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Hampstead Old Meeting House
1745
The corner stone of the building was laid in 1745, but construction continued for several more years. For the first two or three years, there were no clapboards on the building. Only some windows had glass and they were on the lower level.. Records show us that the rest of the clapboards were added by sections over the next few years. The windows, doors and clapboards were all finished in 1752. The interior was not plastered until 1768.
The building was open from the first floor to the roof until 1856, when the second floor was added.
As you entered the building, there was a wide aisle leading to the north wall where the pulpit rose to a height of eleven feet. To the left of the stairs leading to the pulpit. Overhanging this area was an octagonal sounding board, measuring eight feet in diameter. The pulpit was illuminated by an arched window situated just below the sounding board.
The enclosed area that would be in front of you. is the original Deacon's box. The half circle table that hangs from the front of it is the original Deacon's table that was used for communion and Town Meetings.
As you walk from the front door to the pulpit, there were box pews on either side of the aisle. Also, there were box pews and some benches on the raised area around the outside walls. This raised area is also original to the building. There was a sloping gallery on the east, south and west walls about the height of the second present floor. The gallery, which consisted of pews and benches, was reached by two sets of stairs that were in the two south corners of the building.
The building retained its rectangular shape until 1793, when the bell tower and steeple were erected against the west wall. At the same time, the "porch" was erected against the east wall. The original entry to this addition has yet to be uncovered. The bell tower and steeple rise 98 feet above the ground. The original wooden weathervane remained until a new replaced it in 1882, and this is the one you still see on top of the steeple today.
In 1809, Deacon Timothy Huse donated the bell that is in the tower now. It is a Paul Revere, Jr., bell and I believe that it is one of two known to still be in existence. It was probably cast in the Paul Revere foundry.
The building was without heat, except for foot warmers, until early 1822. At that time a box stove was purchased and placed in front of the pulpit. There was no chimney, so the stove funnel passed up to the second story and branched out through the east and west windows.
As mentioned earlier, the pulpit, box pews and gallery were removed in 1856. At that time, the second floor was installed and the building came into use as a Town Hall. I am not sure if the stage on the second floor was installed at that time.
The first floor was used for Town Meetings, suppers and other social gatherings in town. For heat there was a large coal/wood hot air furnace to the right of the Deacon's box. This was removed in the 1960's and replaced by an efficient modern one.
Upstairs was used by the Grange for a great many years. It was also used for dances, school plays, movies, whist parties and many other activities.
The charm and beauty of the old Meeting House is doubly enhanced by the knowledge that it has the oldest unaltered exterior in the state of New Hampshire.
Maurice Randall, November 1994
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