Historic New England's Rocky Hill Meeting House

05/20/2026

Historic places are shaped not only by their past, but by the people who care for them today.

Meet Sheila Spalding, Site Manager for Historic New England’s Newbury properties, in our Meet Your Site Managers series. This season, look for programs that bring history to life through music, community traditions, and opportunities for reflection.

As we prepare to welcome visitors to for the open season, we invite you to get to know the people who make our tours and events so special.

04/23/2026

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, our historic sites across the region are open and FREE to the public. Join us for a fun day of fantastic storytelling! Love architecture, history, fantastic stories, great landscapes, fine art, folk art, or interior design? Then join Historic New England on June 6, 2026, f...

03/02/2026

Rocky Hill Meeting House is one of the best preserved examples of an original eighteenth-century meeting house interior. The fact that it has served no active congregation since the mid-nineteenth century led to its remarkable state of preservation. Eighteenth-century hardware remains intact throughout the building. The marbleized pulpit and pillars supporting the upper galleries still boast their original paint.

01/21/2026

12/30/2025

Reverend Sawyer was invited to preach at Rocky Hill on December 17, 1835, and made a determined attempt to revitalize the flagging membership. He met with limited success, but was a hard-working and beloved member of the community, representing Salisbury in the legislature for several years, and sitting on the school committee. In the course of his long tenure at Rocky Hill, Reverend Sawyer presided over 1,400 weddings and 1,100 funerals. Throughout Newburyport and Salisbury, he was known as “Father Sawyer.” He was a cautious and conservative leader whose silence on the issue of slavery in an ardently abolitionist town drove many into more progressive congregations. Reverend Sawyer preached his last sermon in 1870 at age eighty-eight, and congregants noted that he did not require glasses. He died several months later.

This portrait, by an unknown artist, is in Historic New England's collections.

Learn more about the history of Rocky Hill Meeting House here: https://www.historicnewengland.org/property/rocky-hill-meeting-house/

12/24/2025

Happy holidays from all of us at Rocky Hill Meeting House! We’re already looking ahead to next season and are excited to share that we’ll be offering bi-weekly meditation time exclusively for HNE members, as well as welcoming an early music ensemble performance in November.

As we prepare, we’re gathering throw blankets to help keep visitors comfortable in our incredible historic building—which, true to its past, has no plumbing or heat. If you’re cleaning out closets this winter, please consider keeping us in mind. Donated throw blankets can be dropped off at the Visitor Center at. Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Monday–Friday, 9–3 PM.

Wishing everyone warmth, joy, and a wonderful holiday season!

11/19/2025

A short history of the Rocky Hill Meeting House, included in this article about local churches from the Amesbury Daily News, May 5, 1938, page 17. Of note is the fact that the mother of statesman, Daniel Webster, was baptized here.

10/11/2025

All good things must come to an end—including our 2025 season. Join Historic New England this weekend for tours of our beloved sites before many (but not all!) close for the winter. Take one last look inside and make memories to carry with you all year long.

Step inside for one final adventure of the season! → https://www.historicnewengland.org/visit/homes-farms-landscapes/
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09/24/2025

We had a wonderful afternoon at the Rocky Hill Meeting House for Patriot in the Pulpit on September 6. Donald Friary brought history to life with a moving performance, stepping into the role of Rev. Oliver Noble, who preached the same sermon in 1775 as the Revolution was unfolding.

The program reminded us that Meeting Houses were not only a place of worship, but also a gathering place where sermons carried political weight and inspired communities. Donald’s performance, followed by his thoughtful talk, truly pulled the history together and gave us a sense of what it might have felt like to sit in these pews 250 years ago.

Thank you to Essex National Heritage Area for co-sponsoring this event with Historic New England and to everyone who joined us. We look forward to welcoming you back for more programs at Rocky Hill!