Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Wakefield Town Hall, Main Street at Water Street, 1893

Description

"Cyrus Wakefield, for whom the Town is named, generously donated land and money to build a Town Hall and a fitting monument to South Reading soldiers. Because of his generosity and his service to the community, the Town changed its name from South Reading to Wakefield on July 4th, 1868. The Town Hall was completed and deeded to the Town on February 22, 1871. It was described in 1885 as 'ranking first in beauty, as well as in seating and stage accommodations. The seating capacity is 1164 divided as follows: floor 704, and galleries, 460. Memorial Hall, situated in the northeast corner of the same building, on the first floor, is handsomely and appropriately furnished. This hall contains marble tablets, encased in a black walnut finish, on which are inscribed the names of those honored soldiers of Wakefield who died victims of the Great Rebellion.' As pictured in 1893, the Town Hall was adorned with flags and buntings on the 25th anniversary of the changing of the Town's name, as were most public buildings. The Town Hall was demolished in 1958 after a fire occurred in December, 1950." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2001

Photo courtesy of Wakefield Historical Society.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

ca. 1893

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

Wakefield, Mass. : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Town Hall (Wakefield, Mass.)

City halls

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

26 x 21 cm.