A Brief History
The site of the Meeting House was chosen in 1772 before Main Street and the village existed. In 1775, twelve pounds were pledged at Town Meeting and a rough frame was raised on June 8th but construction was halted due to the poverty and hardship of the Revolutionary War. In 1787 the town voted to sell pews in order to finish the construction. Eight years later an Article came before the town to enlarge the structure but it was voted down.
In 1800 the town voted to build a new meetinghouse measuring 66 feet by 48 feet. It was decided that present pew holders could either receive a full refund of the cost of their old pews, or receive a credit toward a new pew. All of the pews were sold before the first board was laid.
With ground breaking in 1801 and completion in 1803, the new meetinghouse cost $5,274.24. Francestown now had a grand symbol of its commitment to community, church, and government. A bell was purchased and lifted into place in 1808, where it hung for almost 50 years.
The Meeting House has been renovated numerous times in its history. In 1837, a new front and steeple were added and the building was turned. The steeple was changed in 1855 to accommodate a new larger bell and in 1912 the clock was installed in the belfry. In 1953 extensive renovations to the interior of the building included a new pulpit and heating system. In 1987, title was transferred to the Old Meeting House of Francestown, Inc., a non-profit corporation responsible for the preservation, restoration, maintenance and management of the Old Meeting House so as to retain its historical and architectural integrity and its usefulness to the town. Major restoration projects include extensive repairs to the steeple, a new furnace, a smoke and fire alarm system, a sound system, interior replastering and painting, exterior painting and reshingling of the roof.