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 historic church is located on Stoneham Road, close to the town of Brookfield.
It was built around 1852. This church is a great example of a country meeting house from New England. It shows a style called Greek Revival. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Since 1957, when it was no longer used for regular church services, a local group has taken care of it.
What the Church Looks Like
The Cotton Mountain Community Church stands by itself in a quiet, wooded area. It is in the eastern part of Wolfeboro, just west of the border with Brookfield. It is a one-story building made of wood.
The church has a pointed roof and its outside walls are covered with wooden boards. It sits on a strong foundation made of granite. The corners of the building have flat, column-like decorations. These rise up to a simple border design. The front of the roof forms a triangle shape, like a classic Greek temple.
The front of the church looks the same on both sides. It has two doors with a window in the middle. Each door has narrow windows on its sides and a simple frame. These doors lead into two small entry rooms. From there, you enter one large main room. Inside, the church is lit by old-fashioned kerosene lamps and a fancy chandelier. There are long wooden benches, called pews, facing a raised area where the speaker would stand.
History of the Church
This church was built around 1852. It was used by two different church groups: the Methodists and the Free Will Baptists. The church did not change much over the years. This was partly because fewer people attended services over time.
The only big changes happened in 1901. The tall speaker's stand was replaced with a lower platform. Also, the kerosene chandelier was added at that time. As the years went by, fewer and fewer people came to the church. Eventually, its members joined other churches nearby.
In 1957, the building was sold to a group called the Cotton Mountain Community Church Association. This group is dedicated to keeping the old church safe and preserved for the future.