Cotton Mountain Community Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cotton Mountain Community Church
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![]() Cotton Mountain Community Church
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Location | Stoneham Rd., Wolfeboro, New Hampshire |
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Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
Built | 1852 |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Vernacular Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 85000475 |
Added to NRHP | March 07, 1985 |
The Cotton Mountain Community Church is a very old and special building in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. It's also known as the Wolfeborough, Brookfield and Wakefield Meetinghouse. This church was built around 1852. It's a great example of a country church from that time, showing a style called Greek Revival. In 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. Since 1957, a local group has taken care of the church to keep it preserved.
Contents
What Does the Church Look Like?
The Cotton Mountain Community Church is in a quiet, wooded area in Wolfeboro. It's a single-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof and its outside walls are covered with wooden boards. The building sits on a strong granite foundation.
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
The church's design is called "Greek Revival." This style was popular in the 1800s. It uses ideas from ancient Greek temples. For example, the corners of the building have flat columns, called pilasters. These go up to a simple border, called an entablature. The front of the roof forms a triangle, like a pediment on a Greek temple.
Inside the Church
The front of the church is balanced, with two doors and a window in the middle. Each door has narrow windows on the sides. These doors lead into small entry rooms. From there, you enter one large main room. Inside, the church is lit by old-fashioned kerosene lamps and a chandelier. There are long wooden benches, called pews, facing a raised area for the speaker.
A Look Back: Church History
This church was built around 1852. It served two different Christian groups: the Methodists and the Free Will Baptists. Over the years, fewer people attended services here. Because of this, the church didn't get many big changes.
Changes Over Time
The only major changes happened in 1901. The tall speaker's platform was replaced with a lower one. Also, the kerosene chandelier was added at that time. As the number of people attending continued to drop, the church groups joined other churches nearby.
Preserving History
In 1957, the building was sold to a group called the Cotton Mountain Community Church Association. This group is dedicated to keeping the church safe and preserved for the future. They make sure this historic building stays standing for everyone to see.