Centre Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Centre Congregational Church
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Province Rd., Gilmanton, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1826 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001125 |
| Added to NRHP | September 08, 1983 |
The Centre Congregational Church is a very old and special building in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. It is a historic Congregational church, which means it belongs to a type of Christian church where each local church group makes its own decisions. This church was built a long time ago, between 1826 and 1827. It is a great example of a building from the late Federal period, which was a popular style in the United States after it became a country. Because it is so important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. This list helps protect important historical places across the country.
A Look Inside and Out
The Centre Congregational Church is located in the middle of Gilmanton village. You can find it on the north side of Province Road, just west of where it meets New Hampshire Route 140. It is a two-story building made of wood, with a sloped roof.
The front of the church has a deep entrance area with a triangular shape at the top. Above this is a tall, two-part bell tower. The main entrance has large double doors. These doors are framed by two sets of columns, which hold up a decorative ledge. On each side of the main doors are large, arched windows. Above the doorway, there is a special carved panel.
The bell tower has two main parts. The first part is a simple square section covered with wooden siding. The second part has decorative corner pillars and arched openings where the bells would be. Inside the church, you can still see the original wooden floors and other wooden details. There are also old kerosene light fixtures, though they are not used anymore. Some of the original benches were removed to make space for an organ.
Why This Church is Special
The church was built in 1826 and 1827 for a local group of Congregationalists. This group formed after some disagreements with the First Congregational Church in the area.
Many old churches from this time were changed inside during the Victorian period (the late 1800s). However, the Centre Congregational Church stayed mostly the same. This happened because the town's population actually went down during that time. This meant there wasn't a big push to update the church's look. Because of this, the church still looks much like it did when it was first built.
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