BY JENN McDOWELL
The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance revealed its second annual “Seven to Save” list of historical buildings at a building on its first list – the relocated Epsom Meetinghouse.
Making this year’s list, announced Tuesday, Oct. 16, were the Acworth Meetinghouse, the Ashland Historical School, the Whittier Covered Bridge in Ossipee, the Burley-DeMerrit Homestead in Lee, the Upper Village Hall in East Derry, Manchester’s First High School, and the St. Anne Church, also in Manchester.
“Imagine New Hampshire without these special places,” said Peter Labombarde, treasurer of the Preservation Alliance.
Epsom’s meetinghouse, built in 1861 and located on Route 4 at the corner of Black Hall Road where a Cumberland Farms now stands, made it on last year’s list and was saved from the bulldozers in February after Epsom voters decided to keep the old building.
The 125-ton meetinghouse was moved on a wide-load truck about a mile further down Route 4. It cost about $80,000 for the move alone.
Cumberland Farms, after purchasing the parcel on which the meetinghouse stood, donated $10,000 to help pay to move the building.
*** Frambach, a member of the town’s charter committee, “Friends of Epsom Historic Meetinghouse,” said the plan was designed so that taxpayers would not have to spend money on the project.
With Phase 1 completed, moving the building down the street and situating it on a new foundation next to the town’s library, the next phase of converting it into a community center will begin shortly, Frambach said.
“We’re still in need of contributions to help us finish the project,” he said, adding that the meetinghouse committee received $107,000 in private donations and raised another $87,000 through fundraising efforts.
They have applied for a grant from the state’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, which would match the $107,000 in private donations.
“We stand to get a good chunk of money which would help winterize it and get it so we can use it,” Frambach said.
George Carlson, chairman of the Epsom Town Office Building Committee, said the working plans for the building are to connect it to the library and use the connecting areas for town offices, a project that is estimated to cost the town about $950,000, some of which will come from grants.
Carlson was originally against moving the building, but could not argue with the town’s 353 to 234 town vote approving the relocation and preservation project.
Epsom resident Lee Margosiam voted against the project. “I was against what the town was going to have to pay on it,” she said.
“The project for moving the building – there were pros and cons. They won, so I’m going to do everything I can to help,” Carlson said, which includes an engineering study, finalizing the building plans and putting out bids for restoration.
Criteria for inclusion on the “Seven to Save” list include the particular historical site’s significance, the imminence of threat or demolition, and consideration of the degree to which the Alliance could help with the site’s preservation.
Also on last year’s list were Manchester’s Franco-American Center, New Hampshire historic sites, Shelburne’s Philbrook Inn on Croftie Farm, Keene’s Stone Arched Bridge, Somersworth’s Hilltop School and Enfield’s Great Stone Dwelling.