Bay Meeting House and Vestry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bay Meeting House and Vestry
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Upper Bay and Steele Rds., Sanbornton, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 0.6 acres (0.24 ha) |
| Built | 1836 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002508 |
| Added to NRHP | June 07, 1984 |
The Bay Meeting House and Vestry is a very old church building. It is now called the Second Baptist Church. You can find it in Sanbornton, New Hampshire. This special building was built in 1836. It was made for a group called the Free Will Baptists. Their leader was Moses Cheney. The church shows a mix of two building styles: Federal and Gothic Revival. Because it is so important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Contents
What is the Bay Meeting House?
The Bay Meeting House is in a quiet, country area. It sits where Upper Bay Road and Steele Road meet. From the church, you can see Lake Winnisquam. This lake was once known as Sanbornton Bay. That's how the church got its name!
How the Church Looks
The church is a two-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof called a gabled roof. On top of the roof is a tall, square tower. This tower has two parts. The bottom part is plain. It has a decorative edge called a cornice. There's also a small fence and pointy decorations called Gothic spires at its corners.
The top part of the tower is an open belfry. A belfry is where a bell would hang, but there is no bell there now. This part has square posts with arched designs. It also has smaller Gothic spires at its corners. The front of the church is balanced and even. It has two doors with a window in the middle. There are also windows above each of these. The windows on the sides of the church have special fan-shaped designs at the top. These are called Gothic fans.
The Vestry Building
Next to the church is a smaller building called the vestry. A vestry is often used for meetings or Sunday school. This building is a simple rectangle. It was built in 1841. It has been made bigger a few times, once in the early 1900s and again in the 1980s.
A Look at Its History
The very first Free Will Baptist church building was on this spot around 1808. It was for the group led by Reverend Moses Cheney. That first group stopped meeting around 1816. Then, a new group called the Second Baptist Society was formed. The Second Baptist Church started in 1822.
The church building you see today was built in 1836. The Society owned it until 1955. Then, they gave it to the Church. The outside of the church still looks almost the same as it did when it was built. It mixes the simple, strong look of Federal style with the fancy details of Gothic style. The vestry building was built in 1841. It's a typical building from that time.
See also
Images for kids
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The Bay Meeting House and Vestry, also known as the Second Baptist Church.
