Church conveys 1773 meeting house and $25,000 to Town of Hubbardston; donors urge fire protections

The parish committee of the First Parish Unitarian Church of Hubbardston formally conveyed the deed for the town’s 1773 meeting house to the Town of Hubbardston at a signing ceremony, donating the building and $25,000 in start-up funds and asking town officials to prioritize fire protection and keep the building primarily for secular, community uses.

“We are forever grateful that the town accepted our generous gift at the town meeting on 06/02/2025,” said Nancy Hubbard, a member of the parish committee, who spoke at the ceremony and presented keys, a check and an inventory of historic items. She urged immediate action on fire protection, saying, “Please make the installation of fire suppression sprinklers an immediate priority.”

The meeting house, built in 1773 and located on the town’s Old Common, was described by speakers as a long-standing center for gatherings. The parish committee said declining membership and the cost of upkeep led them to transfer ownership rather than sell the property on the open market. “We chose to pass it back to the good people of Hubbardston for the proverbial $1,” Hubbard said.

The committee presented an inventory of antique items that it said should remain connected to the town’s history. Among the items noted was a music book associated with Betsy Church dated 1799 (reported printed in 1796), baptismal vessels and pewter items, which the committee said are currently held in a safe. The committee said it is working with the local historical society on transferring those artifacts.

Jack, chair of the select board, spoke at the ceremony and said the town’s vote to accept the gift showed a community commitment to preserving history. “I’m happy to be living in a town that also has shown that it values history,” Jack said, concluding, “We will take care of it.”

Town administrator Nate Boudreaux thanked volunteers and town officials who evaluated the feasibility of accepting the gift and called the property and the accompanying funds “a wonderful gift.” He encouraged continued community involvement in future use of the building.

Donors emphasized two specific conditions they hope the town will honor: that the building be used primarily for secular, community activities rather than turned over to another religious group, and that open flames be banned inside the structure because of its age and historic fabric. Town officials at the ceremony did not announce formal policy changes or a vote to ban open flames; those requests were presented as priorities from the parish committee for town consideration.

The ceremony included the formal handover of keys and a commemorative token; committee members also described having removed modern items and documenting historic objects for transfer. The town accepted the deed at its town meeting on June 2, 2025, the parish committee said; the transcript of the ceremony did not include a vote tally or further procedural details about next steps for implementing fire protection or artifact transfers.

Town officials said they will follow up with next steps through the select board and town staff. Specific timelines, costs and funding sources for sprinkler installation or other preservation work were not specified at the ceremony.