United Baptist Church of Lakeport (also known as Lake Village Free Baptist Church or Park Street Baptist Church) is a historic church at 35 Park Street in the village of
Lakeport in
Laconia, New Hampshire
Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. La ...
, United States. Built in 1891 after a fire destroyed an older church, it is an eclectic local example of Late Victorian architecture. It was listed on 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 1985.
Architecture and history
The United Baptist Church of Lakeport is located in the village of Lakeport, on a lot extending to both Park Street and Railroad Avenue. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a steeply pitched gable roof. It is basically cruciform in plan, with wide gabled transepts projecting from the sides. On the facade facing Park Street, the transept is flanked on one side by a two-stage tower capped by a conical turret, and the other by a five-stage square tower. The lower level of the building is faced in brick, while the upper levels are finished in a variety of decoratively cut shingles and ornamental corner boards and trim. Windows typically have round-arch heads, as do the openings of the belfry in the main tower.
[
The church was built in 1891 by the Lake Village Free Will Baptist congregation.]Federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
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*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
in design. It seats 400 and includes the fellowship and Sunday School classes on the first floor.
The church congregation was founded in 1774 on Parade Road as Laconia's First Church. It has changed many times during the years. The United Baptist Church is a 1934 merger of the Union Avenue Baptist Church that was Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
(Predestination) and the Park Street Baptist Church that was Free Will in theology. The Union Avenue Baptist Church was torn down, and the Park Street Church became home to the present congregation. A separate parish house (offices) is next door on Park Street. It was painted white, but several years ago it was repainted in the original 1800s colors. The congregation is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Vermont/New Hampshire and the American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainli ...
(originally the Northern Baptist Convention).
See also
*
References
External links
Official site
{{NRHP in Belknap County, New Hampshire
Baptist churches in New Hampshire
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Churches completed in 1891
19th-century Baptist churches in the United States
Churches in Belknap County, New Hampshire
Buildings and structures in Laconia, New Hampshire
National Register of Historic Places in Belknap County, New Hampshire