Store, Grange Hall, Town Hall c.1910/2011

Store, Grange Hall, Town Hall c.1910/2011

Item Information

Title:
Store, Grange Hall, Town Hall c.1910/2011
Description:
This pair of images shows a corner of Richard F. Burke's General Store at left (now the Williamsburg General Store); the Williamsburg Center School (now the Grange Hall) at center; and the old Town Hall (now the Historical Society's museum, though the town still owns it) at right. The Grange purchased the disused school building from the town in 1925 and used it until 1950, when its radical transformation was begun. The first floor was removed and the second floor was lowered about a half story and opened up to serve as the main meeting room. A full basement was constructed beneath it for a dining room and a kitchen, the columned portico was added to the front, and a large section of the abandoned Methodist Church which had stood just up the street was added to the rear of the building to enable the provision of a stage. The remainder of the old Methodist Church was razed and its site was cleared and converted into a Soldiers' Memorial Park, and nearly all the work of the two-part project was done by volunteers. The project won first prize and an award of $3000 in a national Grange Community Service Competition, and the hall continues in active use today by many other community groups in addition to the Grange. The Historical Society has been permitted to use the old Town Hall since about 1970 to house its large collection of artifacts and documents, but the building now needs extensive costly rehabilitation, and at this writing there is considerable question about its future. The older image is a post card measuring 3.5 x 5.5 inches; the new one is digital and has not been printed.
Name on Item:
Photographer unknown/Eric Weber
Date:
[ca. 1910–2011]
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Williamsburg Historical Society
Collection (local):
Williamsburg, Mass., Historical Society, Historic Photographs Collection
Subjects:
Williamsburg (Mass.)
Williamsburg Grange
General stores--Massachusetts--Williamsburg
Schools--Massachusetts--Williamsburg
City halls--Massachusetts--Williamsburg
Williamsburg Historical Society
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampshire (county) > Williamsburg
Permalink:
https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/4j03db29r
Terms of Use:
Permission to publish the image must be obtained from the Williamsburg Historical Society by writing to ddarienzo@cwmars.org or Meekins@cwmars.org. The Williamsburg Historical Society, Williamsburg, Mass., must be credited as the original source of the item for all use.
Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English
Notes:
Part of the Williamsburg, Mass., Historical Society, Historic Photographs Collection.
Notes (date):
Item dated: c.1910/2011.
Identifier:
Williamsburg Historical Society--Historic Photographs Collection--Store, Grange Hall, Town Hall c.1910/2011
store_grange_town_hall