Newington, New Hampshire is one of the oldest settlements in the state and it has some really interesting history. One of the most historic things you can see here is the church. No matter what you believe in, seeing this building will evoke images of what life must have been like back before we were all here.

The town of Newington was first a part of Dover. The fighting that ensued to keep it in the hands of early river settlers led to the name “Bloody Point.” Thankfully, it now uses a far less Halloween-y name that hails from England.

J S Dow / CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons

It’s a beautiful small town with a tight community of around 700 residents.

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Because the town’s history dates back to the 1600s, it’s no surprise that many of the buildings and stories from the area are quite old.

c. 1910 postcard / Wikimedia Commons

It’s also the location of the state’s oldest church, which dates back to 1717 when it was still called Bloody Point.

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The congregation first met on January 21st, 1712 to discuss the selection of a minister.

dougtone / Flickr

At this point the church was still not complete and there were a number of improvements and changes made over the course of the next few years and even decades.

Athelyn Stark / Google

The original bell for the church was donated by the town of Newingston, England. But after being damaged by lightning it was sent for repair in 1804. In a strange turn of events, the bell came back recast with an imprint of 1802. As the story goes, the bell was intended for a church in Massachusetts and after being deemed too small it was sent to little Newington for use!

Athelyn Stark / Google The Congregational church holds services every Sunday morning.

The Newington Town Church can be found online here. If you’d like to get in touch with the congregation, you can reach them on 603-772-8080. Address: 316 Nimble Hill Road, Newington, NH 03801.

J S Dow / CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons

usfwsnortheast / Flickr

c. 1910 postcard / Wikimedia Commons

Google Maps

dougtone / Flickr

Athelyn Stark / Google

The Congregational church holds services every Sunday morning.

And, for more church beauty consider these lovely ones located throughout the state!

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