Denmark Congregational - The First Church Building

This record of the motions to build a new church were taken from the Denmark Congregational Secretary's Book, available on microfilm from the Family History Library, film #0959631.

Jan 9 1844

On motion the Committee previously appointed to draft the dimensions of the house reported and on motion was excepted as follows:

Whereas the public worship of God is enjoyned in the scriptures and a dictate of enlightened reason, we the members of the first congregational society of Denmark in connection with others who may be associated with us do engage to build a house for the worship of our Creator of the following dimensions and on the following conditions.

1st: The house shall be 65 ft in length and 40 ft in width 19 ft high above the Basement story making a room for worship 50 ft long by 40 wide in the clear with a porch for entry in accordance with the plan (substantively) now exhibited by the committee.

2nd: The House shall be called the first congregational meeting house of Denmark.

3rd: It shall be designed for and appropriated to the use of the first Congregational Church in Denmark and said church shall forever have the entire control of all the exercises which my be held in the house.

4th: The pews when sold shall be the property of the purchaser and he shall have the right to dispose of the same (with the restrictions specified in the next article.) When said house is finished an authorized committee of the first congregational society shall make out warrantee checks to pew holders.

5th: Pew holders shall have a right to vote in all repairs of the house and taxes shall be levied on the pews, only for necessary repairs. They shall have the entire and exclusive right of occupying their pews, but not the right of occupying the pulpit or any control over the public exercises of the House. This being guaranteed by Art. 3 to the First Congregational Church of Denmark.

6th: It is understood in the sale of pews that if the estimate of the committee overruns the actual expense of building said house a deduction will be made on each pew in proportion to its appraisal, and if the cost of building exceeds the estimate a tax shall be levied on each pew in the same proportion to complete the house.

After the above articles were adopted, on motion resolved that the location of the House be left to pew holders and that we now proceed to the sale of the pews.

Purchasers were: Ira Houston, Nathan Isbell, Cromwell Willson, F. Wilder, Joseph Woodward, Asa Turner, Lewis Epps, Hosea Case, Joseph Badger, Curtis Shedd, Moses B. Reid, J. E. Leaper, Dea. Francis Sawyer, Flavel Wilder, H. J. Taylor, Lucius Tuttle, Wm. Brown, Isaac Field, Oliver Brooks, G. Bullard, Stephen D. Loomis, Daniel Epps, Timothy Fox, G. Brook, John Hornby, George Westgate, Timothy Fox, Lewis Epps, John G. Field, Wm. B. Cooper, Alonzo Burton, T. Trowbridge, Wm. Davis, Burges C. Hornby, Francis Sawyer Jr., H. James, Samuel Houston, I. G. Bosworth, E. Andrews, Brooks Ried, Thomas Gooch.

Jan 15, 1844

On Motion resolved that the pew holders now proceed to locate the house on a suitable spot of ground and that each pew holder be allowed to vote according to the number of pews he owns.

The vote being taken it was decided to set the house on the north side of the Public Square in Denmark, on Block No. 12 on the original plat of said town.

The building committee consisted of Lewis Epps, G. W. Westgate, Curtis Shedd, Wm. B. Cooper, Wm. Brown, F. Wilder, and I. Field.

March 17, 1851

The society met according to previous notice, the President in the chair. After a statement of the objects of the meeting, viz., to devise measures for building horse sheds, and surrounding the meeting house with a fence, it was voted, that the names of all those wishing to build horse sheds be recorded.

The following persons gave in their names. L. Epps, J. Houston, C. Shedd, F. Wilder, T. Fox, Ira Houston Jr., A. Turner, E. W. Henderson, O. Brooks, Sam Houston.

Voted that the society grant those persons wishing it, the privilege of building sheds on the North and West sides of the North part of the meetinghouse lot.

Voted that we have a fence around the house. Moved that the front fence be on the line, amended, by changing it to putting the fence twenty five feet from the house, all around it. Passed.

Moved to have swing gates, defeated. Voted to have roll gates.

Voted to have a row of posts and bars on the East, North and West sides, to fasten horses to.

Voted to set the posts into the ground two and one half feet, to be of oak, 3 by 4 inches at the bottom, and 3 by 2 at the top.

Voted to make a fence of the same kind, from the house fence to the sheds.

Resolved that the last vote not be in force till the sheds are built.

Moved to have a hedge, twenty five feet from the house, voted in the negative.

Voted to reconsider the vote, to make the fence of rough oak lumber. Voted to have cedar posts. Voted to have planed oak boards.

The building committee was T. Fox, C. Shedd, and P. James.