet post, "to be located on the south side of the river in the 'convenientest place in the crotch of the roads, as they lead from the bridge to the Mast Road.'"

This location was not far from the present Baptist Church. It was also voted "That the house be raised, boarded and shingled, by the 1st day of October, 1766."

They evidently kept the terms of the original grant in mind, as the committee were directed "to see what assistance the proprietors would give toward building the meeting-house," presumably thinking it just that they should make a contribution on account of the lots of land they retained.

Evidently the committee found the time insufficient, or the objection so strong that they delayed the matter. On the 27th day of November the time was extended one year, and the house was to be located at the same place it was voted at the last meeting; also "voted the Bisness of the meeting house be Reconsidered."

There was a very strenuous objection to the location, as the following will show:

Goffes Town November 27 1766
   We the Subscribers whose names are underwritten Being now met and Called together in order to settle upon a place to build a meeting house are Verry much Dissatisfyed about a Vote passed Concarning the place agreed on by a number of the Inhabitants of this Town to build a meeting house on the place being far from the Center and unconveniant to a grate part of the principle Inhabitants of this Town and we also hereby Enter our protest against sd Vote as witness our hands.

Job Rowell Thos Hall Thos Kennedy Aaron Wells John Colbe Jonathan Martin George Cunningham Eleazer Wells Junr John Taggart Thos Karr Jnr

George Hadley Thos Karr Joseph Ordway Moses Wells Plumer Hadley James McCurdy Joshua Martin Robt Richardson Job Kidder Alexdr Tode

A True Record Attest

Alexdr Walker Town Clark

Those who signed the above remonstrance were mostly Congregationalists, and resided upon the northerly side of the river; while those residing on the southerly side were mainly Presbyterians.

As a natural consequence the two factions did not fully harmonize, either politically or religiously. This they did not so openly acknowledge as their actions revealed, but called the river the great bone of contention in the location. The following July they "voted to build a meeting-house near Deacon Karr's shop 30 feet square, and 10 feet post," but no move was made towards construction.

At the annual March meeting of 1768, the vote to build the last named house was reconsidered. The people were now in the same situation that they always had been in respect to a meeting-house.

At this juncture Capt. James Karr offers to the town a building site, and as the people had become weary of this contention, they "voted that the meeting house be Built on the land that Capt. Karr offers in the 'most Convenenest place.'" Samuel Richards, Enoch Page, William McDoel, Asa Patee, Joshua Martin, Job Rowell, and Thomas Karr were a chosen committee to build said house, and form said house according to their own mind. The committee evidently went about their work with a will--certainly not for the lucrative compensation, which was two shillings per day--for on Wednesday, the 27th day of April, 1768, the house was raised, and it was decided that it should be boarded, shingled, underpinned and a loose floor laid the present year. This was evidently done, and the following November they voted to expend the sum of $80.

At the annual March meeting in 1769, a committee was authorized to put up the window frames and also empowered to give the inhabitants the privilege of finding the "Bords nails, Clabords Window Stuf those of them that Will find them at the Cheepest rate." The house was so far completed that the inhabitants were notified to meet at the meeting-house on the 7th of August, 1769. This is the first meeting of which I find any record.

Rev. Samuel L. Gerould said the house was occupied as a place of worship as soon as shingled and boarded; this was undoubtedly true, as in the summer season meetings could be held there as well as anywhere.

At this time it was voted to sell the pew ground. Thomas Shirla, Capt. James Karr and Moses Little were appointed a committee for the same, and the money received should be appropriated toward finishing the house. At the same time they voted to hang the doors.

It is especially interesting to note the work of the completion of the house. These people were brave, hardy and self-denying; ready for any good work, but poor, they had builded a house of worship, and it was their aim to finish it. The house was clapboarded, the door was hung and they met in discussion relative to the work of closing in the windows, and the glazing which they decided to do. And finally the waste material left by the workmen was cleared from the house and burned "to preserve the Said house from the Danger of the fire." Care and precaution was their only safety; no agent solicited insurance, and no company stood ready to carry the risk. The sale of the pews was a public vendue and occupied two days, and was no doubt attended with considerable discussion and excitement.

A record of the sale and terms of payment are here inserted, illustrative of the changes that have occurred in the process of time:

Their house was now suitable for worship. It was to be their future church home. How often in the past had they looked forward to the time when they should have a permanent meeting-place. They had worshipped in various dwellings, in barns, in the open, but now they possess a home, yea, a temple of worship.

Perhaps it is well to remark that at this time and until 1818, the church and state, or church and town, were under the same management financially, which accounts for the town hiring the preaching and constructing the house of worship.

In 1772 measures were taken toward the completion of the house, and a contract was made with Samuel Richards to build the pulpit, the deacons' seats, and the parsonage pew, the pulpit to be built as well as that in the church at Atkinson, and he was to receive pew ground in the meeting-house for four pews in payment. The wall pews in the gallery were to be sold, and the avails of the sale used for the finishing of the house. Pew ground was sold from time to time, until all the space in the body of the house and gallery was disposed of.

Among other things tending towards the completion of the house, Capt. James Karr was paid eighteen shillings lawful money for "Lock and handels, bolts and steples (staples), for the Meeting-House Dooers," which would seem to exclude all trespassers, at least.

In 1778, certain individuals who had previously bought pew ground, both on the ground floor and the gallery, had neglected to construct pews upon the same. It was proposed to return to these persons the consideration for the pew ground, resell the same, and apply the avails of the sales toward the final completion of the house.

This building was used for a meeting-house and town house until 1841, when the town purchased the interest of the pew holders and used the building for a town house until 1869. It was then sold, taken down and removed to the city of Manchester, where it was again reconstructed. It was a large building, with large square pews in the body, and a gallery on the sides, with pews in the same, a large pulpit, and heavy sounding-board over the speaker's head. The inside finish was plain, and none upon the outside.

In 1815, the residents in the westerly part of the town, thinking their interest would be better subserved, and also looking to the future growth and development of that section of the town, moved in the matter of the erection of a second house of worship, which was completed the following year, and dedicated July 3, 1816. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. John H. Church of Pelham.

It stood upon, or a little west of, the present site of the house of Dr. C. I. Cole, known as the Samuel M. Christie residence. It was a large house with galleries upon two sides, and one end, and had a very melodious toned bell.

The bell aside from calling the people to church upon the Sabbath was very useful for other purposes. It was rung at the noon hour and also as a curfew at nine o'clock in the evening, and the hours of ringing were looked upon by the community as standard time. It was also rung as an alarm to call the people in cases of emergency, fire, catastrophe, etc. Upon the death of a citizen, if relatives requested, the bell was tolled. The tolling consisted first of ringing, then a cessation followed by three strokes, if the deceased was a man, and five if a woman, and after a pause of a few seconds the age was indicated by strokes of the bell with a brief intermittence of about three seconds between each strokes Upon the day of the burial the sexton tolled the bell from the time the procession left the house, or if too remote, from the time of the appearance, until they reached the cemetery.

After the completion of this house, as a kind of a pacification movement, services were holden here two-thirds of the time, and one-third in the first mentioned house at the Center.

In 1845, it was sold, taken down, moved to the city of Nashua, and there rebuilt for a different purpose. The late Mrs Mary A. Stinson, in her reminiscences, gives the following, relative to the early churches: "In the old meeting-house at the Center there were no facilities for heating and, in the very cold weather, the minister preached with his overcoat on. The services were very long, and at the intermission the people went in the winter season to what is now called the William Hopkins place, where they warmed themselves at a huge fire of logs in an open fireplace, and with flip, home-brewed ale, and cider, ate their brown bread and beans or other refreshments, the drink being given them often by the house. The ale was part hops, roots and herbs; the flip was made of water, rum and milk, warmed by hot water. Here the women filled their foot-stoves with coals for the afternoon service. I remember the first stove that was put into the church which stood near Mr. Christie's house.

"Many people were very much averse to heating the house. The first Sunday it was not quite ready, and consequently there was no fire; but many persons complained of suffering from the heat."

In 1838, a third meeting-house was built, located at the Center, which was the one destroyed by lightning Aug. 18, 1877, at that time owned by the Methodists.

The old meeting-house at the Center, standing in need of repairs and modern improvements, and likewise being owned in common by the town, proved an unsatisfactory place of worship, and in place a new house was needed. In addition to this, there was a growing feeling upon the part of residents of the Center and easterly part of the town (which then extended to the Merrimack River) that they were not receiving their proportional part of the religious privileges, since, as before remarked, a greater portion of the preaching was at the West Village.

They also had in mind the formation of a second Congregational parish in town, and the enjoyment of religious privileges exclusive of the village. In this, their hopes were in vain and, in 1842, the house was sold, and subsequently occupied by the Methodists.

In 1844, the Congregational Church found itself in a very unpleasant situation; the first constructed meeting-house had been sold to the town; the ownership of the second was affected by entangling alliances, and the third had likewise been sold.

This unfortunate state of affairs led to the constructing of the present Congregational house of worship in its original form, and the same was dedicated October, 1845, and since that time, barring repairs and remodeling, services have been held there.

About 1855 the present bell was added to the church which for a number of years thereafter was used for the same purposes as the one previously mentioned.

In 1869, during the pastorate of Rev. Samuel L. Gerould, D. D., the house was extended westerly, and the seating capacity increased by the addition of twenty-eight pews, and on October 24, 1869, the house was rededicated.

In 1875, a chapel or vestry was erected upon the northerly side of Church Street which, about 1890, was sold to Edwin A. Blaisdell and used for a post-office and merchantile purposes.

In 1874, the church was repaired, repainted and papered, and services were holden in the town hall for seven Sundays.

In 1882, the house was improved by cutting down the gallery and singing seats, and substituting a half high gallery.

In 1890, during the pastorate of Rev. James E. Odlin, the church was extensively remodeled and rendered attractive, by the removal of pulpit and substituting a desk, by addition of new pews, memorial windows, etc., and a chapel or vestry and dining-room were constructed upon the southerly side and rededicated Wednesday, February 11, 1891.

A program of the dedicatory exercises is all that space will allow:

AFTERNOON
At 2 o'clock
President of the Day, Hon. Samuel Upton
Prayer

BAPTIST CHURCH

The Baptist Church building at Grasmere was erected in the autumn of 1833 and spring of 1834, and formally dedicated July 2, 1834.

The present Methodist Church at the Center, built to replace the one destroyed by lightning August 18, 1877, was constructed in the autumn of 1877 largely through voluntary contribution.

ST. MATTHEWS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

St. Matthews Episcopal Church was the sixth church building erected in town; the corner-stone was laid in the spring of 1867 by the Rev. James H. Eames, D. D., of Concord, at the request of Bishop Chase, and the building was completed in the fall of 1869. The church was built largely through the liberality of friends of the diocese in Boston and New York, and was formally consecrated by Bishop Niles, December 2, 1890.

SECOND METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Second Methodist Episcopal Church building was built by Charles L. Davis in 1889 and 1890, and formally dedicated November 11, 1890. A more extended account will be found under the history of "The Second Methodist Episcopal Church."