Union Chapel is a historic chapel in

Hillsborough, New Hampshire Hillsborough, frequently spelled Hillsboro, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,939 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Fox State Forest and part of Low State Forest. The main village of the t ...

. Completed in 1887, it has been a center of local civic life since then, and is architecturally a distinctive local example of

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design. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2009, and the

New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places The New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places (NHSRHP) is a register of historic places administered by the Government of New Hampshire, state of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Buildings, districts, s ...

in 2006.

Description and history

Hillsborough's Union Chapel is located in Hillsborough Lower Village, on the south side of Sawmill Road a short way east of the 2nd New Hampshire Turnpike. It is a single-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, clapboarded exterior, and granite foundation. A square tower projects slightly from the right side of the main facade, with an open belfry capped by a hip roof. Windows are set in groups that share bracketed sills. Those on the front facade are topped by small shed roofs. The windows feature colored glass panes. The interior is finished primarily in varnished woodwork. The Ladies Aid Society, a group formed to provide a meeting area and chapel in the Lower Village area of Hillsborough, had the structure built in 1886–7 at a cost of $2,081.38. The funds were raised mainly within the Lower Hillsborough community, with the single largest donation coming from native son

Benjamin Pierce Cheney Benjamin Pierce Cheney ( ; August 12, 1815 – July 23, 1895) was an American businessman, and a founder of the firm that became American Express. Early life Cheney was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, on August 12, 1815, to Jesse and Al ...

. It was designed by John Jackman, a local architect, and was apparently based on a slightly larger church built by Jackman in neighboring Henniker. The chapel was used for religious services mainly during the warmer months, and has also been a center of community activities since its construction.

References

{{NRHP in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Chapels in the United States Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Queen Anne architecture in New Hampshire Churches completed in 1887 19th-century churches in the United States Churches in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Hillsborough, New Hampshire

Description and history

See also

References