National Register of Historic Places

First Universalist Church

Kingston, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Listed
December 26, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79000204

About this property

The First Universalist Church, known locally as the Church on the Plains, is a historic church building on Main Street in Kingston, New Hampshire. Built in 1879 to a design by the regionally prominent architect C. Willis Damon, it is a fine local example of Stick/Eastlake architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is now owned by the local historical society. The former First Universalist Church building is located in the town center of Kingston, on the east side of its expansive common at the southwest corner of Main Street and Cemetery Lane. It is a rectangular wood-frame structure, with a gable roof and a four-stage square tower projecting out of its northwest corner. The first stage of the tower has paired stencilled rectangular windows, and the second has single four-leaf-clover windows. The third stage is louvered on all four sides, and houses the church bell. The last level has clock faces on all four sides, and the steeple rises above. To the right of the tower is a single-story porch, its shed roof supported by large wooden brackets. Above that in the gable end is a three-part Palladian window, and the gable itself is decorated with Stick style woodwork. The interior has stencilwork done by unknown craftsmen. The church was built in 1879 to a design by C. Willis Damon of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Damon was considered one of that city's leading architects, having designed a number of its industrial buildings and the old Haverhill High School. His credits in New Hampshire include an academy building in Tilton and the Portsmouth courthouse. This church was deconsecrated in 1954, and donated to the local historical society in 1974. National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire

Location

Kingston, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
42.93356, -71.05380

Categories

ARTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Plains Cemetery
Listed
0.1 mi
Bartlett, Josiah, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Nichols Memorial Library
Industrial
0.2 mi
Sanborn Seminary
Industrial
0.4 mi
Elkins, John, Farmstead
Industrial
2.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was First Universalist Church listed on the National Register?

First Universalist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1979.

What type of historic resource is First Universalist Church?

First Universalist Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for First Universalist Church?

The period of significance for First Universalist Church is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near First Universalist Church?

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