Baptist Churches began in 1612, among English refugees living in Holland. They were unwelcome in England due to their non-participation in the Church of England. This was the same group that became known as the Puritans who landed at Plymouth Rock. In New Hampshire, the first congregation was established in 1751, and by 1809, there were churches in Weare, Temple, Mason, and Dublin. The time was ripe for the formation of a Baptist Church in Bennington — except that there was no Bennington then.

A Baptist Church was begun in Greenfield. They met at Joseph Eaton’s house on December 17, 1805. They called the new entity the “Peterborough and Society Land Baptist Church.” The Eaton house was in Greenfield at the time, but when the borders of Bennington were drawn, that part of Greenfield became part of Bennington. Among the early members were John Colby, Joseph Eaton, Benjamin Nichols, and Isaac Tenney, along with some wives and daughters, and they all became Bennington residents when the borders changed. On the 19th of August, 1824, the name was changed to Society Land Baptist Church. At last, Bennington was formed in 1842, and the name of the congregation became the Bennington Baptist Church.

Church services were held in a barn, but it is unknown where it was located. Surely it was in the Village, as down-town Bennington was called. Earliest ministers were chosen from among the Elders of the church: Elders Elliott, Westcott, Farrar, Goodnow, McGregor and Joseph Davis. After a while, ordained ministers were called to serve: Reverends J.A. Boswell, F. Page, John Woodbury, Zebulon Jones, Amzi Jones, J.M. Chick, S.L. Elliott, and W.W. Lovejoy.

During Rev. Lovejoy’s tenure, a big decision was made. In January, 1852, the Bennington congregation decided to rent Woodbury’s Hall, at Antrim for their meetings. Why? Did the meetinghouse roof leak? Was the building in Bennington too small, or too drafty? Had the road along the river toward Antrim been improved? A month later, the group voted to hold all their meetings in Antrim, and five years later, they were calling it the Antrim Baptist Church.

In those days, an unused, unclaimed structure was often moved to another location and repurposed. The former Bennington Baptist Church building was moved from its original location to become the barn of the house at 27 Bible Hill Road. It is still there today.

The next installment of the Bennington NH Historical Society Blog will be posted on January 1, 2024. If you click the Follow button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month.