For the first residents of our towns, building a meetinghouse was an important step, since it was the center of activities – serving as church, town hall and social center.

It generally took many years for a community to reach a point where it could afford to build one. In the 1700s, all work was done by hand, and the “raising” of a large building would require many more able-bodied men than one settlement had.

Wilton was established in 1739. In 1772, the residents voted to tax themselves enough to build a meetinghouse, which was to be done the next year. The town had a population of about 500.

The work was scheduled for Sept. 7, 1773, which was described as a beautiful fall day. It didn’t happen as planned; instead, five men died and 48 were injured, many of them seriously.

Perhaps because of the tragedy, the building committee didn’t keep a detailed account of the work. It was a large building, 60 feet long, 45 feet wide and 27 feet to the top of the wall – 1 foot higher, according to one account, than the new meetinghouse in New Ipswich, which was then the largest building in the area.

The master builder was Ephraim Barker, an experienced man who had built several meetinghouses, including one in Amherst. The door was centered in the long south wall, with the pulpit opposite it. Since there were galleries, or balconies, on three sides, there were two rows of windows.

It was located in what is now the parking lot between the present First Unitarian Congregationalist Church and Andy’s Summer Playhouse, the former town hall.

Raisings, most frequently of barns, were a festive affair and drew people from all of the surrounding towns. They were attended by families, with much socializing. Among the requirements for the meetinghouse raising were 6 gallons of rum, with the attendant brown sugar and lemons for punch.

The meetinghouse wasn’t raised that day. When a central beam broke, 53 of the 120 workmen were on the structure. The list of injured includes men from Wilton, Lyndeborough, New Ipswich, Temple, Mile Slip (Milford), Amherst, Mason, Washington, and Pepperell and Andover, Mass. Those killed were from Wilton, Lyndeborough and New Ipswich.

While the Wilton history of 1888 notes the incident, the Lyndeborough history of 1905 has a full account provided by a resident, Capt. John Bradford. In addition, Charles E. Clark’s “The Meetinghouse Tragedy” (University of New Hampshire Press, 1998) provides a detailed account with as much background material as he could find.

According to Bradford’s account, he arrived in midafternoon because his wife was ill and he had left her with friends. When he arrived, the sides of building were already up, as was part of the east end of the roof.

As he passed, he noticed that the middle beam extending 45 feet across the church wasn’t supported properly, and that the post being used for the support was worm eaten and was beginning to bend. It wouldn’t support the weight of the workmen.

Bradford immediately climbed up and pointed out the problem to Barker. The history says Barker, “being over confident by the success thus far, replied to him, that if he was afraid he might go home, that they wanted no cowards there.” (Smith also notes the excellent rum punch as a possible factor).

Indignant, Bradford went down and got on his horse to leave. He hadn’t gone far when he heard the sounds of the break and looked back to watch the fall of men, tools and timbers. It was said the crash could be heard a mile away.

However, after a day of fasting and prayer, a new committee began work on the meetinghouse. Although a second beam broke, no one was injured. The new house was dedicated on Jan. 5, 1775, by the Rev. Jonathan Livermore.

That meetinghouse burned in 1859. Its foundations are under the parking lot gravel.

The present church was built beside the foundations and dedicated in 1861, fittingly by the Rev. Abiel Livermore, grandson of Jonathan.

Keep up with the past with Another Perspective, which runs every other week in The Telegraph. Jessie Salisbury can be reached at 654-9704 or jessies@tellink.net.

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