300 Years Later
Fri, May 15
|West Sugarball Road
Commemorative Service Honors Central NH's Religious Roots
Time & Location
May 15, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
West Sugarball Road, W Sugarball Rd, Concord, NH 03301, USA
About the event
300 Years Later: Commemorative Service Honors Central New Hampshire’s Religious Roots on May 15
CONCORD, NH — Tucked at the corner of East Side Drive and West Sugarball Road stands a modest monument that many longtime residents have passed without notice. Yet this site marks a defining moment in the region’s history: the first recorded religious service in central New Hampshire, held on May 15, 1726.
That early gathering laid the foundation for a vibrant and enduring faith community. Six Concord congregations trace their origins directly to that pioneering service: First Congregational Church—founded by those who led the original gathering—and five additional congregations established as the city grew: The Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord (1827), West Congregational Church (1833), South Congregational Church (1837), East Congregational Church (1842), and Immanuel Community Church (1900).
The monument’s location between the two campuses of Havenwood-Heritage Heights is especially fitting. Founded by members of these congregations…