The 150-year-old South Weare Union Church is among the historic sites singled out for preservation as part of the annual Seven to Save program, which is celebrating its 20th year in 2026.
The church, built in 1875 on the site of an earlier church that dates to 1789, “retains an unusually complete collection of historic features, including original pews, a pipe organ, lancet windows, horse sheds, and a privy,” said the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, which runs the Seven to Save program.
It was completed in 1876 after Weare’s Congregationalists and Universalists negotiated to share the space, determining that it would be used solely for religious purposes and not as a meetinghouse for town purposes, as had been common practice in New Hampshire.
With no regular religious services or clergy currently, the property faces financial challenges, including paying property taxes. A new roof has been installed, but the window restoration, ceiling and heating repairs, and the addition of water and bathroom facilities are needed to support its continued use, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance said.
The Seven to Save program lists seven historic properties or other sites threatened by neglect, underuse or incompatible development. More than half of the places listed have been saved, the group said during its announcement. While the designation does not include funding, it can be a catalyst for partnerships, ideas and outside investment. Selection criteria include historical significance, the urgency of the threat and the potential for the listing to make a difference.
The Preservation Alliance announced this year’s award on Tuesday at Epsom Meetinghouse, one of the original Seven to Save listees in 2006. The 1861 building was slated to be torn down to make room for a convenience store/gas station, but people rallied to move it east along Route 4 and rehabilitate it for town and community use.
Other listees this year include Woodbury Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in Antrim; Bethlehem Town Hall; Liston Town Hall and Opera House; Great North Woods Center for the Arts in Columbia; Park Street Bridge in Exeter; First Congregational Church in Haverhill; Prescott Park Historic Waterfront Buildings in Portsmouth.
For more information, see https://www.nhpreservation.org.
