<Tr> <Th> Added to NRHP </Th> <Td> November 13, 1980 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Free Will Baptist Church is a historic church on Ridge Road in New Durham, New Hampshire . Built in 1819, it is considered the mother church of the Free Will Baptist movement, although it was not built until ten years after the death of founder Benjamin Randall . New Durham is where Randall rose to prominence, and where the church's teachings and governance were organized in 1780 . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 . </P> <P> The Free Will Baptist Church stands in New Durham's rural Ridge area, on the north side of Ridge Road east of its junction with Berry Road . It is a single - story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof and claboarded exterior . It features modest Greek Revival and Italianate detailing, including corner pilasters, and a single central door flanked by pilasters and topped by a simple entablature . The two - stage tower was added in 1869; its detailing, including a box cornice and Italianate brackets, echo details on the main block . The interior includes a late 19th - century pressed metal ceiling . </P> <P> The church was built in 1819, and is considered the mother church of the Free Will Baptist movement . It was in this area that Benjamin Randall (1749 - 1808) rose to prominence . A native of New Castle, New Hampshire, Randall, an itinerant evangelical Baptist, was disfellowshipped by more conventional Baptists for his objections to certain Calvinist teachings . He gained a following in eastern New Hampshire and southern Maine . The first organizational meetings of the Free Will Baptists took place in New Durham in 1780; this church was built eleven years after Randall's death . </P>

First free will baptist church new durham nh