A Short History of The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
Concord, New Hampshire

    The Massachusetts Bay Colony granted a group of petitioners the rights to the Plantation of Penny Cook in 1725. In May of 1726, a party of thirty men came to survey the grant, among them Lieutenant Governor Tailer of Massachusetts and the Rev. Enoch Coffin, chaplain. They arrived at the Sugar Ball Intervale, nearly across the Merrimack River from our present church building, on Friday, May 13. On this same spot, Mr. Coffin led a service of worship on Sunday, May 15. (This is the service we commemorated on May 15, 2005.)

    In 1727 a log meetinghouse was built for the protection of the new settlement and in time, the Rev. Timothy Walker was called to serve the town as pastor and teacher. On the date of his ordination and installation in the meetinghouse, November 18, 1730, the church was organized with eight men and one woman as constituent members. We consider this date the beginning of our church. Mr. Walker was pastor for fifty-two years until his death on Sunday, September 1, 1782. During that time, he led two services, one in the morning and one in the afternoon; tended to the spiritual needs of the community; was a diplomat; and an excellent farmer.


. . . continued