New Hampton Town House

The exclusive seat of town government in New Hampton since it was erected in 1798–1799, the Town House is one of the Belknap County’s most significant surviving early public buildings. The contractor was Samuel Kelly, Jr. (1733–1813), a local carpenter. Also known as the New Hampton Meeting House and the Center Meeting House, the structure was simultaneously used for town-supported religious services until at least 1840. In its initial form, the Town House was a standard late-eighteenth-century meetinghouse—a two-story, gable-roofed wooden building with a stair tower on either end serving the upper level. It may be presumed that the main entrance was in the center of the south facade, and that the exterior had minimal decorative ornament. On the interior was a tall, two-story assembly room with square pews, a high pulpit beneath a sounding board, and galleries with additional box pews and seats on three sides.

In 1872, after years of indecision, the town voted to renovate and improve the Town House where it stood, rather than to move it or replace it with a new building. The porches and galleries were removed and the pitched roof was lowered to its present height, resulting in the structure’s present appearance. In its new form, the building was reduced to one and a half stories, maintained its pitched roof, was sheathed with clapboards, contained one large interior space, and displayed little embellishment beyond the customary vernacular window, corner, and roof trim. The main entry was located on the lateral side as opposed to the gable end, which differentiated it from the conventional mid-nineteenth-century town hall. The main block looks much as it did in 1872 but for some interior modifications and the addition of privies and a small, shed-roof rear ell for a kitchen and stage for special events.