Meredith – Work has begun on repairs to one of this town’s most historic buildings.
The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, in partnership with the 1772 Foundation, has awarded a $9000 grant to the Meredith Historical Society to partially fund the first phase of extensive rehabilitation of the historic Oak Hill Meeting House located at 61 Winona Road. The grant will help address foundation issues, sill restoration, partial re-siding, and painting of the northeast and rear sides of the building.
Built in 1801 as a church, the building was acquired in 1950 by the Meredith Historical Society and currently serves as the Society’s Farm Museum. It is one of only two Meredith buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We are delighted and very grateful to the 1772 Foundation and the N.H. Preservation Alliance for this grant,” said John Hopper, president of the Meredith Historical Society. “Oak Hill is one of the most significant historical buildings in Meredith. Sitting at its original location on the old Province Road, it is a key part of Meredith’s Heritage Trail. The building is an enduring symbol and the physical embodiment of the hopes and dreams of the early Meredith farmers who settled the land and paved the way for us today,”
Oak Hill (also known at the Pottle Meeting House) was built by settlers who became part of the Free Will Baptist Church, a more liberal sect that was founded by former Baptists in the 1780s. Oak Hill became the most popular church in Meredith during the first decades of the 19th century. Among its founding members was Robinson Peters, a former slave who had gained freedom after the Revolution and owned a farm in town for more than 30 years.
As described in the National Register document, the “Oak Hill meetinghouse, with its fine proportions, simple but well designed facades, dignified although restrained Greek Revival inspired ornament, can arguably be ranked as the best surviving towerless mid 19th century church in Belknap County.”
The building is closed during the rehabilitation process that will extend into 2025 as it is in need of comprehensive repairs to ensure its preservation. The Historical Society is in the midst of developing additional funding sources to enable completion of the work at both the Farm Museum and also extensive siding and roof work to the 1812 Main Street Museum, the so-called Ladd Block at 45 Main St. in Meredith Village.