Moments Project – The Town Hall
Town Hall (1855) Brattleboro Vermont.
In the 1800s the Connecticut River became a transportation highway as flat boats traveled the river. In 1849 the railroad came to Brattleboro. Main Street was becoming the commercial center of town.
At a special town meeting in West Brattleboro in 1854 voters decided a town hall would be constructed in the East Village. The construction cost was $15,000. Three businesses on Main Street were burned to make room for the new town hall.
The new Town Hall would have town meeting, offices, state conventions, concerts, theatrical shows, County Clerk’s Office, lawyers’ offices, bookstores, dry goods stores, the town library, and the post office.
In 1895 the Town Hall was renovated to include a Festival Hall and Opera House. It welcomed vaudeville acts, speakers, bands, and movies. In 1928 an estimated 1,500 people saw John Philip Sousa perform.
In 1953 the Town Hall on Main Street was razed and the land occupied by the building was converted into commercial space.
