Union Episcopal Church, also known as the English Church, is a historic church located on Old Church Road in

Claremont, New Hampshire Claremont is the only city in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 12,949 at the 2020 census. History Pre-colonial native populations Before colonial settlement, the Upper Connecticut River Valley was home to the Pe ...

, in the United States. Built in 1773, it is the oldest surviving Episcopal church building in New Hampshire and is also the state's oldest surviving building built exclusively for religious purposes.Union Episcopal Church (English Church)
/ref> It is still an active parish in the

Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), covers the entire state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Diocese of Massachusetts, but became independent in 1841. ...

. On February 1, 1980, it 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 ...

Early history

The parish was organized in 1771 and chartered by the New Hampshire legislature in 1794 as Union Church Parish. At that time local Episcopalians and Congregationalists were considering uniting to hire one minister to serve both groups, but this never happened. The next year the Rev. Daniel Barber, who had once been a Congregational minister, became Union's rector. His son, the Rev. Virgil Barber, also became an Episcopal priest, but left the church in 1816 to become a Jesuit priest and to later found St. Mary's Parish in Claremont, the first

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church in New Hampshire.CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: New Hampshire
/ref> When the church was built, it did not originally have a tower, and was a relatively modest structure despite its massive roof framing timbers. The tower was added in 1801, and the building was lengthened by some in 1820, at which time a pulpit and reading desk were added. These interior additions were removed in 1850 and replaced by the present altar configuration. The property also includes a relatively rare set of period horse sheds.

References

External links

National Register listings for Sullivan County

{{Authority control Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Episcopal church buildings in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Claremont, New Hampshire Churches in Sullivan County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Sullivan County, New Hampshire

Early history

See also

References

External links