Hawke Meeting House

       Danville’s historical crown jewel, this is the oldest original construction meeting house still standing in New Hampshire.  Danville’s Old Meeting House was the meeting place for the townspeople for both religious and political purposes.  It is one of the oldest such buildings still standing in the state.  The pulpit, the interior (excepting the pews on the main floor), and the exterior are all original.  The bible cushion in the pulpit, the lock and the key and the stenciling on the pillars are original.  In 1912 the Old Meeting House Association was formed to perpetuate the antiquity of the building.  There is an annual Old Home Day service held each year.  The building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.  The state historic marker was dedicated on January 28, 1996

 

        Construction of the Meeting House started in 1754 and it was built by 28 citizens who conveyed it to the parish on June 6, 1760, free of charge.  At the meeting held on that date it was voted to sell the privilege for sixteen pews to be put in at the owner’s expense, the proceeds of the sale to be used for the completion of the house.  The prices ranged from 131 pounds to over 200 pounds old tenor, the highest being paid by Aaron Quimby for the pew next to the pulpit on the east.  One side of the gallery was the men’s side, the other for women.  The benches in the gallery were supposedly for slaves and indentured persons.  The first town meeting was held in the building on March 10, 1760.  Pews in the gallery were sold on September 14, 1761 and another sale is recorded on December 25, 1798.  In the early 1860’s the pews on the main floor were removed so that dances could be held, although it has been said that there never were any held.

 

        The interior was restored in 1936 through a generous gift of Leser A. Colby as a memorial to his mother.  The material of the original pews, stored in various parts of the building, furnished plans and measurements so that the restoration is practically identical with the original.  Mr. Arthur Tuck and Mr. Harry Greenwood did the actual work and used much of the original material.

 

        Regular church services ceased about 1832 and the last town meeting was held in 1886.  During town meetings the moderator and town clerk occupied the space in front of the pulpit and the folding table served as a desk.

        More Information about the Danville Meeting House