Hampton Falls, New Hampshire: Beer Bottle on Church Steeple
An architectural fake bottle, much larger than life-size. An urban legend says it's a nod to the local brewer who paid for the church, while others say it's just a finial, no alcohol involved.
Hampton Falls First Baptist Church
- Address:
- 39 Lincoln Ave., Hampton Falls, NH
- Directions:
- I-95 exit 1, drive east on Hwy 107, then turn left (north) onto US Hwy 1/Lafayette Rd. Drive north about two miles into Hampton Falls, then turn left (just past the town common) onto Lincoln Ave. The Hampton Falls First Baptist Church is on the right.
- Phone:
- 603-926-3724
Visitor Tips and News About Beer Bottle on Church Steeple
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
The First Baptist Church of Hampton Falls, NH, has a beer bottle on top of the steeple. According to the locals: A brewery owner donated $50,000 to build the church with the condition that everyone was to know he donated it. The church, worrying about the morality of accepting money from such a sinful source, agreed.
Their solution? To place a beer bottle on top of the steeple.
When you see it there's no mistaking what it is. The clock face (of which there are 4, one on each side) says "memorial gift", though I don't know the story to that. There's an old interesting graveyard right up against the church.
[Tracy Hale, 07/23/2006]Nearby Offbeat Places
Memorial to a Witch, Hampton, NH - 2 mi.
Thorvald's Rock, Hampton, NH - 2 mi.
16-Foot-Tall Beach Santa, Hampton, NH - 3 mi.Latest Tips Across Roadside America
Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.
Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!
Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.
Oct. 2012: John Cressy advises "The bottle is an untrue legend. No local brewer ever gave a dime to the church. What looks like a bottle is actually an architectual finial.The church was founded by the Janvarin and Dodge families and was origianaly in a house near the falls." Actually, the strange MEMORIAL GIFT clock face is far more disturbing than the beer bottle! Look, it's already half past F....