Monadnock Moment No. 193

Era 4: Expansion and Reform -1800 to 1860

Disaster at the Langdon Church

Late in the spring of 1842 the residents of Langdon set about constructing a new Congregational Church in their village. On May 26th of that year some forty men gathered to take part in a church raising. They all came and offered their skills to help raise the new building. The body of the building was erected on the 26th and on Friday the 27th the men returned to finish the roof, belfry and steeple.

Apparently certain timbers had not been properly supported during the work of the previous day. As the forty men worked high up on the roof the entire structure suddenly came down with a crash. Jonas Blood, a long time resident of the town, was killed instantly. Sixteen others were injured, several with broken limbs and ribs. John Pratt received a fractured skull and William Garfield was presumed dead and was carried to a nearby house. Garfield soon recovered, however, and lived for many more years.

This accident was a serious blow to the town, but the church members were not defeated. They soon built another church. In contrast to the Langdon church which stood for one day in 1842, the new building which replaced it has now stood for more than 160 years.