History of the Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall began its service to the community on January 1, 1775, as the third meetinghouse of the First Ecclesiastical Society.  Only a year later Enfield’s Minutemen were attending services in the building when Captain Abbey used his famous drum to announce the outbreak of war at Concord and Lexington.  

By 1848 overcrowding led to plans to abandon the building.  Fortunately, a local businessman, Orrin Thompson, founder of Enfield’s carpet industry, provided funds to save the building and convert it into a town hall.  The building was greatly modified at this time; the steeple was removed, a front portico was added, and the balcony was converted into a second floor.  In the years that followed, the Old Town Hall hosted political rallies, elections, town meetings, and social events.  

In 1892 a new town hall was constructed.  The Old Town Hall was not abandoned however and still served the town in a variety of roles, most interestingly perhaps as a fire station.  One of the town’s earliest motorized fire trucks was parked inside the building.  A hose tower was constructed within the building and used to dry the fire hoses, which at that time were made of materials that would rot if not dried between uses.  The hose tower is still visible inside the building today.  Despite this and other uses, the Old Town Hall began to suffer from neglect.  

Many lean years passed before the Enfield Town Hall Community Association came to the aid of the Old Town Hall in 1923.  Through the efforts of that civic group and the Penelope Terry Abbey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution the building was renovated and opened as a community house.  For three decades the Old Town Hall was alive with club meetings, movies, dances, and parties of all kinds.  However, during this period maintenance was again poor and the building fell into serious disrepair.  In 1964 the building was condemned.  The end was very near.

Several years of marginally successful attempts to save the building served only to delay demolition.  Finally, in 1972, the Enfield Historical Society was able to begin complete restoration of the Old Town Hall.  In 1974 the Old Town Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Eight years of hard work and meticulous attention to detail went into the restoration effort.  On September 27, 1980, the building was opened for public inspection.  The following year the Old Town Hall Museum opened for regular business.

Today, the Old Town Hall is a fitting home for a museum of Enfield history, having been a part of our town’s history for nearly 250 years.  

The Old Town Hall Virtual Museum

History of The Old Town Hall

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Enfield in the Revolutionary War

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Farming

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Jonathan Edwards

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Made in Enfield

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The Carpet Industry

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The Civil War

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The Enfield Shakers

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The Gunpowder Industry

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The Settling of Enfield

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