History and Preservation of the Chapel

The roots of this parish began in 1638 at the founding of Hampton, one of the original four towns of New Hampshire. The burden of traversing the sea-marsh at high tides and in the winter prompted residents of the southern falls area to establish a new town and this church in 1711. The current chapel was built in 1838 and began serving as a meeting house for the First Congregational Society of Hampton Falls in 1839.

Ministers of the congregation have included Paine Wingate, 1763, a Senator in the first US Congress; Samuel Langdon, 1780, 13th president of Harvard University; and Stephen Farley, 1833, under whom the parish became Unitarian. 

The current chapel is built in the Greek Revival style, popular in America from about 1825 to 1860. It’s white columned entrance, entablature, and gently sloping roof mimic that of an ancient Greek temple of the 5th century BC. One of the churches most noteable features is the trompe l’oeil (French for “decieve the eye”) frescoes adorning the large ceiling and interior walls. It is said that itinerant Italian painters of the mid-nineteenth century decorated several churches in our vicinity; the Orchard Chapel itself and St. John's Church in Portsmouth are two of those that still stand.

In 1949, a hurricane ripped shingles from the roof and badly stained the ceiling. Thanks to benefactors, repairs were made after the hurricane. A muralist from New York was brought in to repair damage to the frescoes. To this day, the chapel remains a beautiful historic structure that is cared for by donors and the community. It still serves as a place of worship on summer Sundays. Among the local children who have sat in these pews are architect Ralph Cram, abolitionist Franklin Sanborn, and author Alice Brown. 

In addition to Sunday services, the chapel has hosted numerous cultural events including Christmas music concerts and private weddings. For more information about this historical landmark and ongoing efforts to restore it, please visit our sister site www.hamptonfallsunitarian.org.

Members of the congregation dressed up in costume for “Ancestor’s Day,” 1952.