Free Will Baptist Church (New Durham, New Hampshire) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Free Will Baptist Church
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ridge Rd., New Durham, New Hampshire |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1819 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000310 |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1980 |
The Free Will Baptist Church is a very old and important church building in New Durham, New Hampshire. It was built in 1819. Many people see it as the main or "mother church" for the Free Will Baptist religious group. This is because the group's ideas and rules were first set up in New Durham in 1780. The church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because of its special history.
Contents
About the Church Building
The Free Will Baptist Church is located in a quiet, countryside part of New Durham. It is a one-story building made of wood. It has a pointed roof and its outside walls are covered with wooden boards.
Church Style and Features
The church has some cool design elements from the past. It shows styles called Greek Revival and Italianate. These styles were popular a long time ago.
- You can see flat, column-like shapes on the corners of the building. These are called pilasters.
- The main door is in the middle. It has pilasters on each side and a simple decorative piece above it.
- A tall, two-part tower was added to the church in 1869. This tower also has decorative parts that match the main building.
- Inside, the ceiling has a special pressed metal design from the late 1800s.
History of the Free Will Baptists
The Free Will Baptist Church building was finished in 1819. It is known as the "mother church" of the Free Will Baptist movement. This means it's a very important place for the group's history.
Benjamin Randall and the Movement
The Free Will Baptist movement started because of a man named Benjamin Randall. He lived from 1749 to 1808. Randall was a traveling preacher who shared his religious ideas. He was from New Castle, New Hampshire.
- Randall had different ideas from some other Baptist groups. He disagreed with certain teachings.
- Because of these disagreements, he was no longer part of the main Baptist group.
- However, many people in eastern New Hampshire and southern Maine liked his ideas. They started to follow him.
- The first meetings to organize the Free Will Baptists happened in New Durham in 1780. This was where their beliefs and ways of doing things were decided.
- The church building itself was built eleven years after Benjamin Randall passed away.
See also
