A church in Wilton built during the Civil War in reaction to New Hampshire’s enforcement of the separation of church and state has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The First Unitarian Congregational Church was dedicated in 1861. Two previous Congregational churches in Wilton had served as meetinghouses for both religious and municipal uses, but this was built for church services only. It complied with New Hampshire’s “Toleration Act of 1819,” a landmark law that ended the centuries-old practice of supporting churches with public funds, moving New Hampshire closer to a secular form of government.
Today, the First Unitarian Congregational Church is still in use for weekly church services. It also serves the larger community, including when the sanctuary is the site of Monadnock Music concerts and when Andy’s Playhouse uses both the church and the addition for workshops.
In New Hampshire, listing to the National Register makes applicable property owners eligible for grants such as the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program or LCHIP and the Conservation License Plate Program. More than 800 properties and buildings in the state are listed.
