THE STONE CHURCH

The Stone Church Music Club is a live music venue, restaurant, and bar at 5 Granite Street in Newmarket, NH, housed in a historic stone church built in 1832 atop Zion Hill. The venue has a capacity of approximately 185 standing or 90 seated. The space includes a main performance room, Althea's Lounge upstairs for smaller shows and comedy, and a full kitchen and bar.

The Stone Church programs live music nearly every night, spanning jam bands, reggae, rock, folk, Celtic, metal, Grateful Dead tributes, comedy, open mics, karaoke, trivia, and community jams. Over 15,000 shows have been performed at the venue since its founding. The club emphasizes a community-centered atmosphere with events like the weekly open mic hosted by Dave Ogden, Sunday Irish matinees, and a monthly Slow Cooker acoustic series.

The building was constructed in 1832 as a Universalist meeting house and later served as a Unitarian church, Catholic church, VFW hall, roller-skating rink, and shoe-assembly plant. A major fire in 1968 gutted the building. In 1970, three individuals — Rod Philbrick, John Williamson, and Arnet Taylor — purchased the burnt-out church and converted it into a live music venue. Notable past performers include Phish, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Parliament, Bela Fleck, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.