The Stone Church facts for kids

The Stone Church is a super cool place in Newmarket, New Hampshire, where you can enjoy live music! It first opened its doors in 1970. Today, The Stone Church offers yummy local food, a special selection of local drinks, and amazing musical performances. You can see both local bands and famous groups that travel from all over the country. This fun spot is located at 5 Granite Street, right on top of Zion Hill in Newmarket. It even has parking and a charging station for electric cars!

A Building with Many Lives

From Church to Factory

The building that is now The Stone Church has a very interesting past. It was built way back in 1832. At first, it was a church for the people who worked in Newmarket's big mills. The town's factory was once so huge it had more weaving machines than almost any other building in the world!

Over the years, the building served different churches. It started as a Universalist meeting house, then became a Unitarian one about 20 years later. In 1865, the Catholics bought the church. They owned it until around the early 1900s. After that, the building changed jobs many times! It was a hall for veterans (VFW), a roller-skating rink where people zoomed around, and even a factory that made parts for shoes called the Newmarket Heel Company. Sadly, that shoe factory had a big fire in 1968.

Becoming a Music Spot

In 1970, two students from the University of New Hampshire named Rod Philbrick and John Williamson, along with Arnet Taylor, bought the old, burnt building. They had a great idea: they wanted to turn it into a place for live music! And that's exactly what they did.

Since then, The Stone Church has been a special home for many musicians. It has hosted both local bands and very famous touring groups.

What's Happening at The Stone Church Today?

Live Music and More

The Stone Church has welcomed many well-known bands and artists over the years. Some of the famous groups that have played there include Phish, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Parliament, Patty Larkin, Béla Fleck, David Grisman Quintet, Joan Osborne, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Radiators, Guster, moe., John Butler Trio, John Scofield, Soulive, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Many talented local bands have also performed at The Stone Church. These include groups like Percy Hill, Say Zuzu, Scissorfight, Thanks to Gravity, Bill Morrissey, and Truffle. It's a place where you can always find great music and a fun atmosphere.

Images for kids

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  Inside The Stone Church

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  A window at The Stone Church

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  The Stone Church building