Seven to Save 2022: Hill Center Church

Hill – then known as New Chester – built its first meetinghouse between 1799 and 1800 on Murray Hill, near the geographic center of town. It’s unknown exactly what the meetinghouse looked like, because in 1847, the town voted to build a new town house across the road and renovate the 1800 meetinghouse.

Renovations included making the two-story building one open sanctuary, with new, tall windows, a bell tower and some Gothic Revival ornament. The only clues about the earlier building are the massive timber frame and the plaster and trim that can be seen from the attic stairwells.

In the 1960s, the building was threatened with demolition until a friends group formed to preserve it. That group rebuilt the steeple, plastered the interior, repaired the windows, and painted the building. The restored building was used for occasional services and community events.

Since then, the building has suffered from irregular bouts of investment and use. It is the goal of the revitalized organization to restore the building once again and develop a regular program of activities inside. While the building needs cosmetic work like paint, steeple repair, and window putty, its ultimate struggle is with apathy. Murray Hill is no longer the main route for travelers and the building is removed from the main village, making it an afterthought for most residents.

Stay up to date on this program, including when submissions open for next year’s list, and browse listees from past years (we’ve been highlighting endangered properties since 2006!) by vising the Seven to Save homepage.

Are you part of a group involved with one of our previous listees? We’d love to hear how you’re doing! Call us at (603) 224-2281 or email seventosave@nhpreservation.org.