Acworth Congregational Church | |
Location | North end of town common, Acworth, New Hampshire |
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Coordinates | 43°13′8″N72°17′38″W / 43.21889°N 72.29389°W Coordinates: 43°13′8″N72°17′38″W / 43.21889°N 72.29389°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1821 |
Architect | Elias Carter |
Architectural style | Federal |
NRHP reference No. | 75000132 [1] |
Added to NRHP | June 13, 1975 |
Acworth Congregational Church (The Church-on-the-Hill or Acworth Meetinghouse) is a historic church at the end of the town common in Acworth, New Hampshire. Built in 1821, its exterior is a well-preserved local example of Federal period architecture, with possible attribution to Elias Carter. Its interior now exhibits a Victorian-era design, distinctive because it has survived later alteration. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. [1] It is now maintained by a local non-profit organization.
The Acworth Congregational Church occupies one of the highest spots in the village center of Acworth, at the northern end of its oblong town common. It is a basically rectangular two-story wood-frame structure, covered by a gabled roof and wooden clapboards. A projecting entry section has its own triangular pediment (with oculus window) and pilasters, matching those at the corners of the main block. A four-stage tower (two square stages topped by two octagonal ones) rises above the main facade. The church's interior decoration is mainly the result of a redecoration in the 1880s. [2]
The church was built in 1821, with alterations at several points in the 19th century. Its design is clearly inspired by the Congregational Church of Templeton, Massachusetts, which was designed by Elias Carter and influenced the design of a whole series of churches throughout the region. Attribution of this church's design to Carter is disputed, and the congregation's records of the period have not survived. The congregation was founded in 1773, and this was its second meeting house. Unlike the first, whose construction in 1784 was funded by the town, it was paid for exclusively by the congregation, over separation of church and state concerns. The interior was restyled in the late 19th century. [2] The building is now maintained by a local non-profit organization.
The Round Church, also known as the Old Round Church, is a historic church on Round Church Road in Richmond, Vermont. Built in 1812–1813, it is a rare, well-preserved example of a sixteen-sided meeting house. It was built to serve as the meeting place for the town as well as five Protestant congregations. Today it is maintained by the Richmond Historical Society and is open to the public during the summer and early fall, It is also available for weddings and other events. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996 for the rarity of its form and its exceptional state of preservation.
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The Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church is a historic church building at 49 Church Street in Bernardston, Massachusetts. The church is notable for the history of construction, movement, and reconstruction, since it was first erected in 1739, just two years after Bernardston was settled. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Its congregation is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association which was established in 1820.
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The Third Fitzwilliam Meetinghouse is a historic meeting house on the village green in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. It presently serves as Fitzwilliam Town Hall. Built in 1817, it is a high-quality example of period church architecture, based closely on the work of regionally noted architect Elias Carter. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and was included in the Fitzwilliam Common Historic District in 1997.
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Chester Congregational Church is a historic church at 4 Chester Street in Chester, New Hampshire. This wood-frame building was originally built as a traditional New England colonial meeting house in 1773, and underwent significant alteration in 1840, giving it its present Greek Revival appearance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Sandown Old Meetinghouse is a historic meeting house on Fremont Road in Sandown, New Hampshire. Built in 1773, this two-story timber-frame structure is a virtually unaltered late-Colonial civic and religious structure. It is believed to be unique in the state for its level of preservation, both internal and external. The building, now maintained by a nonprofit organization, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2011.
South Congregational Church is a historic church building at 58 S. Main Street in Newport, New Hampshire. The two-story brick church was built in 1823 by the carpenter John Leach for a congregation established in 1779, and is the most northerly of a series of rural churches based on a design used by Elias Carter in the design of the Congregational church in Templeton, Massachusetts. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
The Allenstown Meeting House is a historic meeting house on Deerfield Road in Allenstown, New Hampshire. Built in 1815, it is New Hampshire's only surviving Federal-style single-story meeting house to serve both religious and civic functions. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2004, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in July 2004. It is presently owned and maintained by the town.
West Brooksville Congregational Church is an historic church in West Brooksville, Maine on the east side of Maine State Route 176, 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of the junction with Varnum Road. Built in 1855 for a congregation established in 1812, the present church building is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; worship is held every Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Sunday School begins at 9 a.m. Communion is served the first Sunday of every month.
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Elias Carter (1781-1864) was an American architect whose first church design, at Brimfield, Massachusetts, was completed in 1805. He was born in 1781 to Timothy and Sarah (Walker) Carter in Ward, a village of Auburn, Massachusetts. His father, a builder, died when he was three, and the family moved to Hardwick when his mother remarried, to a farmer there. He followed in his father's profession, working in the American South for a time before returning to central Massachusetts. He was responsible for the construction of a number of churches in central Massachusetts, which an early biographer described as "typical white steepled churches of New England". His most influential design appears to have been the church in Templeton, Massachusetts, which inspired the design of at least two others. He also built houses throughout central Massachusetts, as well as a wing of the Westborough State Hospital, and played a role in the construction of the New Hampshire state insane asylum.
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