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The Lyme Congregational Church
Researched and Written by Janine Weins
(Posted 4/5/06)

The Lyme Congregational Church and the building housing Nichols Hardware have an intertwined past. The Nichols Hardware building, the oldest store building in the North Country, was built in 1781 as the original meeting house of the Lyme Congregational Church. In the summer of 1808, the Lyme Meeting House Association decided they needed a new church, so the old building was moved and Captain Washburn was paid $3.50 for drawing plans for a new church.

Pews were sold to finance the church's construction. After two days, all the pews in the original plan were sold, and the Lyme Meeting House Association had $6,137. When town residents continued to demand pews, the plans were revised so an additional 20 pews could be sold. The most expensive pew was sold to Dr. Cyrus Hamilton for $175, while the least expensive, at the back of the church, sold for $44. Maintenance and repairs were supported by a tax on the pews.

The Lyme Congregational Church was dedicated in May of 1812. In 1847, major alterations were made to the church when the worship hall was moved to the second floor, and the ground floor was made available for use by the community. The large doors on the front of the church open into a vestibule in which graceful circular stairs cantilever from the side walls and lead up to the second-floor worship hall.