The History of Falmouth Town Hall

While some may argue about what makes the heart of a community, it is an indisputable fact that there is one central location where the necessary business of the town is conducted. In the case of Falmouth, that location is , which is located downtown close to the Odd Fellows Hall, another well-known Falmouth landmark.

Just how long has Falmouth had a Town Hall, though? It is a question with an uncertain answer, as there is no mention of any sort of government seat in Falmouth until 1703, in a work order that mentions paying out money for supplies to build a “town-house.” Whatever this structure was, its tenure as the most important civic structure in town came to a close in 1715, when the Town Council decided to construct a newer meeting house to be used for public worship and as a place for town-wide meetings. Based on historical records and archaeological evidence, it is believed that this new meeting place adjoined, at least partially, the Old Town Cemetery. Stones have been uncovered at the cemetery, far underneath the topmost layer, which suggests that they were building material for the Hall.

The next mention of a Town Hall came in 1749, when the placement of this structure moved from the outlying areas over to Main Street. While this site has remained the chosen location for Town Hall, it was not always in the same spot, or indeed even the same building. During the 19th century, for example, Town Hall was found on the north side of Main Street, where a dental office also resided. That particular building was eventually relocated to Depot Avenue after another Town Hall was constructed in a more easterly direction, and it was eventually demolished in 1970.

The most recent predecessor to the current Town Hall was built in 1881, and it served a variety of purposes. A wide hall was centrally located in the building, and took much of the building's frontage. Offices were arranged in rows on either side, and the also made use of the ground floor space for itself until it received a home of its own in 1903. An auditorium was built for town meetings, shows by traveling musicians, dances and other public entertainments. This part of the building was accessible by a grand staircase, which was removed in 1915. The Falmouth National Guard also used the auditorium for its drills until the armory was built.

This structure finally fell by the wayside in 1966, when it proved no longer adequate for the town's needs, and was demolished and replaced by the familiar structure that we now know well. The total cost of the building was $360,000 (roughly $2 million in today's money) which was paid for entirely by treasury funds and donations. The land the current Town Hall rests on had initially been bought as a site for the village school and the Ellis M. Lewis Park, and it featured tennis courts.