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Congregational Church Of Hollis

3 Monument Square
603-465-7797

History

On November 5, 1740, the early settlers of Hollis, numbering 30 families, voted "that the first meeting house should be erected on Abraham Taylor's land, about sixty roads southerly from said Taylor's Dwelling House, on the highest knoll of land thereabouts, and that the burying place for the perish be adjoining the place now known for ye Meeting House." It was 22 feet by 20 feet with 9 posts. A special meeting to vote was held on October 23, 1741 "to have one Glace Widner in the meeting house and to have it pind as soon as possible."

The first meeting house proved too small and on August 13, 1746 a second larger church was erected. This building was 50 feet by 44 feet with 23 posts. Around the four sides of the interior was space for 20 family pews which were the seats of the town aristocracy.

To help finance the building "pew ground" was sold with each pew to be built by the pew holder. Down the center of the building were long benches where the rest of the congregation would sit, men on one side, women on the other. In the two years that followed construction, parishioners were busy building their own pews and completing the rest of the building.

In this same year the name of the church was changed from The Second Church of Dunstable to The Church of Christ of Hollis as a result from the church's inclusion to the financial responsibilities of the newly incorporated town of Hollis.

In 1880 the building was shared by the town offices, the church, and the library. After the town hall was built in 1887, the Grange leased the church's auditorium for 99 years at a cost of twenty dollars a year. The kitchen and dining room were used by the town, church, and grange for public dinners. Until its own building was erected in 1910 the Hollis Social Library was housed on the west side of the church.

Following successful fund raising projects, including the sale of the Flagg Estate, a new addition was dedicated in 1965. This addition provided a new kitchen and Sunday School rooms, as well as church administrative offices and a study for the pastor.


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