497 Province Rd Gilmanton NH 03237

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On January 2, 2000 the two congregations of the Centre Community Church, Gilmanton Corner, and the United Church of Gilmanton Iron Works united to become one congregation with the name of “The Gilmanton Community Church. We celebrated the 175th Anniversary of the two sanctuaries in which we worship in the year 2001. Looking Back .... Before the first settlers arrived in 1766, King George granted the proprietors a large tract of land in this area. The town was incorporated in 1727 and the condition of the charter stipulated that a meetinghouse “should be built for the public to worship God.” This was done within four years. Due to the fears of Indian uprisings, settlement was delayed. It was not until 1761 that the first settlers arrived. By August 1763 the proprietors had hired Reverend William Parsons to preach. (“History of Gilmanton” by Daniel Lancaster, pg. 17) Reverend Parsons moved his family to town and preached “wherever he could in barns, houses and schools”. Finally, in 1774 the town voted to build a church and to ‘engage’ Reverend Isaac Smith to preach. It was at this time that The Smith Meeting House was built on the site of the present building on Meeting House Road. Reverend Smith preached for nearly 43 years. He died in 1817 and was buried at the Smith Meeting House Cemetery. The population of Gilmanton was quickly increasing, now spreading toward the villages at Gilmanton Corner and at the Iron Works. In 1826 the membership of the Smith Meeting House congregation sent out two delegations of people who established a new Congregational church in each village. Our present church buildings built. At this time there was a group of Baptists who wanted to be separated from the established “Congregational” church. The first Lower Gilmanton Church building was begun at the same time as the First Congregational Society (Smith Meeting House). It is of interest that the ‘Smith Meeting House Church’ as the official town church was supported by mandatory taxes for all residents of the town. After several legal battles the Baptists were exempted from having to support the “Congregational church” through the ‘Minister Tax’ on the condition that they would build their own house of worship and support it financially. This was at least 10 years prior to the Toleration Act which made voluntary members of an organization responsible for its support. They were exempted with strict requirements which required them to produce a certificate from the wardens of the Baptist Church attesting to their attendance three-fours of the Baptist meetings and that they had paid their tax to that society. There was a great religious revival soon after Reverend Smith’s death which resulted in 45 new church members, several of whom were young. Lancaster’s history (pg 187) remarks that this was “of deep interest as heretofore, scarcely a youth was found within this part of the church.” This revival appears to be short lived. Some accounts state that the first church building (Smith Meeting House) was finally too large for the diminishing membership. It is noted that the building was in such bad condition that it was necessary to tear it down. At any rate, the building was taken down. The present Smith Meeting House building, “a neat and comfortable house of the first church was raised from the materials,” in 1839. Preaching appears to have been held only irregularly, but the Society met annually. After 1886, meetings are recorded until 1900 on a regular basis. By then the S.M.H. building was again in a bad state of repair. The “Old Smith Meeting House Improvement Society” was organized and the building was saved. The offspring of the “First Congregational Church Society” continue to witness to their faith and ministry through the Gilmanton Community Church Congregation, “one congregation with two worship facilities.” Our beautiful ‘Centre Church’ building at Gilmanton Corner maintains the same exterior that it has had through the years. There have been interior changes. At one time the organ and a choir loft were situated in the ear of the church. It was the custom for the congregation to stand and turn around to face the organ when singing. Later renovation discovered the choir loft was apparently not originally located in the rear. Presently the organ and the choir are located in the front of the sanctuary. In the early 1980’s the Centre church was raised and a fine ’undercroft’ with a large hall, kitchen, toils, nursery and storage space was added. One rest room is fully accessible. Recently a very necessary and inconspicuous handicap ram has been constructed and a side door added for access to the sanctuary. Many hours of volunteer labor went into these improvements, including the fund raising and carpentry skills of many, many committed people. Originally there were horse sheds which had been taken down. A furnace was installed to replace the wood stoves for heating. Curiously the Centre church had no bell for more than 100 years. It was the bell in the Academy Building next door that called people to worship. Finally, during the early 1950’s with the advent of the Gilmanton Town Ministry a bell was finally obtained for the Centre Church. At the same time that the Centre Church was organized in Gilmanton Corner in 1826, the church at the Iron Works was also established. Interestingly enough, a Congregational Society was organized there, starting with members who withdrew from the “First Church’ at the Smith Meeting House. The proprietors of that church noted that Congregationalists, Free Will Baptists and Calvin Baptists should take turns holding their services in the Iron Works. Later, after a Baptist Church was also located in the Iron Works village area (first at the foot of Hall‘s Hill and then later on Church Street where the fire station is now located); it happened that at times when one of the churches lacked a minister the other invited their ’sister’ church to join them for worship. After the “Great Fire” of 1915 which burned half the village including the Baptist church, the Congregationalists invited the Baptists to worship with them. They formed the “Federated Church” which later became the United Church of Gilmanton Iron Works. Preaching continued in both the Centre and the United Churches for at least part of the year, although very often this was done by “supply preachers” rather than a regular resident pastor.(To Be Continued Next Month) The Town clock was located in the tower of the Baptist church that burned. It had been the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Goodwin in the 1800’s. When the new clock was put in the presented United church the peak in the gable of the south end of the church was leveled so that the clock face could be seen and serve as the town clock. Sometimes the clock can be heard striking from the very crooked Geddes Road four miles way! A few years ago the clock was electrified. One reference remarks that this was done to prevent the weights from coming loose and falling on the children in the upstairs Sunday school room! It is a relief that people no longer have to climb the tower to wind the clock. It continues to be regularly service by Donald Jenkins who has faithfully tended to its health for many years. In 1930 while trash was being burned in the cellar hole next door, the church roof caught on fire. Considerable water and fire damage occurred. Services were held at the town hall across the street until the church could be repaired. All cleaning was done by the Ladies Aid and the men of the congregation. The beautiful colored windows were paid for by the Ladies Aid with the exception of the two front memorial windows. At times church fairs were held in the town hall. Church suppers were offered at the grammar school in the village and later in the basement of the new parsonage. In 1950 the Town Council of Churches, later the Gilmanton Town Ministry, was formed by the Centre Church, the United Church at Gilmanton Iron Works and the Lower Gilmanton Baptist Church. The three churches kept their separate governments, but shared a minister who preached at each church every Sunday. A council of representatives from the three churches saw to the business affecting the ministry as a whole. The Reverend Donald Osborne was the first minister hired under this arrangement. After a few years the Lower Gilmanton Baptist Church was unable to raise the money to pay its share of the expenses and so withdrew from the Town Ministry. The Centre and United Church congregations decided to hold services together, worshiping one month at the Iron Works and one month at the Corner. It was agreed to always have the Christmas Eve service at the Centre Church and the Easter Service at the United Church. The Centre Church was denominationally affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Church was dually aligned with the UCC and the American Baptist Churches. Today our Gilmanton Community Church is affiliated with both the American Baptists and National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. Being a community church, while we do have official denominational ties, our congregation includes a wide variety of people from diverse religious backgrounds. We seek to provide a religious environment of inclusive traditions which meet the spiritual needs of those who worship with us. While Reverend William Marsell was pastor of the Gilmanton Town Ministry, in the early 70’s, the I. W. United Church was moved back from the street and an ‘undercroft’ was added which provided a hall, kitchen, rest rooms and a nursery. A short time later the Ladies Aid raised the funds which allowed for the addition of a beautiful adjoining parlor complete with fire place. As the undercroft was finished and declared to be quite sound, it was noted that some sills were long, continuous timbers and some were rounded and unleveled. The finished basement is now used for Sunday school, church suppers, receptions, Scout meetings (etc.) as is the undercroft of Centre church. At one time the United undercroft held a privately run preschool and kindergarten. The United Church has a sloped entry to the sanctuary allowing handicap entrance as well as a fully accessible rest room. At both churches parking lots have been paved. There is an enlargement of the parking lot at the United Church which has not yet been paved but is heavily used. Other Baptist Churches existed in Gilford and Belmont when those towns were still part of Gilmanton. The original proprietors of Gilmanton set aside ’parsonage lands’. Sometimes they were sold and the proceeds divided among the churches. There doesn’t seem to be a record of where the town’s first ’settled preacher’ lived. The parsonage at Smith Meeting House was not build until after the Rev. Smith’s death. Church records one year mention buying “the small piece of land on which the parsonage stands”. A suggestion was made to use it for a parsonage. At least part of the time since the church’s last ’settled minister’ the parsonage was ’rented out’. It burned in the early 1900’s. As a child, I (Mary Morse) picnicked beside the cellar hole in the field down the old road from the church. The Church at the Corner had at least two parsonages. The Congregational Church at the Iron Works sold its parsonage to Mr. K? at the time. This was perhaps the house where George and Eleanor Nelson lived and where Mr. Bauman now lives. The Iron Works parsonage on Church Street used by the United Church was sold. The Ballard family gave the church the building site next to its sanctuary so that a parsonage could be built. This is where our present Fellowship House now stands. It was built at the time the Council of Churches was organized. The first pastor to live in the parsonage was the first Minister of the Council, the Rev. Donald Osborne and his family. This building was used by all subsequent pastors until The Rev. Linda Bolton became pastor in 1995. Rev. Bolton and her husband, Dr. Philip chose to live in their own home on Stone Road, a farm situated about a the middle distance between the two sanctuaries. At this time the church held a contest to re-name the parsonage. The winning name was “The Fellowship House”. It now houses our church office and provides additional Sunday School and meeting space. There is not room to even mention all the ministers who have served us as “preachers and teachers”. It is not possible to recognize all the organists, choir members, Sunday School teachers, youth group leaders, supporters and committee members. The Women’s Guild at Gilmanton Corner, The Centre Church Quilters and the Ladies Aid at the Iron Works have been devoted, committed workers and contributors to the ministry of the congregation. Vital and valued for all they have given over many years - they are deeply appreciated. Today the two women’s fellowships have become one Women’s Fellowship which continues to serve the Lord’s work. Two congregations which formed the Gilmanton Town Ministry in 1950, made another historical decision fifty years later, in 2000 to become one congregation known as The Gilmanton Community Church. We continue to worship in the two sanctuaries, each of which blesses us with a particular spiritual and physical beauty, unique and precious. Our buildings are highly used by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Quilters, Seniors and other nonprofit groups without cost. We also thank God for the rental of these buildings by several for-profit organizations! It is our prayer that God will continue to bless and to use us in His service to His honor and glory.