Slideshow: The Oldest Town Hall Building in America
Only Pelham, Mass., can lay claim to having the oldest town hall in continuous use for town meetings.
Pelham is a classic hill town in western Massachusetts: pretty, quaint and growing once again after centuries of slow decline. Today, Pelham has a unique distinction: the oldest town hall (right) in continuous use. Pelham's congregational church (left) was constructed in 1839 and is now a museum. Photos by David Kidd.
The town hall was built in 1743 and has been used as a church, library and school, in addition to its role as a meeting house. Like many New England buildings, the hall has grown in size over the centuries to serve multiple purposes.
Pelham Hill Cemetery was laid out in 1739. According to the town's archivist, Robert Lord Keyes, only 10 percent of the stones are inscribed, the rest are simply markers. The earliest inscribed stone dates from 1748, but no one has been buried in the cemetery since the mid-nineteenth century.
The 267 year-old wooden structure needs constant upkeep and repair. During the recent town hall meeting, Pelham's Historical Commission requested an appropriation of $2,400 to evaluate the condition of the building's exterior in preparation for a much-needed painting.
The interior of the 267 year-old town hall, where meetings continue to be held today.
Updates to the town hall have been few and far between over nearly three centuries of use. The kitchen, last modernized in 1952.
The town hall's storage room. The room reflects centuries of thrifty living in Yankee New England: the town of Pelham throws nothing away, in case it may be needed again; nor do they replace the old with the new -- even when it comes to town halls.
An old ballot box, with hand crank and lock, inside the town hall's storage room.
The hall's second floor where church services were held along with town meetings. Today, the room is no longer used by the public because of accessibility issues.
The pews inside Pelham town hall.
The backside of Pelham's town hall pews were made from single, two-foot wide planks, and are covered with centuries of names, doodles and images, carved by town residents. The pews are thought to have been installed in 1766.
In 1895, the town installed a stage on the second floor of the town hall. According to town archivist Robert Lord Keyes (sitting), the stage helped turn the hall into the town's entertainment center for a time, attracting traveling entertainers who put on performances for the residents of the small hill town.
Click through the slideshow above to see how well Pelham's town hall has withstood centuries of use. Town meetings have been a fixture in New England since the first one was held in Dorchester, Mass., in 1633. But only Pelham can lay claim to having the oldest town hall in continuous use for town meetings. The wooden, two-story structure was built in 1743. For 267 years, Pelham residents have annually walked, ridden horses, driven in wagons or carriages -- and now, cars and trucks -- to the simple clapboard hall to discuss and vote on vital town issues.
To return to America's Oldest Town Hall Meeting, in the December 2010 issue of Governing, click here.
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