Happy
Birthday to Matthew Morey on March 20 and Sharon Wescomb on March
22.
The Chichester School District Meeting was not
long enough for a separate article, so I will mention it here. The
meeting lasted exactly two hours. After the usual State of the
School message and overview of the budget, there were two ballot
votes by request. The first vote narrowly passed the budget. The
second vote defeated a one year contract negotiated between the
school board and the teachers. The salary for a teacher or other
employee at Chichester Central next year will be exactly what it is
this year. The actual paychecks for those who have insurance through
the School District will be somewhat lower because the amount
deducted for insurance will increase.
Maple Weekend is
March 19 and 20 when the maple sugar producers in New Hampshire hold
Open House. Take the time to visit one or more sugar houses in the
area to see what they do and buy some maple syrup.
The
CYA is accepting registrations for T-Ball, Baseball and Softball for
this coming season. If you have a child who will be attending
Kindergarten in the fall, he/she is eligible to play T-Ball this
spring. This is a great opportunity for the children to get to
know others with whom they will be going to school.
Registration forms are available at
www.chichesteryouth.com.
Please take this opportunity to get them in ASAP so that teams can
be organized and equipment purchased.
The following
titles have recently been added to the non-fiction section of the
Chichester Town Library: The Giant Book of Bad Guys – the World’s
Worst Crooks, Gangsters, Murderers, Despots and Desperadoes;
Crucible of War - The Seven Years’ War and The Fate of The Empire in
British North America 1754-1766 by Fred Anderson; Benedict Arnold’s
Navy – The Ragtag Fleet That Lost The Battle of Lake Champlain But
Won The American Revolution by James L. Nelson; Smart Moves – Why
Learning Is Not All In Your Head by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D.;
Disconnected Kids – The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program For
Children With Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia And Other Neurological
Disorders by Dr. Robert Melillo (2009); Fort Ticonderoga – Key To A
Continent by Edward P. Hamilton; A Guide to the Battles of the
American Revolution by Theodore P. Savas; Conquering Arthritis –
What Doctors Don’t Tell You Because They Don’t Know by Barbara
Allan; Dog Training For Dummies by Jack and Wendy Volhard.
Chichester Heritage Commission and Chichester
Town Library to
Sponsor Sky Watch Program
The Chichester Heritage Commission and
the Chichester Town Library will sponsor a Sky Watch program
on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at the Chichester Central School at 219
Main Street from 7 to 9 pm. This free,
beginner-friendly program will include a presentation “Viewing
the Night Sky” by a member of the NH Astronomical Society and
observation of the night sky using a telescope and binoculars.
Additionally, the program will explain how to participate in the
international GLOBE at Night program that focuses on documenting the
brightness of the stars that we are able to see.
Come and enjoy the presentation on “Viewing the Night Sky” and
observing our beautiful night sky! Please dress warmly, bring
a flashlight and binoculars if you have them. All flashlights
should have red (not white) light as this will help preserve your
night vision. You can cover a regular flashlight with
red plastic, tail-light repair kit tape or a brown paper bag.
In the event of a cloudy evening that does not allow for the
night sky observation, the presentation and discussion will still
take place.
Although registration is not required, we are
encouraging people to sign up for the event at the Chichester Town
Library in order to give us a rough idea of the number of people to
expect.
For further general information on Sky Watch programs, go
to http://www.nhastro.com/skywatch.php For
further information on the Chichester Sky Watch event, contact
Heritage Commission member Kate Rafferty Hall at 798-5028.
Chichester Historical Society
First Public Meetinghouse - Part
II By Walter Sanborn
Chichester like other early towns were
granted a charter by Governor John Wentworth who was appointed by
the English Crown as Governor of the Massachusetts Colony.
Thus Chichester was under authority of the Massachusetts Colony and
New Hampshire did not become a state until 1778 after the
Revolutionary War when it became the first state to be independent
of England and the 9th state to ratify the Constitution.
In 1689
the Tolertion Act was passed by the English Parliament to grant the
Protestant dissenters from the established Anglican Church.
In
1791 Chichester built its first meetinghouse by vote of the town and
was constructed by taxes levied upon the residents. In 1791
Rev. Josiah Carpenter was called by the town to preach the gospel
and was ordained as pastor and served in that capacity for 36 years.
During this period some people of the other beliefs refused to pay
tax for support of the pastor and meetinghouse and petitioned the
selectmen to be exempt from the tax. Some of the residents
professed to be Quakers and others of the Baptist faith.
In
England in 1725 two brothers John and Charles Wesley, who were both
clergy in the Church of England, were called “Methodists” because of
the methodical devotion to study and religious duties. In 1735
the Wesleys came to America as spiritual advisors and missionaries
and brought the Methodists to this country. Early Methodist
preachers traveled throughout New England by horseback and were
called Circuit Riders. During the summer of 1819 Rev. John
Lord came through Chichester on horseback and delivered a sermon at
the Center. It was another ten years when in 1830 about 60
members met at the Center School House and formed a Methodist
Society. In 1832 it was decided a place of worship was needed
and on November 23,1833 the Methodist Church was erected at the
Center where it is presently located.
In 1824 and 1825 an
extensive revival of religion prevailed in Chichester, as a result
of meetings held in different sections of the town by Rev. William
Swain, a Free Will Baptist minister from Pittsfield. During
this revival at the meetings and other occasions the expedience of
forming a Free Will Baptist Church in Chichester was discussed.
The church was now organized for Christian work but had no church
edifice in which to hold their meetings. Funds were raised,
Benjamin Kane gave the land on which to build it and in 1826 the
house was built and dedicated at Kelley’s Corner where it still
exists today.
The old town meetinghouse built in 1791 continued
under the pastorate of Rev. Josiah Carpenter until 1827 when a body
called the “Union Congregational Society” was formed. The
passage of the Toleration Act changing the means of the ministers
from taxation to voluntary contributions brought about changes which
culminated in severing the connection which had bound together
people and pastors.
When the condition of the old meetinghouse
became such that it was a question of expediency whether to make
repairs on it or building a new one, the latter course was decided
upon.
A committee was chosen to select a site and others to
attend to the building of a new structure which was completed in the
summer of 1838.
A committee was chosen to notify the selectmen
that the Society no longer needs the old meetinghouse for worship
and wishes it to no longer to be considered under its control.
This ends the first phase of the old town meeting house as a place
of worship and now becomes a public building for other town use
which I will call phase two. Further history of the building will be
continued.
Out Of
Your Attic Thrift Shop News Submitted By Carol Hendee
The
sweaters are gone and slow but steady, bathing suits, shorts and
tees are coming out! We will keep out the gloves, hats and mittens
in case the weather does not fully cooperate.
First
day of Spring is March 20th and we want to be ready. Planters will
be out. We also have baseball and soccer cleats for kids.
There is a nice child seat for the back of your bicycle. There
is a softball or two and tennis racquets for those who don’t mind a
few puddles.
We want to thank those of you who are bringing in
your donations in smaller bags-when the huge garbage bags are full,
they are rather heavy for us ladies to deal with. Please
remember not to leave donations outside when we’re not open.
Come in and see us at 345 Suncook Valley Hwy, Chichester Tues. and
Thurs. 8-4, Wed. 11-4 and Sat. 10-4. Thank you!
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