The Antrim Historical Society reached another milestone in its efforts to save the historic Woodbury Church as the New Hampshire Historic Preservation Alliance added the building to its “Seven to Save” list.
Kathi Wasserloos, Helene Newbold, Bill Nichols and Ruth Richardson of the historical society attended the ceremony last Thursday at the Epsom Meeting House, which was the first property added to the list when the program was founded in 2006.
Every year, the initiative selects seven historic New Hampshire properties in critical need of repairs. The Alliance prioritizes properties with a strong chance of being saved, as shown by broad community support. The designation can help projects secure funding or overcome other hurdles.
“It’s interesting, because not all the properties on the list end up being saved,” said Nichols, president of the historical society. “A lot of these properties are just in really critical condition, and some of them are huge buildings. Being on the list is not a guarantee, but it provides huge support and publicity for the project.”
The Alliance reports receiving a record number of applications for the Seven to Save this year.
“This year’s Seven to Save listees demonstrate the many ways historic places can serve their communities — from rehabilitating buildings for their original purposes to finding new uses that meet today’s needs,” said Martha Cummings, community preservation services manager at the Alliance. “At the heart of each project is preservation and sustainability: making the most of the buildings and places we have, while ensuring they continue to contribute to our communities for generations to come.”
The Antrim Historical Society acquired the Woodbury Church in April, donated by the trustees of the Antrim Church of Christ, the building’s most recent owners. The donation could have occurred nearly three years earlier, but the process stalled when a title search revealed a tax lien on the building.
This spring, the town agreed to a settlement with the historical society about the lien. The deed to the church was then returned to the trustees of the property, who donated it to the group.
Nichols said the historical society had been working with the state Alliance since 2023.
“As soon as we got the deed, we called them right up and let them know, and we have been in touch with them ever since,” Nichols said.
Cummings said the list will help members of the Antrim Historical Society publicize their “wonderful plans for their future museum home.”
The Woodbury Church is unique as a shingle-style church in New Hampshire, according to the Alliance. The historical society plans to fully restore the building for use as a community center, museum and storage archive. It hopes to use the building for concerts, theater presentations and other community events.
“We hope people will use the sanctuary space for plays and concerts, because it does have the back office there, and the choir loft, and it does have a back door,” Nichols said.
The historical society has hired Marlborough-based KCS Architects to complete the renovation project. Nichols said the team has already completed a 3D scan of the church to assess the foundation and walls.
“You can see if there is insulation, you can see where the studs are, and it kind of lets us know what’s happening inside the walls,” Nichols said.
The architects will also survey the land to determine the exact boundaries of the property. The historical society hopes to extend the driveway around the back of the property, creating a loop and providing access to the walk-out lower level, which contains two classrooms and the former church kitchen.
Nichols said the sanctuary — with unusual elements such as curved wooden pews, a rolling back wall and a pocket choir loft — will remain mostly unchanged. The historical society plans to preserve original decorative features, including stained glass, wall stenciling and woodwork.
It will also prioritize installing an elevator to provide accessibility to both levels of the building and to restrooms. A former meeting room next to the sanctuary will house the museum, currently on the third floor of the James A. Tuttle Library, while the lower level will include archival storage and a community event space.
Nichols said the historical society hopes to keep the rolling wall to accommodate overflow crowds for performances in the sanctuary, which he noted has “extraordinary acoustics.”
“That’s what the wall was designed for; so if you had a big event, like a wedding, the doors could roll up, and there would be additional seating,” Nichols said.
Once the architects give the historical society an estimate on the project cost, fundraising goals will be set.
The Historical Society will also raise money in 2027 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Antrim’s founding.
The church project is not considered a historic restoration, as the building will no longer be used as a church. Other properties on this year’s Seven to Save list include the South Weare Union Church and the Congregational Church of Haverhill.
Previous Monadnock region buildings on the list include the New Ipswich Town Hall, the Vilas Bridge in Walpole and Frye’s Measure Mill in Wilton. For a complete listing or more information, visit: nhpreservation.org/seven-to-save.
