In East Moultonborough – the town’s first meeting house was built in 1773 near today’s Shaw Cemetery. It became a Congregational Church.

Although Rev. Samuel Perley was the preacher for a short time, Rev. Jeremiah Shaw who came in September, 1779, has been honored as its early pastor. Rev. Jeremiah Shaw was born in Hampton, N.H., in 1747, was graduated from Harvard College, and was ordained on November 17,1779, soon after coming to Moultonborough.

The church building blew down in a severe storm in December, 1819, but was replaced before Rev. Jeremiah Shaw retired about 1825. Rev. Josiah Dodge succeeded him.

At Moultonborough Corner another group of worshippers, also Congregationalists, used the Town House built in 1834. This was not surprising since the town funds supported the early ministers. Then Sunday services alternated between Moultonborough Corner and East Moultonborough.

Itinerant Methodist preachers traveled in New Hampshire and came to Moultonborough where, by 1839 the Methodist were holding regular meetings. Rev. J.S. Loveland became their pastor in 1840

In 1843, under the leadership of Rev. H. Hartwell, a church was built at the junction of Route 25 and Old Route 109.

In 1850, the Congregationalists who had been using the Town House decided to build a meetinghouse of their own just west of it, at a cost of about one thousand dollars. The construction details of this building are described in Frances Stevens book, "As I Remember Moultonborough, New Hampshire. pp. 161-162."

Three churches were in town until about 1866 when a separation of Church and State stopped town funds from helping to support them. The two Congregational churches were no longer able to continue. The church building in East Moultonborough was sold to Adventists in Melvin Village and moved there across the ice of Lake Winnipesaukee. The church building at Moultonborough Corner was to be auctioned off on May 6, 1869.

At the New England Annual Conference in Lisbon on April 7, 1869, permission was given to the Board of Trustees of the Moultonborough Methodist Episcopal Church to sell its present property and reinvest in the larger building up for sale.

The Trustees decided to bid at the auction not more than six hundred dollars. Fortunately, they got the property for only three hundred and twenty-five dollars

Then the former meeting place was sold to Mr. H.S. Ward for three hundred dollars. The family of Dr. Junkins lived there, then the family of Dr. Frank S. Lovering and eventually it became an inn and restaurant.
 

The newly purchased building to become the Methodist Episcopal Church was moved to the center of the village and placed over a cellar of the Alvin Peavey house (which had burned about 1860) where it stands today.

Mrs. Eliza True, an active church member, deeded her home to the church to be used as a Parsonage. This property almost directly across the street from the church, came to it after her death September 12, 1880.

The early Methodist church had its own library of 170 volumes in 1859 and 150 volumes in 1871.

Reports show that in 1870 the Sabbath School had 57 scholars and teachers with an average attendance of 43. In 1880 it was about the same: 63 with average attendance of 48.

In 1905 and 1906 under the leadership of Rev. Dick Ezra Burns, the church building was repaired and eight memorial stained glass windows replaced the plain ones.

They are: "True" in memory of Eliza True

"French" in memory of James French former owner of the Old Country Store and postmaster.

"Bryant" and (4) "Berry" are two windows in memory of John Bryant and John Berry who built the church.

"Augustus and Harriette Jaclard" are great-grandparents of Adele Taylor, owners of the large house, which stood where the library was.

"N.M. Lee and Lyman Brown" Nathan Lee was the father of David Lee who built Lee’s Mills. Lyman Brown held many town offices, was a justice of the peace, and county commissioner.

"Alma F. Spencer-Rollins" This family lived on Holland Street. Their Cape Cod house was enlarged and is became the Holland House.

"Knights of Pythias" This window was given by the Lodge which was active in Moultonborough for many years.

On July 16, 1923, at the Quarterly Conference of the Moultonborough Episcopal Methodist Church were Rev. Harvey Sawyer, District Supt. Rev. E.A. Durham, and members: Azilla Berry, Flossie Berry, Clara Smith, Susie Smith, Ralph Goodwin, and George Blanchard.

The Pastor’s salary was set at $650 and he was granted a two-week vacation.