|
History of Lempter's Meetinghouse
page updated
8/31/08
|
| |
"An
embodiment of much of the town’s history for two centuries"
- James L. Garvin, Architectural Historian
NH State Architectural Historian James L. Garvin describes the Lempster
Meetinghouse in his 1994 Report on the Lempster Town Hall as one
of only an estimated 5% of Eighteenth Century New Hampshire Meetinghouses
still surviving, and one of only 13 that still retains much or all
of its original appearance.
|
Milestones in the LIFE of Lempster's Meetinghouse
•
1794, original construction on hill, near Charlestown Turnpike
• 1799, elsewhere, President George Washington passes
• 1819, end of use as Congregational Church
• 1822, moved to present location and bell tower added
• 1826, elsewhere, President Thomas Jefferson passes
• 1835, remodeled, removing traditional balconies and conversion to
two-story interior
• 1835, second floor used for Academy
• 1854, Lempster Dramatic Union begins use of building for dramatic
presentations
• 1865, elsewhere, President Abraham Lincoln passes
• 1869, elsewhere, President Franklin Pierce passes
• 1870's, Our Meetinghouse: 
• 1893, Lempster Public Library is started, and uses room on second
floor
• 1894, 100 years in service
• 1897, Silver Mountain Grange No. 96 remodels much of the second floor
for its use, and contributes significantly to the building’s
stewardship for the next 100 years
• 1910, Our Meetinghouse: 
• 1919, elsewhere, President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt passes
• 1933, elsewhere, President Calvin Coolidge passes
• 1945, elsewhere, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passes
• 1980, entered into National Register of Historic Places
• 1994, after 200 years, structural concerns restrict use of building
• 1997, repairs to tower and second floor framing
• 2006, $75,000 LCHIP matching grant intitiates Phase One of comprehensive restoration
• 2094, celebration of 300 years serving Lempster community
You can BE THERE for this amazing, LIVING structure!
|
|