The Reverend William Morrison Meetinghouse in Londonderry, lost the town vote for preservation

The Reverend Morrison meetinghouse was built in 1770 originally erected on the corner of Harvey and Pillsbury Roads, and it moved to it's current location at 256 Mammoth Road in 1845 by a team of oxen.  Over more than 250 years it was a meetinghouse, and then the town hall, the public library, and more recently it was known as the Lion's Hall.  The structure is owned by the town of Londonderry.  Now it is sitting unused due to safety issues.

In August 2025 David Ellis, a Londonderry resident, started an effort to have the Morrison meetinghouse listed on the Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire. It is a 5,000 square foot building. The town hoped it could be restored and used again by the residents.  Many renovations are needed on the building to bring it up to code and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Detailed designs were created showing how the building could be used by the town for offices and meetings, and by the public for events and as a community center. 

At the town elections on Tuesday, March 9, Article 4, the proposal to renovate the Morrison Meeting House for $3.38 million, was rejected by the voters 894 to 3,515.  

For the truly curious:

"Councilors to consider state status of historic hall in Londonderry", Union Leader, August 10, 2025, https://www.unionleader.com/news/local/derry_londonderry/councilors-to-consider-state-status-of-historic-hall-in-londonderry/article_8e55a38e-4e24-4a2c-8ab1-7a256dbebe54.html  

Town Meeting coversheet "Presentation and receive public input for the renovation of the Reverend Morrison Meeting House commonly referred to as the Lions Hall"  https://www.londonderrynh.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/2338?fileID=1897  

"Londonderry NH 2026 Town Election Results", Londonderry Patch, 10 March 2026, https://patch.com/new-hampshire/londonderry/londonderry-nh-2026-town-election-results  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Reverend William Morrison Meetinghouse in Londonderry, lost the town vote for preservation", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 11 March 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-reverend-william-morrison.html: accessed [access date]).