The 1791 Meeting House is not the first meeting house built in Ashburnham.

The first Meeting House was constructed circa 1739 on Meeting House Hill (the intersection on Cushing Street and Hastings Road) while the area was still considered a settlement. Safety concerns over King George’s War (1744–1748) the third of four French and Indian Wars, caused abandonment of the area leaving the building unfinished and unused. Upon the return to the settlement about 1752, the inhabitants voted to repair and finish the building for use as a meeting house of worship. In 1765, Ashburnham was incorporated, and its inhabitants came into possession and control of this first meeting house. The inhabitants of Ashburnham unanimously supported the Meeting House to serve both the citizens of the town and the members of the church, including a tax assessed upon all for the support of the ministry.

Throughout the Revolutionary War the population of the town grew and with every available space in the current meeting house being used, it was determined that a larger more accommodating Meeting House should be built. This second meeting house was completed November 4, 1791, and served as a meeting house for worship and a secular meeting house until 1824. Some discord developed over the combined use of the meeting hall and the tax money supporting these uses. The town decided to separate its secular and sacred responsibilities.

The 1791 Meeting House was removed from Meeting House Hill to its current location, 79 Main Street in 1836. It served as the Ashburnham Town Hall until 1905, when it was replaced with the Fairbanks Memorial Hall dedicated June 7, 1905.

In the 1960’s, the Town of Ashburnham sold the 1791 Meeting House to the Ashburnham Historical Society for $1. The Ashburnham Historical Society officially opened the 1791 Meeting House Museum to the public in 1964. to showcase its collections of artifacts and exhibits and host its many programs.

The Meeting House Museum is open to the public on Saturday mornings 10am-1pm from April through October.