Baptist New Meeting House facts for kids
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Baptist New Meeting House
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 461 Main St., New London, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) |
| Built | 1826 |
| Architect | Asher Benjamin (Design) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001446 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 22, 2005 |
The Baptist New Meeting House is a historic church building located at 461 Main Street in New London, New Hampshire. It was built in 1826. The church's design follows the ideas from a famous book called The Country Builder's Assistant. This book was written in 1797 by Asher Benjamin, a well-known architect from the Federal period. The Federal period was a time in American history (roughly 1785-1815) when a certain style of architecture was popular.
The Baptist New Meeting House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December 2005. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. It was also added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in April 2005.
What Does the Church Look Like?
The Baptist New Meeting House is in the center of New London. It is on the north side of Main Street, near Colby-Sawyer College. The building is made of wood and has two stories. It has a pointed roof, called a gable roof.
There is a part that sticks out at the front, which is the main entrance. This part has three sections. The main door is in the middle. It is framed by flat columns, called pilasters, and has a triangular shape above it. The sections on either side of the door have tall, narrow windows. Above the main entrance, there is a special three-part window called a Palladian window. There is also a half-circle fan shape above that.
The church has a tall tower with three parts. The first part of the tower has a clock. The second part is an open section with four posts, where the bells are. This is called a belfry. The top part of the tower is an eight-sided section, called an octagonal lantern, which is topped with a spire. Inside the tower, there is a bell made by Revere.
Why Was It Built?
Many of the first people who settled in New London were Baptists from Massachusetts. For a while, the town helped support the Baptist church. But in 1819, a new law in New Hampshire changed this. After the law, the Baptists could no longer use the town's meeting house. So, they decided to build their own church.
The Baptist New Meeting House was finished in 1826. Its design was very similar to the ideas in Asher Benjamin's book, The Country Builder's Assistant. Even though the book was written in 1797, the church was built much later. This makes it a good example of the Federal style, even for a later time.
See Also
