Richard Frambach made a sweeping gesture that took in the rebuilt deck area at the Epsom Historic Meetinghouse.

“This is what they call a ‘reception deck,’” he said. “There’s room for people to line up for a receiving line. We hope someday to use the building for weddings, concerts, things like that.”

The meeting house, a fixture in Epsom since the 19th century, is settled into its new home after being moved in February 2007.Many longtime residents were baptized, married or worshipped in the building, which has been a Freewill Baptist Church and the Epsom Bible Church. The Friends of the Meetinghouse envision the structure once again taking its place at the center of town life. But they need two things, money and manpower, to make it happen.

Much about history When the Epsom Bible Church moved to new quarters on Black Hall Road, the Cumberland Farms Corp. purchased its Route 4 property, including the old church. Cumberland Farms offered to donate the meetinghouse to the town, along with $10,000 toward its relocation. Townspeople raised another $95,000 to move the building to its current site in a complex with the new library and old Town Hall.

The Friends of Epsom’s Historic Meetinghouse Committee applied for and received two grants, a $191,000 LCHIP grant for exterior work, heat for the upper level and the electrical connection, and a $10,000 moose plate grant to repair two vandalized stained glass windows.

Town historian T.J. Rand said the Free Will Baptist Society was established in town in 1834. A first meeting house was built and used for several years, though Moses Quimby, who would pastor the flock four separate times, complained that it was “old and ill-constructed.” In 1861, it was replaced by the current one, and the older one hauled to Gossville, where it eventually became the second story of the Gossville General Store.

“The building was moved by oxen, who got stuck in the mud,” Rand said.

And those early churchpeople didn’t skip a service just because their building was being moved: they worshipped in the old building while it was in the middle of the road, according to Rand.

The new building was dedicated Dec. 25, 1861; held its first worship service Dec. 29; and its first communion service Jan. 5, 1862. The structure was different from the one known today, Rand said: it had no central door, but a door on either side; and no belfry, bell or vestibule. The windows were plain -- the stained glass came later. The building still has pews installed in 1894.

Matching funds Penny Graham represented the committee at a recent LCHIP (Land and Community Heritage Investment Program) meeting. She originally planned to ask for just enough money to paint the interior. But on learning that LCHIP requires a minimum project of $10,000, she and the committee added electricity and exit doors to their “to do” list. The electrical panel is in, but the hook-ups need to be made, committee member Dick Frambach said.

Graham said the projects, including painting, are estimated at $20,000. If the town’s application is approved, LCHIP will contribute $10,000; the town will be expected to come up with $5,000; and they will accept $5,000 in in-kind donations.

Graham planned to meet with selectmen to discuss the project and the town’s potential share of the cost. The deadline for the LCHIP application is Oct. 16, she said.

Graham said between historic preservation and conservation, there are about 120 projects competing for LCHIP’s $3 million.

If the grant is received and the work done, Frambach said, there’s little left after that to make the building usable. Two restrooms and septic systems are needed and some wainscoting needs to be replaced. But the furnaces are up and running, he said.

Frambach has talked with several local contractors who are willing to give the town a discount on their labor rates to finish the job. He’s also had one contractor volunteer to design the septic system and another volunteer to put it in. But the committee doesn’t have the cash right now for the materials or diesel fuel for the machines, he said.

The main floor consists of a vestibule and a meeting room, entered through double wooden doors. The original pews are intact, and the tall stained-glass windows memorialize outstanding early citizens.

Pressed-tin ceilings add to the ambience. While it’s a little dusty right now, Frambach envisions the auditorium as a bustling part of town life.

While some of the work requires licensed contractors, volunteers can work under them, Frambach said, adding, “I can operate a nail gun.”

But there are projects requiring more attitude than skill.

“Anyone who wants to can come over and sweep, polish the pews,” he said. “Anyone with a weed whacker is welcome to come by.”

He’s planning a town work day in the near future to spruce up the inside, he said.

And Frambach reminds citizens that the meeting house belongs to them. As one contractor told him, “If it means it’ll cost me less in taxes, sure -- I’ll donate my time.”

Town historian Rand has compiled a book about meeting house history. It’s available for $5 by calling him at 736-9695.

Donations for the meeting house can be sent to the Epsom Historical Association Meetinghouse Fund, P.O. Box 814, Epsom, NH 03234. For other information or to volunteer, call Frambach at 736-9295 or Graham at 736-9044.