Erected in 1713, the Newington meetinghouse solidified Newington as a town and created a place of both worship and town meetings for generations to come.
At the time of its first meeting on January 21, 1713 the meetinghouse lacked seats and windows. In 1714 the building was completed to a point that allowed for the sale of pews. Newington's residents voted that those who wanted a pew would pay 12 pounds for the larger pews and 10 pounds for the smaller pews. Reverend Joseph Adams would become the first settled minister in the new meetinghouse where he would preach for the remaining 68 years of his life. Rev. Adams was the uncle to John Adams as well as the great uncle of John Quincy Adams. The meetinghouse was also used as a school with Rev. Adams as the teacher. However this ended after the construction of a schoolhouse in 1750.
In 1744 the bell tower that housed the bell from Newington England was struck by lightning and was in need of repairs. After repairing the steeple, it was struck repeatedly by lighting over the next few decades. This led to the town people deciding that the steeple was simply not meant to be. In 1803 the original bell from Newington England cracked after being struck by lighting. The Newington selectmen had it hauled down to Boston to be recast by bell maker Paul Revere. Upon receiving the bell Revere offered $210 and a different bell Revere had made for the church of Pembroke, MA. The bell that he had created for Pembroke, MA was too small but just the right size for Newington.
