Answer:
The local meetinghouse is, as the name suggests, a building or a group of buildings that has the purpose of serving for "meetings", whether it is to discuss local issues such as weather, rainfall, crops, etc, as well as to discuss local political and even relations (such as, if located near the border, relations with Native Americans, as well as European colonials that were located in the lands), as well as national politics. It is important to be able to keep up to date with local informations, locality and global trades, information regarding taxes, tariffs, and other governmental regulations, and a chance to catch up on local information and small talk within the community.