Leicester Meeting House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Leicester Meeting House
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| Location | US 7 and Town Hwy. 1 (Leicester-Whiting Rd.), Leicester, Vermont |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1829 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 88001043 |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1988 |
The Leicester Meeting House is a special old building in Leicester, Vermont. It stands where United States Route 7 meets the Leicester-Whiting Road. Built way back in 1829, it's a great example of early American church design made from brick. This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 because of its importance. It has been a place for many different church groups to meet over the years.
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What Does the Meeting House Look Like?
The Leicester Meeting House is a very important building in Leicester's town center. It is found at a spot known as Four Corners. This is where US 7 meets the Leicester-Whiting Road and Fern Lake Road.
Building Materials and Shape
The building is made of brick and has one story. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides, called a gabled roof. The building sits on a strong foundation made of rough-cut stone. It is three sections wide and three sections deep.
Windows and Entrance
The meeting house has tall windows with rounded tops. These windows are set into arched spaces in the brick walls. The main door is in the middle of the front, which faces south. This front part sticks out about 4 feet (1.2 meters) and has its own small gabled roof. The double doors have a shallow arched window above them. There is also a special Palladian window above the doors. Both the doorway and the window are set into a shallow arched space.
History of the Meeting House
The Leicester Meeting House was built in 1829. It was created by a group called the Leicester Meeting House Society. This society started in 1825. Their goal was to provide a shared space for different Christian church groups to meet.
Local Bricks and Changes Inside
The bricks used to build the meeting house came from nearby. They were likely made from clay found about 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) away. The inside of the building has changed over time. When it was first built, the pulpit (where the speaker stands) was at the south end. It was in a curved space below a balcony.
In 1869, the society decided to move the pulpit. They moved it to the north wall, where it now stands on a raised platform. Over the years, many different church groups have used this building. These include Methodists, Congregationalists, Pentecostals, and the Church of the Nazarene.