1804 – New Hampshire was designated a separate district. Rochester came under the
Tuftonborough circuit. Revs. Warren Banister and Ebenezer Blake preached in Rochester about
every four weeks at the school house on Haven Hill. School house was located next to the home of
Paul Place, later by Byfield Meserve.
1807 – The first class was formed in Rochester after an all-night meeting held at the home of Paul
Place
1825 – Cornerstone of the first Methodist Meeting House was laid on lot where Barker Tavern had
stood. Tavern was also the first Post Office in Rochester. Tavern burned and moved down the street
so lot was purchased. Wesleyan Chapel was built by the Methodist Episcopal Church. 42 x 55 feet
of “fair and decent style”
1828 – First parsonage was built on the Chapel lot for a cost of $400
1829-30 – First Methodist Sunday School was established. Previously a Union Sunday School had
been held in the village schoolhouse.
1840 – Vestry was added to the Methodist Chapel
1846 – Chapel was renovated. Galleries removed and four pews were added
1852-3 – Chapel was enlarged by 20 pews. New front and tower were added and an organ was
purchased.
1861-2 – Old parsonage was sold and moved to Union St. and a new parsonage was erected.
1866-7 - Old chapel was torn down. Cornerstone for present building was laid Aug 1, 1867.
1868 – Present building was dedicated Mar 26, 1868. The E. Howard Clock Company of Boston, MA
installs a clock with four faces, one on each side of the steeple.
1878 – The city of Rochester assumes the responsibility of maintaining and winding the clock in the
Methodist steeple.
1886 – Organ was moved from the gallery at the rear of the sanctuary and placed on a level with the
with the pulpit platform. The platform was lowered by about one third.
1887 – Gallery was removed, angles at the ceiling were arched for better acoustics and the interior
was redecorated. Pews added. Nine memorial windows added.
1888 or 1895 – Lighting struck East Tower on the front of the church. Both towers were removed as
well as the smaller ones on the steeple.

1906 – Estey organ installed at a cost of $3000. Originally activated by air pressure supplied by a
bellows driven by a water-driven motor.
1910 – An early rear addition was replaced with a larger two story brick one with a full basement
which houses the choir room, kitchen and rest rooms.
1920 – Air supply for the organ was changed to an electric motor driven fan.
1934 – Sanctuary was redecorated, new murals added, organ pipes painted silver, new pulpit and
alter table, new pulpit chairs, new piano, new communion service, and new collection plates in
preparation of hosting annual conference.
1948 – New oil fired furnaces installed in the basement. One heats the sanctuary and the other the
vestry and kitchen. Previously there had been two furnaces at the back corners of the vestry. Stove
pipes ran through the vestry and up to the sanctuary to feed the registers on the outside aisles of the
room.
1953 – Regina Nilsson Memorial Amplifier given by Rev. and Mrs. Maurer in memory of her mother.
This system added speakers to the steeple that allowed recorded music or live organ music to be
broadcast throughout the downtown area.
1958 – Interior of the building was redecorated by volunteers in preparation of our hosting of the
annual conference.
1962 – A chapel is built in the rear corner of the vestry.
1964 – The organ was entirely rebuilt by the Williams Organ Co. The console was changed from
pneumatic to electro-pneumatic control and moved to the left side of the platform. 30 ft. cable
connecting the organ and console was added so the console could be moved. Sliding center section
of sanctuary platform, added in 1906, was removed and front of platform was built straight across with
communion rail changed to match. New carpeting and lighting was added to the sanctuary.
1965 – Western Auto building and land was purchased. The build was insulated throughout, a new
front was added and nine rooms were created for church school. The building was consecrated and
occupied in Dec. 1965.
1968 – The United Methodist Church was formed when the Methodist Church combined with the
Evangelical Brethren Church.
1970 – The 1861 parsonage was torn down to make a parking lot behind the church and a new
parsonage was purchase at 9 Vinewood Lane.
1975 – Vestry and kitchen remodeled. Chapel moved to front of the vestry. Sanctuary reorganized to
a center aisle configuration.
1979 - Link connecting the Coburn building to the main church was added and pitched roof added to
Coburn building. Link contained church offices.
1981-82 – City clock was electrified.

1998 – Organ was rebuilt and enhanced by Faucher Organ Co. New blower was installed in the
Choir Room to replace the antique electric blower that was still found in the basement of the 1910
addition. Stenciling on pipes restored. Sanctuary refurbished with refinished floor, painted walls, new
carpeting, and new lighting.
1998-9 - Main Church Building is secured from the elements with newly pointed and sealed
brickwork, new glass storm windows, new roof on the steeple and a fresh coat of paint on all the
exterior wood.
2001 – Coburn Educational Building and link were torn down to make way for the Whitford Building.
2003 – Whitford Building is dedicated to Rev. Dr. Charles Whitford (1993-2003). This two story
building includes offices, chapel, classrooms and an elevator.
2015 – Stained glass window was moved from old chapel to the new chapel in the Whitford Building.
The window was saved by Rev. Frank Gulinello (1972-1985) when the First Methodist Church in
Laconia was torn down in 1967.
2016 – On March 15 a fire was set in one of the windows in Hurd Hall that faced the bank building.
Fortunately it was discovered in time and the building did not suffer much damage. As a result, Hurd
Hall was enlarged and completely redecorated and the sanctuary was cleaned of smoke damage.
2017 – New hot water furnace to heat the first floor of the main church building.
2022 – Two new hot air furnaces were installed to replace the single furnace used to heat the
sanctuary.