Bedford Presbyterian Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bedford Presbyterian Church
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4 Church Rd., Bedford, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 3.7 acres (1.5 ha) |
| Built | 1832 |
| Architect | Longfellow, Alexander Wadsworth; Kennedy, Thomas |
| Architectural style | Federal, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000554 |
| Added to NRHP | June 12, 2007 |
The Bedford Presbyterian Church is a very old and important church building. It is located at 4 Church Road in Bedford, New Hampshire. This church was built in 1832. It has white wooden siding, called clapboard. The church group, or congregation, started even earlier, in 1749. For many years, it was the only church in Bedford. In 2007, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special place recognized for its history. It is the oldest Presbyterian church building in New Hampshire. It is also the oldest in the Presbytery of Northern New England, which is a group of Presbyterian churches.
Contents
Church Design and History
The Bedford Presbyterian Church stands on a small hill. It is on the west side of Bedford's town center. The church building is made of wood. It has a pointed roof, called a gabled roof. The outside is covered with white clapboard siding.
The Church Tower
The church has a tall tower with three parts. The first part is square. It has clock faces on each side. The second part is an open bell tower, called a belfry. It has arched openings where the bells would be. The top part is shaped like an octagon. It has decorated columns, called pilasters. A shiny cushion and a weather vane sit on top of the tower.
Front Entrance and Inside
The front of the church has a grand entrance. It has six tall columns. These columns are in the Ionic style, which means they have scroll-like designs at the top. The columns hold up a decorative band, called an entablature. Above this is a triangular shape, called a pediment. A half-round window is in the center of the pediment.
Inside the church, you can still see most of the original box pews. These are like small, enclosed seating areas. Some pews were removed in 1885. This was done to make space for an organ and a choir. A newer church hall is connected to the main building. It joins the church to an older building from the 1880s, called a vestry house.
Early Settlers and Religion
Bedford was first settled in the 1730s. Most of the early settlers were Scottish and Irish immigrants. They were mainly Presbyterian. Because of this, the Presbyterian Church became the main religion in Bedford. This was different from many other New England towns. Those towns were usually settled by Congregationalists, who had a different church style.
The Bedford Presbyterian Church is not the very first Presbyterian group in New England. The one in Londonderry, New Hampshire started a few years earlier. However, this church building in Bedford is the oldest Presbyterian church building in the whole region. The beautiful front entrance with columns was added later, in 1896.
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