Fun Facts about Easthampton's Old Town Hall
1. It took only one year to build Old Town Hall.
Built on local stone, the foundation is made of Mt. Tom sandstone from the quarry of J.L. Bassett, and of granite from the quarry of W. N. Flynt of Monson.
2. If these walls could talk!
The first Town Hall meetings were held where the first-floor performance space is now located. Originally, special events, balls, performances, and community gatherings were held on the second-floor large hall. Later the town meetings grew into the second floor.
3. Women were not allowed to attend and vote in Town Meetings until the 19th amendment was passed 50 years after the building was opened.
Today, the City of Easthampton is directed by a woman mayor and CitySpace, the organization that manages Old Town Hall, is a woman-led nonprofit.
Donate to Support the Old Town Hall Transformation
4. Before Emily Williston Memorial Library opened its doors on Park Street in 1881, a library was established in Town Hall.
The first Library Association of Easthampton was organized in 1792 by Reverend Payson Williston, Samuel Williston’s father. Later, Samuel Williston established the library on the first floor of Town Hall. Founding lifetime members paid $50 each to establish the library while members paid a dollar a year to check out books. That’s a little over $17 in 2019.
5. Architect Charles E. Parker of Boston specialized in City Halls and churches, overlapping in architectural style.
He designed Keene Town (City) Hall, Chicopee City Hall, Isaac Davis Monument in Acton, Massachusetts, First Congregational Church in North Adams, Massachusetts, and Eliot Church in Newton, Massachusetts… to name a few. Stonework throughout the structure is elaborate. Scarcely any two pedestals, or capitals of the numerous columns, are of the same style.
6. Old Town Hall is a memorial to the Civil War soldiers from Easthampton.
Those who fought in the Civil War and from Easthampton, are honored on the large marble tablet on the exterior of the building. Disabled soldiers were part of the dedication of the building procession — riding in carriages. The Soldiers’ Tablet cost $2000 (that’s over $36,000 in 2019). It is twelve feet in height. Additional plaques were added to the portico of the building for those who fought in the Spanish American War and WWII. Read the names on the marble tablet.
Learn about the Old Town Hall Transformation
7. Performances filled the second-floor hall from the beginning.
In 1869, fire codes were a little different compared to today’s standards. Opera singer Adelaide Phillips and eighteen members of the Germania Band of Boston performed for over 1100 people at the Town Hall dedication. Upon opening the building’s capacity could hold close to 1600 people on the second floor. Today, CitySpace is planning to restore the 2nd-floor space for a 350-seat audience.
8. How much did it cost to build Old Town Hall?
The cost of Old Town Hall was $65,000 (about $1.2 million in 2019). The Town Hall was built with consideration of the growing future population — in 1869, the population of Easthampton was about 3600 folks. Today, the population is about 16,000.
More about Old Town Hall
Over 150 years ago on June 29, 1869, the dedication of Old Town Hall occurred with blue skies above. The event was quite a to-do. At 1 p.m., a parade of bands, military representatives, and citizens processed from Shop Row to Park Street, from Park through Center, Union, High, Prospect, Pleasant and Main Streets to the Hall. If you can imagine, Main Street looked very different than with prominent Williston Seminary buildings across the street from the Hall. Samuel Williston the founder of the seminary, was named President over the day’s proceedings and kicked-off the dedication following the procession. Like so many other aspects of Easthampton, Williston was instrumental in making the historic Hall. His business partner Horatio Knight led the Building Committee that commenced with a small group then grew quickly until every interest of the town was represented. Hence subcommittees were formed (Easthampton still loves a subcommittee). That evening a concert by Miss Adelaide Phillips and eighteen members of the Germania Band of Boston was attended by 1100 people on the Second Floor.
In his address to the crowd, Hon. Ensign II. Kellogg said, “Easthampton is a perpetual monument to the value of a diversity of pursuit in a community.”
Easthampton’s Old Town Hall was opened and for over 130 years of use where town meetings were held, taxes were paid, and marriage certificates were filed. Now as a building held for arts and culture, CitySpace celebrates its history and look to its future as a place for the community to gather time and time again.
