History of the Litchfield Presbyterian Church
(Prepared by the Litchfield Historical Society)
Litchfield was one of fourteen modern day towns which collectively comprised of the Old Township of Dunstable, Massachusetts. As early as 1656 the greater part of the township of Litchfield was granted to William Breton by the Massachusetts General Court, called, “Breton’s Farm.” Breton’s Farm’s Native American name was called, Naticook, meaning “open place for deer.” The Naticooks were a branch of the Penacooks that inhabited and cultivated the Intervale portions of Litchfield, as well as Merrimack, Hudson, and Nashua. Litchfield was settled about 1720.
The inhabitants of this area, on both sides of the Merrimack River, petitioned to the General Assembly of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for Incorporation as a separate township from Dunstable. Its Incorporation was granted July 4, 1734, and the name Litchfield was given to the town. A requirement of Incorporation was that a town must settle a minister and build a “Meeting House”.
The First Meeting House was completed in 1736, on the banks of the Merrimack River across from where the Litchfield Presbyterian Church stands today. It served both as a town hall and a church. In 1809, the Presbytery of Londonderry, formally organized a Presbyterian Church Society in Litchfield. The current church building was constructed in 1844. The church was reorganized under the direction of the Presbytery with the Rev. William H. Porter, as its first Pastor. A marker is on the site of the First Meeting House.
The church is shown on the 1858, Hillsborough County map, which also shows the cemetery to the back of the church which had been relocated from an old burial ground once located on the west side of Charles Bancroft Highway. One of the stones of note is that of the Honorable Wyseman Clagett. The inscription reads, “Here rests in peace the Honorable Wyseman Clagett Esq. Formerly Attorney General for the King. Afterwards for the State of New Hampshire. He lived 62 years and 4 months and departed this life Dec. 4, 1784.” One of Wyseman Clagett’s sons served as a United States Congressman from New Hampshire. Another son was the first Chaplin of the United States Senate.
Located to the north of the church is a small, clapboarded building which was once a Hearse House. Two four-paneled doors access the broad side with a vertical board door to the rear. Today the building is used for storage.
The original bell, about 150 years old now, still hangs in the belfry. It was donated by Rev. Benjamin Chase, a native of Litchfield. Sometime about 1870, ten stained glass windows were installed to memorialize early founders of the church. The rose window over the pulpit was placed there at the turn of the century, in memory of James F. Parker, who left his estate for “the support of the preaching of the Gospel in the town of Litchfield, to the Presbyterian Society and Church…” The trust that he established continues this day to provide financial support for the Litchfield Presbyterian Church. James F. Parker is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery in one of the two stone vaults there. Several of his descendants still live in Litchfield and attend this church.
Several interior alterations were completed around 1910. A platform was built level with the pulpit as a choir loft and to accommodate a new organ. The original pews were removed and replaced with pews purchased from a church in Nashua, that was undergoing renovation. The center door replaced two side doors from the vestibule to the sanctuary, and a center isle replaced two side isles. Oil burning lamps were converted to electric around 1919. Since then, the choir loft has been removed.
In 1974, the church was raised, and a cellar was dug. The church was then lowered onto the basement, which was finished as a Fellowship Hall, with kitchen, and rest rooms. Before this time there was no running water in the church. The addition on the east end of the church was also constructed in 1974, after a town meeting gave the church a small strip of cemetery land to expand. The addition holds a conference room and minister’s office. A handicap ramp was also added to the Fellowship Hall entrance. The building was rededicated on October 13, 1974.
The Litchfield Community Church Presbyterian has historically served the community in a variety of ways, from a central point of Sunday Worship to Sunday School, Choir, Bible Study, Vacation Bible Camp, Youth Group, Men’s and Women’s Fellowship, Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals.
The church also serves as a gathering place for celebrations such as Bridal and Baby Showers, Birthdays, Retirement Parties, and Family Reunions. It has also served as a meeting place for Senior Citizens, the Lion’s Club, Scouts, Kindergarten Programs, Art Camp, Community Breakfasts, and Dinners, and for the Annual Strawberry Festival, and Craft Fair. The Cottage on the River owned by the church, and located directly across from the church, serves as the local Food Pantry for Litchfield.
