LYNDEBOROUGH – On Aug. 2, the Lyndeborough Historical Society signed a purchase agreement with the United Church of Lyndeborough to acquire the former Congregational Church building in Lyndeborough Center. The Society has three years in which to complete the purchase.

The agreement was signed by Frances Houston, president of the Historical Society, and Church Moderator Larry Crosby.

Society Treasurer and spokeswoman Stephanie Roper said the next step is “to raise money enough to apply for a matching grant next year from LCHIP (the state Land and Community Heritage Investment Program).” The goal is to raise the required half of the asking price for the church, which is $156,000. With the agreement signed, she said, “We can again begin fund-raising.”

So far, the Society has raised over $50,000.

The Historical Society Executive Board is considering several fund-raising events, including concerts. Suggestions are always welcome.

Since the building has neither heat nor water, it can be used only during the summer, typically from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

The church, which was originally Congregational, was built in 1837, replacing an earlier meeting house which was located near the present Town Hall. The building was renovated – “modernized”– in the 1890s and is now much as it was then.

The box pews were replaced with the present ones and a balcony removed. The steeple was repaired in 1989.

Still to be done, Roper said, is repair of the housing of the church bell, which dates to the construction of the building. Several of the bolts which hold the bell in place are corroded and it is currently blocked so that it cannot be rung. The interior steeple stairs have to be replaced before that can be done.

The interior features three murals behind the altar, hand painted in the 1890s by an unknown artist. The writing in the open Bible in the central arch is in German, for reasons not now known.

Members of Monadnock Music, who used the building to make recordings in the late 1990s, said it has “almost perfect acoustics.” The recording sessions stopped when traffic outside got too frequent and noisy.

The Historical Society hopes to sponsor music programs.

The building will also be open for weddings and other events.