Third Fitzwilliam Meetinghouse facts for kids
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Third Fitzwilliam Meetinghouse
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Village Green, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1817 |
| Architect | Kendall, Samuel; Elias Carter |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Part of | Fitzwilliam Common Historic District (ID97000399) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000162 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 26, 1977 |
| Designated CP | May 2, 1997 |
The Third Fitzwilliam Meetinghouse is a very old and important building in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. It was built a long time ago, in 1817. Today, it is used as the Fitzwilliam Town Hall, which is where the local government works.
This building is special because it's a great example of old church design from its time. It was even added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. This means it is a nationally recognized historic site. It is also part of the Fitzwilliam Common Historic District.
What Does It Look Like?
The Third Fitzwilliam Meetinghouse stands in a special spot in the middle of town. It is on the east side of the village green. The building is made of wood and has two floors. It has a pointed roof and its outside walls are covered with overlapping wooden boards.
The front of the building has a special design that looks like an old Greek temple. It has four tall columns and a triangular shape above them. A tall tower rises above the front of the building. This tower has four parts. The first part has a clock, which was added in 1861. The second part holds a bell made by Paul Revere. This part is open with round archways on all four sides.
A Look Back in Time
Fitzwilliam had its first meetinghouse in the early 1770s. A meetinghouse was a building used for both church services and town meetings. This first building was replaced by a second one in 1816.
Sadly, the second building burned down after only nine weeks of use. Because of this, the current meetinghouse was built the very next year, in 1817. Both the 1816 and 1817 buildings were designed to look like a church in Templeton, Massachusetts. That church was designed by a famous architect named Elias Carter.
This church design was very popular in southwestern New Hampshire in the early 1800s. The Fitzwilliam building is thought to be the first one built with this design. Even though it was built mainly as a church, it stopped being used for religious purposes in 1858. At that time, the upper floor was changed to become a full second story for town use.
