Today's weathervane was photographed on the steeple above the United Church of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire.
This mural is painted on the left side of the altar in the sanctuary of the United Church.
The United Church is located at 1139 Center Road in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire. This congregation was founded in 1967 when two churches (Baptist and Congregational) joined to form the United Church. The church is located in the historic district, which has three structures: The Town Pound, the Town Hall, and the church. The Lyndeborough Center Historic District is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The church was built in 1837 when the congregation moved out of the town hall into its own building. The original steeple was hit by lightning in the 1800s, and the new steeple is shorter than the original. The building is not heated, so it is only used in the summer. In the early 1900s the interior was stenciled with bible verses (see the photo above).
The weathervane probably dates from about the mid 1850s when the steeple was rebuilt and the church bell was added. It is a banner style weathervane, with cut work and a lightning rod. According to the book Images of America: Wilton, Temple, and Lyndeborough, by Michael G. Dell'Orto, Priscilla A. Weston, and Jessie Salisbury, 2003, "The Lyndeborough Baptist Church was formed in 1829. A lot was donated by Ephraim Putnam, and this plain, stark building, without steeple, was erected and dedicated in 1836. It was located where the village common is today. In 1863, businessman Joel Tarbell offered the church a lot on the opposite side of the street. The church was moved, turned around, and placed on a better, higher foundation. Over the years, lumber for a belfry was donated by Luther Cram, a weathervane was donated, the interior was renovated, the building was raised, a vestry and kitchen were added, and a spire was built."
For the truly curious:
The records of the United Church of Lyndeborough, 1782 - 1937 are in the Andover-Harvard Theological library of the Harvard Divinity School. The collection identifier is bMS 450.
The History of the Town of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, 1735 - 1905, by D. Donovan and Jacob Woodward, 1906. See this link: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/7n9n5W-Uf2MC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA291&dq=united+church+lyndeborough
To see over 400 Weathervane Wednesday posts, click on this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday
------------------------------
Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "United Church of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire - Weathervane Wednesday!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 8 July 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/07/united-church-of-lyndeborough-new.html: accessed [access date]).
This is a coincidence with your timing. I had never heard of Lyndeborough until this past week when I worked on one of my tangled Lakin families. Several of them left Groton, MA and settled in Lyndeborough. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of the town.
ReplyDeleteLyndeborough is a lovely little town not far from us. We were taking an afternoon cruise in our convertible when I spotted this weathervane.
DeleteHaving a large portion of my extended family hailing from Lyndeborough, this post was very interesting. About 10 years ago Michael G. Dell'Orto was with the Wilton Historical Society. He found a copy of my Dad's Boston College Master's thesis. It was unusual because it was a history of the town of Wilton, written as a story for elementary school children - he was a teacher in Greenfield and wanted a way to share what he found with them. Mr. Dell'Orto very kindly sent me a digital copy with information that the original is still in the Wilton Public Library.
ReplyDeleteI have never been able to find a copy of his Harvard University doctorate.