Door replacement project spruces up Windham’s Little Meetinghouse

A project to replace the massive wooden front doors of the
historic Little Meetinghouse in North Windham is expected
to be completed within a few weeks. The new doors came
all the way from Kentucky  are are being sealed to
showcase the natural beauty of the wood.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

By Ed Pierce

The Little Meetinghouse, a popular and historic gathering place on Route 302 in North Windham, is in the process of being upgraded and with any luck should now be able to host meetings and events long into the 22^nd century.

According to Jerry Black, a member of the Little Meetinghouse Board of Trustees, the landmark facility’s massive front doors are being replaced after decades of exposure to the elements.

“The wood was starting to rot out on the bottom,” Black said. “A contractor is installing new doors, new framing wood and all new hardware with this project.”

Construction of the Little Meetinghouse originally began in 1871 with all funds for the project raised by subscription. It was the brainchild of Erastus Cram of Windham, who sought volunteer help in building a new free meeting house and church in town. Using $800 in donations from 43 individuals of various religious denominations, the building first opened in 1872.

It soon became a popular site for weddings and groups looking for a convenient place to conduct meetings. In 1914, the Busy Bees, a sewing and darning group, charged 2 cents to hold meetings there. That group later became known as the Ladies Aid of Windham.

In 1930, the facility was renamed as the nondenominational North Windham Union Church and in the 1960s the church became a United Church of Christ.

Black said that the original church steeple was replaced with a new one in 1975 although the original church bell remains in place to this day.

“It was ordered from Montgomery Ward and still says that on the bell,” he said. 

By the 1990s, a new church location was needed to house a larger congregation and the building was scheduled to be razed, but a group of residents stepped in to rescue the facility. In 1994, the church was moved to its current location at 723 Roosevelt Trail on town-owned land as Frances Manchester and her son David formed the Friends of the Little Meeting House, Inc. to save the building.

After years of restoration work mostly performed by volunteers, in 2005 the nonprofit group opened the Little Meetinghouse facility as a public site for small weddings and community meetings and it is now being rented out on a regular basis to local groups. 

It is available for all types of events, including bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, anniversary parties and business presentations. It’s been rented for exercise classes, musical performances, bean suppers, lobster dinners, quilt and coin shows, storytelling events, antique appraisal shows and yard sales. The facility has a large open event space, a kitchenette with a refrigerator, microwave and double sink and a bathroom.

“We’re pretty much booked all the time,” Black said. “That’s why the Board of Trustees determined that we needed to replace those front doors now.”

With the board setting aside $5,000 for the upgrade work, the door replacement project started as soon as the weather warmed up after the winter months.

“These new doors came from Kentucky and are being sealed to show off the beauty of their natural wood,” Black said. “We’ve been told that once these new doors are hung, they are expected to last for quite a while and maybe even more than 100 years.”

Along with the installation of the new front doors, workers will also be applying fresh coats of paint to windows inside the Little Meetinghouse, Black said.

The project is expected to be completed within a few weeks.

“It’s really a great old building that has truly stood the test of time,” Black said. “Now with these new improvements our future generations will be able to enjoy this building for some time too.” <