This new 60 foot post was inserted into the top of the First Parish church tower by crane and lots of skill! |
Lowering the post into position, very carefully! |
A skilled craftsman guiding the new post into position |
Exciting things have happened recently at the renovations of the Meetinghouse at First Parish in East Derry, New Hampshire. Nearly 300 years ago Rev. James MacGregor brought his flock of Ulster Presbyterians from Northern Ireland to New England. After a cold welcome in Boston, and a rough winter in Maine, they found a home in Nutfield (now the towns of Londonderry, Derry and Windham) when they were granted land for settlement from Governor Shute of Massachusetts. In April 1719 the first sixteen families arrived here, and on 11 April 1719 Rev. MacGregor gave his first sermon on the shore of Beaver Lake.
This small congregation
eventually built a small meetinghouse, and then second meetinghouse in 1769, which is
the building still standing in East Derry. In 1822 this small meeting house was cut into two halves,
and enlarged by adding a 24 foot section to the middle. A tower or steeple was
added sometime later. In 1845 a second
floor was added, moving the church sanctuary upstairs, and town offices were
placed downstairs. In 1876 a bell and
clock were added to the tower. In 1884
stained glass windows were installed.
In recent years, the tower was repaired in the 1990s on the
275th anniversary of the parish.
These renovations proved to be damaging to the structure, and in 2013
-2014 a structural analysis fund that the tower needed stabilization, the roof slate
needed to be removed and replaced, and other safety repairs were needed for the
whole structure. It was decided that a
major renovation was needed. In 2016 the
entire building was lifted and the steeple top removed. The building sills were
repaired, and a new foundation was poured.
Last year the tower base was reinforced with new beams. In 2018 it is hoped that the tower will be
finished and the steeple top returned to it’s place above the tower.
Last week, Paul Lindemann, the media contact for the Friends of The Meetinghouse at First Parish, gave me a tour of the building. Work was going on while we there, to finish repairs on the tower base and first floor of the meetinghouse. Paul is an expert on the history of the building, and has been following the project for many years. The first three photos above, of the 60 foot new beam going into the tower, are from Paul's collection of photos of the renovation process.
Last week, Paul Lindemann, the media contact for the Friends of The Meetinghouse at First Parish, gave me a tour of the building. Work was going on while we there, to finish repairs on the tower base and first floor of the meetinghouse. Paul is an expert on the history of the building, and has been following the project for many years. The first three photos above, of the 60 foot new beam going into the tower, are from Paul's collection of photos of the renovation process.
Inside the tower base, where the long 60 foot beams were lowered from the top |
It was originally hoped that the entire project would be
finished for the 300th anniversary of Nutfield in the year 2019. However, many more renovation projects were
discovered during the current rehabilitation of the building, which has caused
a need for more fundraising for the project. There is asbestos that needs to be removed or
re-mediated. Cracks to the plaster caused
by lifting the building need repair. The
ceiling of the sanctuary needs renovation since it cracked and peeled while
being unheated during the winter it was lifted.
The roof project has not been started yet. Interior finishes such as new hallways,
stairs, and an elevator to meet ADA codes have yet to be installed. All of this
will take more time and money than originally planned.
Hopefully the local community, Nutfield descendants, and history
buffs will support the Friends of the Meetinghouse at First Parish in their project
to complete their renovations in a timely manner for the 300th anniversary
in 2020. It is expected that the project
will move along enough for the bell to be rung on the anniversary of the first
sermon on 11 April, and perhaps tours for the 300th anniversary
celebrations even if the sanctuary interior renovations are not complete.
The MacGregor stained glass window commemorates the first minister of the First Parish church in 1719 |
The sanctuary of the First Parish awaits necessary renovations before it can be used for worship services |
Paul explained to me how this first floor area used to be the town hall, and will become community space again after the renovations. |
Important links:
Friends of the Meetinghouse at First Parish 501(c ) (3) : https://fotmh.org/
Timber Peg Donations:
https://fotmh.org/timber-peg-donations/
Paul Lindemann’s blog
“Nutfield History” http://www.nutfieldhistory.org/
Paul’s recent detailed
blog post on the tower rehab project:
My previous blog posts about the renovation process at First Parish:
Sept. 17, 2015
Thank you to Paul Lindemann for the excellent tour of the meetinghouse, and for the first three photos at the top of this blog post (of the new beam being installed into the meetinghouse tower).
----------------------------
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “An Update on The Meetinghouse at First
Parish in Derry”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 12, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/an-update-on-meetinghouse-at-first.html: accessed [access date]).
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