CONCERT VENUES
This region of rolling farmland and small towns takes its name from the towering Mount Monadnock, which, at a height of 3,165 feet, looms above the countryside and can be seen from almost everywhere. Mount Monadnock is believed to be the most frequently climbed mountain in the world. Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and others hiked this mountain and wrote about it as a symbol of spiritual and environmental awareness.
Our concerts are held in the historic meetinghouses and churches of 17 towns within the Monadnock Region. Come explore these wonderful venues while enjoying music of the finest quality, played by virtuosos who travel here from throughout the United States and the world to play in these charming New England towns and villages.
"Each event was a beautiful combination of a scenic back roads drive to NH, architectural enjoyment of the concert hall and the music," a listener from Boston
Click here to read A Well-Proportioned Meeting Place by Jonathan Bagg
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Deering Community Church
Dublin Emmanuel Church
Francestown Old Meeting House
Franklin Pierce University
Hancock Congregational Church
Community Church of Harrisville & Chesham
Jaffrey Center Meeting House
Keene Ahavas Achim Synagogue
Marlow Jones Hall
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Milford Town Hall
Nelson Congregational Church
Peterborough Town House
All Saints' Church, Peterborough
Sullivan United Congregational Church
Temple Community Church
Walpole Unitarian Church
Washington Congregational Church
Wilton Center Unitarian Church
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Deering Community Church (return to top)
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763 Deering Center Rd.
Deering, NH 03244
After considerable arguing over where the exact center of town was, the good folk of Deering decided to build a meetinghouse. It was finished in 1788 and has been expanded since. Come see what the arguing was all about.
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New Harrisville Rd.
Dublin, NH 03444
Home of Yankee Magazine and The Farmers’ Almanac. You’ll find them both being published in the big red buildings at the top of the hill. Founded in 1752 the town was first engaged in farming, in spite of the hilly terrain. However by 1799 the first woolen mill was built in Dublin. The division between farming and factories ended up dividing the town. After the Civil War, farming declined and Dublin became a summer resort! When you see the large and beautiful Dublin Lake, you will understand why. As you drive through the hills of Dublin, you will see large estate homes, which in their hey-day, had stables and housing for the horses and the staffs that the wealthy vacationers brought with them from New York and elsewhere. . Many of these houses still have large ballrooms where lavish parties were held.
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Francestown Old Meeting House
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1 New Boston Road
Francestown, NH 03043
The Old Meeting House is but the focal point of a town without an architectural clinker on the Main Street. The Levi Woodbury Homestead is adjacent to the Old Meeting House, and across the way are fine house sheds near the Town Hall.
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20 University Road
Rindge, NH 03461
Overlooking Pearly Pond, Franklin Pierce University was named after the New Hampshire-born 14th President of the United States. Rindge tradition has it that the estate was once a stop in the Underground Railroad.
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Hancock Congregational Church |
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47 Main Street
Hancock, NH 03449
It's been said that the main street of Hancock looks like the Civil War has just ended. Hancock's splendid Town Hall was rebuilt after a fire in 1820 and is now used as the Congregational Church and town offices. Well-preserved horse sheds are at the rear. At the top of the church is Bell #236, cast by Paul Revere's workshop. Norway Pond sets the town's tone in a most picturesque fashion!
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Community Church of Harrisville & Chesham
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13 Canal St.
Harrisville, NH
The old Harrisville mills- they are still here! This old mill town is a brick beauty! The mill buildings on a lovely pond, are just as they were a hundred years ago, including "Peanut Row", the tiny houses where the mill workers used to live. The village is a frequently photographed example of old New England.Also, don't miss the Mill Shop where you'll find beautiful knit merchandise made of yarns from the mill.
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Route 124
Jaffrey Center, NH 03452
The Old Meeting House may date back to June of 1775, when the Battle of Bunker Hill could be heard in Jaffrey. Many architectural gems are tucked away amonst the Jaffrey Center roads. Willa Cather wrote here. You can visit her tombstone and burial site in the cemetery right behind the Jaffrey Center church. The Inn at Jaffrey Center is located here as well, a convenient place for dinner before the Jaffrey concert.
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Keene Ahavas Achim Synagogue |
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84 Hastings Ave.
Keene, NH 03431
Keene is the largest city in the Monadnock Music area. And with the widest Main Street in America, so the story goes! Therefore there are plenty of fine restaurants from pizza to steak houses to excellent Italian, many fine shops and places to stay. Central Square, built in 1870, is a wonderful example of Second Empire Victorian style. Then there’s the Two Stone Arch Bridge on upper Court Street that was built without mortar. The heavy stones keep the arch from falling! Don’t miss a visit to the Colony Mill, a modern shopping center built from on the site of an old mill, but keeping the outside of the buildings just as they were way back then.(You can grab a bite to eat there, too, before the concert.)
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12 Church Street Marlow, NH 03456
Marlow is one of the most photographed towns in the area, and is famous for its beautiful lily pond with its adjacent historic buildings including Jones Hall. Perfect place for a picnic by the pond. The area is famous for minerals and stones.
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1 Union Square Milford, NH 03055
The original Italianate Meeting House was crowned by a pine eagle which, after years of ice and snow, came crashing through the roof. A replacement eagle spanning 8’10’’ and weighing 400 lbs. was fixed in place in 1999. The hall itself is beautifully restored with the original eagle on view and is well worth a visit as are the marble tablets dedicated to the veterans of the War of Rebellion in the entry. The bell was cast by Paul Revere’s workshop.
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Nelson Harrisville Rd.
Nelson, NH
One of the original border towns, Nelson was part of the territory first granted in 1752 as Monadnock No.6. It was well placed for a fort as one can see the White Mountains, many lakes and even a mountain in Maine from City Hill. In 1814 it was remaned in honor of Lord Horatio Nelson, who died on board the British ship Victory in the was against Napoleon. Nelson possesses a Guinness World Record for the longest-running public contradance
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1 Grove St.
Peterborough, NH 03458
Site of “Our Town”. Home of the MacDowell Colony, where Thorton Wilder wrote his most famous play, inspired by the local village of Peterborough. (You an almost see Emily and George strolling down Grove Street!) Also home of Monadnock Music, where weekend concerts are played in the Town Hall. The bulfinch-like Unitarian Church, the faneuil hall style Town House, and the cruciform Norman All Saints Episcopal Church are but a fraction of Peterborough’s architectural delights.
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Peterborough All Saints' Church |
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51 Concord St.
Peterborough, NH 03458
Among the artistically important adornments at All Saints' episcopal place of worship are the carvings in English Oak by world-renowned carver, John Kirchmayer. An old Flemish tapestry of the early XVII century is in the Baptistry. Throughout the church are stained glass windows worked in accordance with the principles of the XIII century, by Charles Connick Studios of Boston.
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Center St.
Sullivan, NH 03445
The town was named in 1787 after General John Sullivan, who was elected president of New Hampshire in 1786. Near the village center is the 1848 church in Greek and Gothic Revival style.
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Temple, NH 03084
Named after colonial governor John Wentworth's Lieutenant Governor John Temple. The Temple glass factory was founded in 1780 by Robert Hewes who employed Hessian mercenaries from the British Army trained in the art of glassblowing. This early attempt to manufacture bottles and crude window-glass was the beginning of glass-making in New Hampshire. The Birchwood Inn, across from the church, has entertained notables including Henry David Thoreau.
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Corner of Main and Union Streets
Walpole, NH 03608
Walpole was granted in 1736, called #3 in a chain of forts. It was named after British prime minister Sir Robert Walpole. The church is in colonial style and is meant to compliment King’s Chapel in Boston. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns' company, Florentine Films, is located here in Walpole.
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Washington Congregational Church |
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Washington, NH 03280
Granted in 1735 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, the town was one of the fort towns designated to protect the colonies from Indian attack, named "Monadnock Number 8". On December 13, 1776, the newly established American revolutionary government incorporated the town as "Washington", after George Washington -- the first named in his honor.
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| Wilton Center Unitarian Church (return to top) |
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Wilton Center, NH 03086
Wilton was granted to soldiers from Salem, Massachusetts, who had served in 1690 under Sir William Phips in the war against Canada. "Salem-Canada" was one of the towns on the state's borders intended to provide protection against Indian attack. The Unitarian Church in Wilton Center has a fascinating history, and is part of the old and attractive cluster of buildings including Andy's Summer Playhouse.
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