The area known as the Town of Salisbury after 1768 was known previously as Stevenstown. Before the formation of Franklin in 1828, Salisbury extended to the Merrimack River, where some of the earliest settlements developed. According to John Dearborn in the History of Salisbury published in 1890, p 130:
“From a very early map of the Merrimack Valley, there appears to have been located a meeting house not far from the west bank of the river, in the vicinity of the fort, on the ‘Webster Farm’ near the Orphans Home” ( both of those existed later).
Before 1768, possibly the first Meeting House, Stevenstown
A log house archeological area, near the Webster Farm, now Franklin, NH.
In 1765, when the people of Stevenstown petitioned for aid in settling the town, they represented that they had built a fort and were about to “build a meeting house”. It may be that they had constructed one of the logs previously to this date. There is some reason to believe they had so done. But there is no accessible record to indicate it”.
However, at a meeting the proprietors held in 1764 (a year prior?), a committee was formed and selected ten acres on the north side of what was afterwards called Searle’s Hill for the Meeting House. Eventually, after about 20 years, it was disassembled and in part reconstructed as the Congregational Church.
SEARLE’S HILL, First Church in Salisbury, archeological site, Center Range Road
1768 abt 1788 the 1st Meeting House on SEARLE’S HILL
The CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, well preserved with some alterations, Route 4 & Route 127
1790 The Salisbury Congregational Church
BAPTIST MEETING HOUSE, well preserved, Old Turnpike Road (Route 4)
Currently, The Salisbury Historical Society
1791- 1956 Baptist Meeting House
UNION MEETING HOUSE, Flood Plain, Smith’s Corner disassembled, reconstructed in Springfield, Mass
Abt 1834-1929 Union Meeting House
Shared Denominations: Universalists, Methodists, Congregationalists, and Christians in rotations.
METHODIST MEETING HOUSE, South Road, briefly and no longer in existence, mentioned in the History of Salisbury by John Dearborn
1858- abt 1862 METHODIST MEETING HOUSE
No image available. Located at the intersection of Bog Road and Rte 127 NE corner. Afterwards site was occupied by P.A. Fellows, Blacksmith Shop. According to John Dearborn, the History of Salisbury and Thomas D. Little Esq.., whose hand-drawn map placed it at that location.