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FITCHBURG HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MEETING HOUSE IN FITCHBURG 
 
 COMMONLY KNOWN AS 
 
 "THE LORD'S BARN" 
 
 BY REV. G. H. HARDY 
 
 OF ASHBURNHAM 
 
 FITCHBURG 
 
 Sentinel Printing Company 
 1910 
 
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"THE LORD'S BARN." 
 
 A PAPER READ BEFORE THE FITCHBURG 
 HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAY 16, 1910. 
 
 On the Ashburnham hill road, just 
 where Deane hill begins to dip down 
 toward the West, is a spot around 
 which cluster peculiar memories. Here 
 for more than a generation stood 
 "The New-Meeting-House in Fitch- 
 burg," known in later days as "The 
 Lord's Barn." The story of this build- 
 ing of God. is" unique in ecclesiastical 
 history. 
 
 At a meeting called for that purpose, 
 May 17, 1785, the citizens of West- 
 minster "Voted to sett off the Westerly 
 part of the Town," to form the town 
 of Gardner. On June 27, the General 
 Court in answer to a petition to that 
 effect incorporated the new town. In 
 the warrant calling the meeting at 
 which final action was taken an article 
 was inserted upon petition of a num- 
 ber of inhabitants of the northeasterly 
 part of the town asking that the peti- 
 tioners with their estates be ceded to 
 the town of Fitchburg. It was sum- 
 marily voted to dismiss this article. 
 3 
 
But this did not end n6r indeed did it 
 begin the matter. This move was only- 
 part of a plan to form an entirely 
 new township from portions of Fitch - 
 burg, Westminster, Ashburnham and 
 Ashby. Fitchburg at this time was 
 populated by only a few hundred in- 
 habitants, the majority of whom were 
 widely scattered over its territory. 
 There were a few houses near the 
 meeting-house not far from where the 
 railroad station now stands. The next 
 most thickly settled portion of the 
 town was on Deane Hill, about four 
 miles distant, and this was probably 
 the most enterprising and at that time 
 prosperous part of Fitchburg. It had 
 a commanding position, the soil was 
 rich and fertile, and the people rather 
 prided themselves upon their com- 
 parative independence, having a little 
 community of their own, with a num- 
 ber of good neighbors in the adjoining 
 towna. 
 
 The time had come when a new 
 meeting-house inust be built and the 
 location of it became a question of 
 great interest to all the people. Some 
 chose the old site: others earnestly 
 demanded a new one. For the sake of 
 better accommodation and to end the 
 controversy the idea of a new town- 
 
 4 
 
ship was a most desirable thing- to be 
 accomplished. Besides this were the 
 taxes for church support, with church 
 privileges four miles away, and taxes 
 were considerably increased by dam- 
 ages to roads and bridges along 
 through that portion of the town 
 which is now the thickly settled part 
 of the city. For these portions of their 
 taxes they received small returns. The 
 river, which has added, so much to the 
 prosperity of the place, was a nuisance 
 on account of freshets, indeed a curse 
 instead of a blessing: again it now 
 seems in the question of sewerage 
 something of a nuisance. 
 
 A new town then was to be the cure 
 for these troubles: for this they had a 
 sufficient population, ample room, fi- 
 nancial means, and enterprise. They 
 also had in their neighborhood 
 two taverns, Jed«diah Cooper's tav- 
 ern in Westminster, farm now 
 owned by William Hartnett; and 
 Jacob Upton's tavern in Fitchburg, 
 now occupied by the family of Mr. 
 Charles Fairbanks; a store kept by 
 Capt. John Upton, and a blacksmith's 
 shop. Dr. Ball practised medicine in 
 this vicinity, so only a meeting-house 
 and a minister were wanting to make 
 their town complete. They appealed 
 5 
 
to their fellow citizens In town meet- 
 ings; and to the Legislature of the 
 state in petitions. Such a petition 
 signed by Jacob Upton and sixty-three 
 others was presented to the Senate 
 Feb. 1, 1791. Such a storni of opposi- 
 tion was aroused that the Legislature 
 gave "leave to withdraw" to the peti- 
 tioners. The new town was to be 
 christened "Belvoir," beautiful view, 
 for the outlook is beautiful; Ashburn- 
 ham Center nestling among the val- 
 leys toward the West; Westminster 
 crowning the hills on the Southwest, 
 Wachusett rising in majesty and beau- 
 ty with the intervening hills and val- 
 leys on the South. A similar attempt 
 to incorporate the new town of Ver- 
 non to cover the same territory made 
 about a quarter of a century after- 
 wards in 1815 also signally failed. No 
 further attempts in this line were 
 made. 
 
 One thing, however, did ma- 
 terialize and that was the new church; 
 for with the movement for a new town 
 vv'as carried forward to partial success 
 the work of building a house of wor- 
 ship as an important part of the same 
 general plan. The first step in this pro- 
 ject was the following agreement: "We, 
 the Subscribers are desirous to be set 
 6 
 
off from the several towns to which 
 we belong and join mutually with each 
 other and build a meetinghouse near 
 the Laws' corner on the county road." 
 This paper has no date but probably 
 v/as drawn early in 1786, and was 
 signed by 57 persons; thirty-three from 
 Fitchburg, sixteen from Westminster, 
 six from Ashburnham and two from 
 Ashby, thus showing the relative in- 
 terest of the several towns in the de- 
 sired advantages. On May 31, 1786, the 
 subscribers and probably, others met at 
 the house of Jacob Upton in Fitchburg, 
 and voted "to build a meeting-house 
 near Mr. Thomas Laws corner." At 
 a subsequent meeting it was "voted to 
 set up the frame 45 feet square with a 
 hipped roof." Captain Flint, Reuben 
 Smith and Abraham Willard were made 
 a committee "to draw an obligation 
 for those persons to sign that are dis- 
 posed to assist in building said house." 
 This obligation, dated Aug. 15, 1786, 
 vvas as follows: "We the subscribers do 
 obligate ourselves to get such a num- 
 ber of Lots of Timber for a Meeting- 
 house frame such as we shall subscribe 
 against our names and likewise stone 
 in order to underpin the same and such 
 parts of labor as shall be necessary 
 to effect said building and likewise 
 
bring the timber and stone to the spot 
 where said frame is to stand by the 
 first of M;ay next." Forty-nine names 
 were attached and some contributed 
 material, some labor, and some rie, 
 each according to his liking. The ques- 
 tion of location then arose, so Mr. 
 David Mclntire offered to give for 
 the purpose a lot of land lying just 
 within pitchburg, and the offer was 
 accepted. The work of collecting ma- 
 terial was slow, so it was not till the 
 spring of 1788 that it was ready for 
 use. On the 19th of April the framing 
 began and continued during the sum- 
 mer. John Smith's father came up 
 from the Ned Smith place with a broad 
 ax on his shoulder to help hew^ the 
 timbers, which w^ere of white oak, the 
 Isrgest of them said to be 18 inches 
 square and no one knows how long. 
 The frame having been completed a 
 meeting was held Oct. 24, "to prepare 
 for the raising. Owing to the heavy 
 timbers it was a great undertaking and 
 careful provision must be made. An in- 
 teresting and suggestive subscription 
 paper was drawn. One Westminster 
 signer promised "10 men and their 
 board and 2 gallons of rum;" another 
 "10 men and 10 quarts of rum;" an- 
 other "1 barrel of Cyder;" another "2 
 8 
 
men;" another "4 quarts of rum." One 
 was to furnish "6 pike poles, 18 feet 
 long-;" another "6 pike poles, 15 feet 
 long;" another, "6 pike poles, 20 feet 
 long." It was agreed that the raising 
 should be on Oct. 29, beginning at 
 sunrise. This plan it is probable was 
 carried out and it must have been a 
 great day in Zion. The building was 
 placed 12 feet from the town line. 
 
 No record has been found of an- 
 other meeting of the proprietors for 
 ready a year, but on Sept. 9, 1789, they 
 came together and voted "to sell the 
 pues." This was a strange thing to do 
 for there was not a "pue" in the build- 
 ing, besides there was little more than 
 the skeleton of a church yet erected, 
 \.-hile the frame had only been partially 
 covered and enclosed, so that it waa 
 necessary to advertise for boards, 
 shingles, nails and men to place them. 
 Nevertheless, out of the 36 "pues" in 
 the plan of the building 19 were soon 
 sold. So far as known these were the 
 cnly sales of church property ever 
 made until the final disposal of the 
 building, when $36, it is said, were the 
 proceeds of what was really sold. At 
 last the house of God was so far com- 
 pleted as to be of some protection from 
 the weather and warrant attempts to 
 9 
 
hold religious services within it. The 
 church has been described by those 
 who remembered it as commodious and 
 high posted, with a good pulpit, plenty 
 of good benches for seats, a door on 
 hinges and a carpenters' bench to sep- 
 arate the singers' seats from the 
 benches occupied by the congregation. 
 There was no chimney or stove and 
 n^ever even a single pane of glass in 
 the house. The door was in the middle 
 of the front part, facing the road, and 
 rude board shutters, w^hich were more 
 or less removed for services, served for 
 windows. Swallows flew sometimes in 
 and out, over the heads of the people 
 during services. 
 
 At a meeting of those interested held 
 July 7, 1790, it was voted "to have 
 preaching in the new meeting-house a-s 
 soon as may be." It was also voted to 
 have Mr. Payson of Pitchburg, Mr. 
 Rice of Westminster, Mr. Gushing of 
 Ashburnham and Mr. Adams of Lu- 
 nenburg, ministers of the several towns 
 in that vicinity, to preach. It was also 
 ai the same meeting agreed "to have 
 some seats prepared," to hear Mr. 
 Gardner of Leominster, and to send for 
 Mr. Brown of Winchendon. Governor 
 Brooks said Dr. Payson was the first 
 to preach in the new church. Later in 
 10 
 
the season the following letter was sent 
 by a committee of the proprietors to 
 Rev. Mr. Whitney, minister of Shirley: 
 
 "From the proprietors of the New 
 Meeting House in Fitchtaurg. 
 
 "Reverend Sir. It is our desire that 
 you would extend, so far your Piety 
 (pity?) towards us as to come and 
 give us a Day's preaching in the New 
 Meeting-house that we have lately set 
 up on purpose for the publick w^orship. 
 And we humbly hope that our grati- 
 tude therefor will be no disagreeable 
 return for so great a favor. 
 Sept ye 7th 1790." 
 
 It seems probable that some if not 
 all of these ministers responded fa- 
 vorably to these invitations. It is also 
 probable that the proprietors in due 
 time found that something more than 
 gratitude was needed to secure 
 preachers, for on the 18th of August, 
 1791, a committee was chosen "to 
 carry a subscription paper around to 
 get money to hire preaching with." 
 It was afterward agreed to send for 
 Mr. Fuller of Princeton to come and 
 preach a day and also for Mr. Davis 
 of Holden to come again. Records of 
 several important meetings of the 
 proprietors held in 1792 have been pre- 
 served in a little improvised record 
 11 
 
book, after which nothing was written 
 until "Apr. ye 12, 1799," when it was 
 voted "that a Committee consisting of 
 Dr. Benjamin Marshall, Mr. Jackson 
 Durrant and Lieut. John Goodale, be 
 appointed to git subscribers;" and 
 there the record abruptly ends. But the 
 most famous of the preachers who 
 ever discoursed in the new meeting 
 house were Jesse Lee and Lorenzo 
 Dow. The eccentric Dow, whose fame 
 has gone out in all the world on his 
 great itinerant journeys, or more than 
 one occasion came to Fitchburg. He 
 preached at the new church Oct. 26, 
 1796, and likely on other dates. His 
 visits to this vicinity must have been 
 long rememljered. These that helped 
 to turn the world upside down came 
 hither also. Jesse Lee, the great 
 apostle of Methodism to New Eng- 
 land, preached one Sunday at this 
 New Meeting- House. Lee attended 
 the conference at Lynn which opened 
 July 25, 1794. There he was appointed 
 elder, later known as presiding elder, 
 by Bishop Asbury. His district in- 
 cluded Needham, Boston, Lynn, Mar- 
 biehead, Readfield, Orange and Fitch- 
 burg; that is, all of Eastern Massa- 
 chusetts with all New Hampshire 
 thrown into the bargain. Aug. 7, he 
 12 
 
parted from the preachers and came 
 up to Fitchburg through Concord and 
 Harvard. He was guest of David Mc- 
 Intire, who resided near the church, 
 from Friday, Aug. 8, to Monday, Aug. 
 11. Sunday, Aug. 10th, 1794, he 
 preached morning and afternoon at 
 the new meeting house in "Fitch- 
 burgh." From here he went on up in- 
 to New Hampshire and then to 
 Orange, Wilbraham and on down into 
 Connecticut. There can be no doubt 
 that the Methodist itinerants have 
 completely revolutionized not only the 
 manner but the very doctrines of 
 preaching in New England; for they 
 came shouting "free grace, free gospel 
 and free salvation." 
 
 The men , who erected this new 
 church were not free thinkers nor in- 
 fidels, nor were they of those who 
 cared not for the things that pertain 
 to the kingdom of God. Nor was it 
 that they wished altogether to shirk 
 their responsibility to the churches al- 
 ready established. This house of wor- 
 ship was the work of the residents in 
 its vicinity without regard to creeds, 
 going with an honest purpose to bring 
 religious privileges within nearer 
 reach; so far were they removed 
 from meeting houses already built. 
 13 
 
Most of the interested parties con- 
 tributed during these years under 
 consideration to the churches already 
 established in the various towns, like- 
 ly however as a taxation. Besides this 
 the ministers invited to preach were 
 sound in faith, of good repute, of 
 acknowledged piety and of ability that 
 was recognized in all this region. 
 However this forward movement 
 helped to bring a greater religious 
 freedom and was one of the things 
 that led to the complete divorcement 
 in 1835 between church and state, 
 so Deane Hill became a kind of ec- 
 clesiastical Bunker Hill. 
 
 The church without a steeple was 
 never entirely finished as a place for 
 worship, Was never dedicated, and it 
 never properly represented any par- 
 ticular parish or denomination. So far 
 as can be learned, no regular religious 
 services were held in it even for a 
 single year. In its later history, itin- 
 erant preachers and exhorters of any 
 and every name and some with no 
 particular form of religious doctrine 
 occupied the pulpit, for those who 
 might care to listen; but gradually 
 with the passing years these services 
 were less and less in frequency, and 
 finally altogether ceased. So the new 
 
old meeting-house became at last a kind 
 of storehouse but never a stable and 
 through its open door the children 
 sometimes went in to play. Severely 
 plain, unfinished, even at its best, suf- 
 fering from neglect, disintegrating by 
 the ravages of time it early came to 
 be known as "The Lord's Barn." It is 
 told that one day two men, one a com- 
 parative strang-er, were riding past the 
 church. The stranger asked, "What is 
 that building?" 'The Lord's house," 
 was the reply. "I should think it was 
 the Lord's barn," was the rejoinder. 
 John Smith told, me that it was cus- 
 tomary for the men after services to go 
 to the adjoining taverns for the drinks, 
 and probably some paid their visits be- 
 fore the opening devotions. 
 
 In 1825 or 1826, as nearly as can be 
 ascertained, the proprietors had the 
 building demolished and the timbers 
 and proceeds were divided among them. 
 Mrs. John Smith, who was a Carter, 
 told me that she could remember 
 lumber from the old church as piled 
 near her father's house. It is said that 
 in recent years a large stick of one of 
 its timbers was in some use some- 
 where on Newton Place in Fitchburg. 
 Such was the fate of the first building 
 erected in this region for the worship 
 of God by voluntary contributions. 
 15 
 
For seven years annual commemo- 
 rative services have been held in Sep- 
 tember of each year on the site of the 
 meeting--house. In these services min- 
 isters and people of different denomi- 
 national names have had part. At the 
 first of these meeting-s a contribution 
 was taken which with later subscrip- 
 tions amounted to about $50, This 
 with labor given placed a new stone 
 memorial wall along- the roadside in 
 front. A large boulder was set up for 
 a monument bearing on a bronze tablet 
 this inscription "Site of the New Meet- 
 ing House Known in History as the 
 Lord's Barn, 1788—1825." At the sec- 
 ond service, in 1904, this wall and mon- 
 ument were formally dedicated with 
 appropriate exercises. These meetings 
 have been well attended by many 
 people coming to this sacred spot for 
 rest and worship. 
 
 The Utopian dream of a new town 
 was never realized: the timbers, rough 
 hewn, of the old church, have likely 
 gone back to dust; not one foundation 
 stone is left upon another, but the in- 
 fluences of the teachings preached 
 within its walls have gone out into the 
 great world and are still living and 
 active; eternity alone can reveal the 
 truth concerning- many who thus have 
 16 
 
been led or at least guided from dark- 
 ness to light and from the power of Sa- 
 tan unto God. 
 
 The writer is greatly indebted for 
 many of the facts in this paper to Rev. 
 Wm. S. Heywood in his History 
 of Westminster, and also to James H. 
 Laws of Westminster, John Smith and 
 wife, Mrs. Dolly S. Parks (mother 
 of Gilbert :M. Parks) of Fitchburg, and 
 to his mother, Mrs. Delana Lapham 
 Hardy of Brookline, N. H., a native of 
 Fitchburg. All of these persons are 
 now deceased except possibly Mr. Hey- 
 wood. 
 
 Notes. 
 
 "Citizens who desired paid 'ministers' 
 tax' for the support of preaching at 
 this meeting house."— Sentinel, Sept., 
 1903. 
 
 The Cooper Tavern went up in a 
 baptism of fire some 15 years ago. 
 
 Mrs. Samuel Hawes, (later the wife 
 of Rev. John Wood,) said some years 
 ago that Voldostine Johnson, a mulatto 
 from Vermont, tore down The Lord's 
 Barn and used a part of the lumber 
 for a wood-choppers' cabin for himself. 
 Capt. Martin Newton, who built cotton 
 mills in Newton Lane in 1812, used 
 some of the largest timbers for a big 
 lathe for turning long shafting. 
 
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