Miner Memorial Library

Miner Memorial Library is the public library serving Lempster, New Hampshire. It occupies a single-story wood-frame building in the village center of East Lempster, at the southwest corner of New Hampshire Route 10 and the Second New Hampshire Turnpike. The building was constructed in 1845 as a church for a Universalist congregation that probably had roots in the community as early as the 1830s. The structure is a modest example of vernacular nineteenth-century religious architecture in Sullivan County. It is approximately one and a half stories tall, has a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior, and presents a three-bay front elevation with a centrally placed entrance. Simple trim and a Federal-style fan in the front gable provide its principal architectural details. Although the building was substantially adapted for library use, its historic form and materials remain recognizable. During the period when the building served the Universalist congregation, relatively few changes were made. Additions included extra windows and the installation of electricity in 1941. In 1927, the building was formally dedicated in memory of Alonzo Ames Miner, a Lempster native who became a prominent Universalist minister and served as president of Tufts College. The memorial dedication established the name associated with the library and linked the institution to the town's religious and educational history. By the late 1940s, the congregation had declined to the point that services were held only during the summer. In 1964, the church's trustees offered the building to the town, enabling its later civic and library use. The building's continued function as a public library gives the historic property an active community role rather than preserving it solely as a monument. The property is also significant as a historic place. Under its earlier name, First Universalist Chapel, it was added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in January 2006 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2006. Its significance rests principally on its association with local religious history and its surviving representation of vernacular church construction. Publicly available reference material does not identify a separate corporate owner, a commercial parent organization, a website, financial figures, or named current executives.

Miner Memorial Library occupies a wood-frame building erected in 1845 for a Universalist congregation in East Lempster, New Hampshire. The congregation probably existed by the 1830s, but the available reference material does not provide a precise founding date for either the congregation or the library. The building is positioned in the village center near the intersection of New Hampshire Route 10 and the Second New Hampshire Turnpike. Architecturally, the building is a relatively plain one-and-a-half-story structure with a gabled roof and clapboard siding. Its front elevation is three bays wide and centers on an entrance framed by simple molding and corner blocks. A Federal-style fan in the front gable is the clearest stylistic detail. The building is regarded as a good example of vernacular church architecture in Sullivan County, even though its conversion to library use resulted in significant alterations. The Universalist congregation made comparatively few changes during its ownership. Some additional windows were installed, and the building was electrified in 1941. In 1927, it was formally dedicated to Alonzo Ames Miner, a Lempster native and leading Universalist minister who later became president of Tufts College. This dedication explains the Miner Memorial name and reflects the building's continuing connection to Universalist history. The congregation's activities diminished during the twentieth century. By the late 1940s, the church was being used only for summer services because membership had declined. In 1964, the trustees offered the building to the town. It subsequently became the home of Lempster's public library, preserving the structure while giving it a new municipal and educational purpose. The former chapel gained formal historic recognition in the twenty-first century. It was entered in the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in January 2006 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2006 under the name First Universalist Chapel. Its historic value derives from the combination of local religious associations, surviving nineteenth-century construction, and its role as a representative rural church building. The available sources do not document specific library programs, collection categories, directors, budgets, or later expansion projects.

• 2006

  Historic-register recognition

  [1]Miner Memorial Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The former First Universalist Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2006, following its state-register listing earlier that year.

• 1964

  Trustees offer the building to Lempster

  [1]Miner Memorial Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  After the congregation had declined and services were limited largely to the summer, its trustees offered the building to the town.

• 1941

  Electrification of the building

  [1]Miner Memorial Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  Electricity was installed during the building's period as a Universalist church, one of the documented alterations to the otherwise lightly modified structure.

• 1927

  Dedication to Alonzo Ames Miner

  [1]Miner Memorial Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  The building was formally dedicated in memory of Alonzo Ames Miner, a Lempster native, prominent Universalist minister, and former president of Tufts College.

• 1845

  Construction of the Universalist chapel

  [1]Miner Memorial Libraryen.wikipedia.org

  A wood-frame church was built in East Lempster for a Universalist congregation, creating the structure that would later house Miner Memorial Library.

A community public library operating from a locally significant former Universalist chapel and serving as both a civic resource and a historic landmark in Lempster.

1. 1Miner Memorial Libraryen.wikipedia.org