Center Meeting House

The interior plastering of the Center Meeting House has been completed.  The picture that I was able to take just does not do justice to how beautiful the interior now looks.  With the windows opened up and the plaster with its curving grace it is just hard to describe how beautiful it really is.

Today, July 28, 2010, the primer coat is being applied and should be completed by the end of the day.  Next comes two more coats of finish paint.  Currently there is no word as to when the final coats will be applied.  More word on this later.

One thing that can be said for sure is that "We'll all be glad to see the end of the scaffolding inside the building."

We look forward to a celebration on Columbus Day weekend to cheer the completion of this five year long project.  Nobody envisioned how much resoration was really required.  Nobody knew how much money was going to really be required to get the job done.

Looking back I think that we will all say that "It has been worth it!"

The Center Meeting House Board of Directors met on the evening of June 30, 2010 at the town offices and concluded that there is a good chance that the major renovation elements will likely be complete around Labor Day.  The scaffolding for the interior plaster work is completely installed and as of today, July 1, 2010, the ceiling plaster board work is almost completed.  I may have the terminology a little wrong, but this is the board that the final plaster will be attached to.

And speaking of good news, if you are one of those people who has been yearning for the day that the plywood covers would be off the CMH windows, here is a picture of the building that I took this morning at around 10 am.  The workers at the site told me that they are off for good!

What that says to me is that we really need to be aggressive in our completion of the fundraising element of this project as well as the restoration phase.  It is impossible to explain how amazing the support of our community has been in bringing us this far.  For a project that was not supposed to cost much more than $500,000 and take much more than a couple of years, this whole thing has been a stretch, driven by the uncovering of more and more surprises as various parts of the building were examined carefully.

For more detailed information on the Hidden Secrets of the Center Meeting House, come out to our Annual Meeting on July 25th at 2 pm at the town offices.  Following a brief business meeting, Rick Monahon, our historical architect, will show pictures and give descriptions of some of the trials and tribulations that came as a result of studying the building's foundation or opening up the interior of the building to see what was really behind the plaster.

And if you're into celebrations, come on out to the buffet dinner at Mount Sunapee on Friday, July 9, 2010 at 5 pm.  The food has been improved again this year and the cost is only $35 per person.  If all else fails, come and hear the New England Brass performing under the big top right outside the Spruce Lodge at the mountain.  It's free for everyone and we are expecting an outstanding performance from these world renowned Boston musicians.

Coach Lombardi always said to "Celebrate after victory!"  The CMH is not physically finished yet, but the end is in sight!  It is hard not to take a little bit of pleasure in seeing completion as a distinct possibility. 

Thank you to all of our supporters!  You've been patient AND generous!

Doug Whelan

Center Meeting House of Newbury was pleased to be the lead off event in Newbury's growing Old Home Day celebration.  For the third year in a row, CMH provided a musical entree to this annual event with a musical presentation that included world class musicians.  Two years ago it was Elisabeth von Trapp and Erich Korry.  Last year, it was the United States Navy's Northeast Show Band.  This year, five lead musicians from Boston's finest orchestras combined as the New England Brass Consort to provide a FREE evening of world class entertainment that enthralled a crowd that exceeded 200 people.  In a town of 2,000 people, this is a crowd!  Afficionados said that the quintet's musical presentations were outstanding, with great introductions by the musicians.  Some of the background information seemed to make the music all the more understandable.

Our players were Dana Oaks, Trumpet; Don Rankin, Tuba; Robert Couture, Trombone; Dana Russian, Trumpet; and, Fred Aldrich, Horn.

I was born in 1939, so things from that year always intrigue me!  Here is a card from a person who documents several trips through Newbury in August of that year.

It was in 1932 that the former owners of the pews in the Center Meeting House decided that they would cede their ownership rights to a Board of Trustees who took over the stewardship of the building and continued to do so until 2005. The Newbury Historical Society has copies of some of those old deeds that probably had been purchased in 1832 for the princely sum of $50, at that time quite a sizable amount.

The card seems to feature the meetinghouse, which is right near the center of the picture, and looks like it might have had a fresh coat of paint around that time.  The writer didn't seem inclined to mention Newbury or the CMH in her writing.