Union Meetinghouse-Universalist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Union Meetinghouse-Universalist Church
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 97 Amesbury Rd., Kensington, New Hampshire |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1839-40 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000008 |
| Added to NRHP | February 13, 2013 |
The Union Meetinghouse is a very old church building in Kensington, New Hampshire. It is also known as the Universalist Church. This special building was constructed a long time ago, between 1839 and 1840. It looks much like it did when it was first built. The church is a great example of a style called Greek Revival. In 2013, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical place in the United States. Today, the church is still used for services during the summer.
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About the Union Meetinghouse
The Union Meetinghouse is located in the center of Kensington. It stands near other important town buildings. The church is made of wood and has a pointed roof. Its outside walls are covered with clapboards, which are long, thin boards.
What Does It Look Like?
The front of the church has a triangular shape at the top, like a classic Greek temple. There are two doors on the front. Each door has small windows on the sides and a decorative piece above it. The church also has a tower with two parts. The top of the tower has pointed decorations called Gothic pinnacles. These were added later, after the church was first built. The inside of the church still looks much like it did when it was new. It has its original pulpit and other old parts.
A Look at Its History
This white wooden church was mostly finished in 1839. It was officially opened in 1840. It was first built to be a shared meeting place. Several different Protestant church groups used it. This happened because some groups split from the main Congregational church. Also, more Baptists and Quakers were living in the area.
How the Church Changed Hands
By 1865, many of these church groups had either stopped meeting or built their own churches. This left the Union Meetinghouse to be used mostly by the Universalist church group. This group was quite large. In 1915, the town officially gave the land under the church to the Universalist Society. This made the Universalists the main owners of this historic building.
See also
