Jonathan Clowes reports:
As almost all Acworthians know, the steeple of the Church on the Hill was lowered January 19, 2006. Jonathan Clowes, head trustee, for the United Church of Acworth made the decision after much discussion with engineers, builders, and the church council. Roger Cote, steeple jack, and church member, discovered structurally threatening rot in several of the steeple's timbers, after he and several others grew concerned about a lean that was visible in the steeple above the bell. Roger Cote and Charley Haines collaborated with Ben Brungraber, engineer at Benson Woodworking Co. to free and lower the steeple. They were assisted by a crane from McMillan Construction in Keene.
Since then the church council has set up the Acworth Meetinghouse Restoration Committee to raise funds and supervise the restoration of the steeple and any other work that needs to be done in a major restoration of this beautiful church. They have set up a separate account to handle all funds donated to the church to help with the effort. These funds will be monitored by a group of three supervisors. John Putnam and Jonathan Clowes have agreed to be co-chairs of the Restoration Committee. Several people have volunteered to serve on the committee. Currently they are looking for fundraising chair, someone to take on the PR for the committee, and a historian who will research and tell the story of this magnificent church.
The committee has met with Rev. David Williams, a fund raising consultant from the NH Conference of the United Church of Christ, and James Garvin, Architectural Historian at the NH Div. Historic Resources. Work has begun to assess the work that needs to be done to keep the building sound.
The Acworth Meetinghouse, locally known as the "Church on the Hill," was built in 1821 by Isaac Carter who built a series of churches in the federalist style after patterns published by Christopher Wren. They started with one in Templeton, Massachusetts. They include churches in Hancock, Acworth, and Newport NH.
STEEPLE UPDATE
