G.A.R. Hall 1904

G.A.R. Hall 1904

G.A.R. Hall in1904 THE THOMAS H. MARSHALL POST, No. 42, G.A.R., was organized in Belfast, June 7, 1881. In January, 1886, the Post first occupied old Phoenix Hall, and remained there until the destruction of the building by fire the following June. It then obtained quarters in a building on Main Street. For several years the Post made efforts to raise funds for a soldier's monument. Although the subscriptions were liberal, sufficient money was not obtained. Suggestions that a building combining accommodations for city purposes and a hall for memorials of those of our fellow citizens who had given their lives to the country, with quarters for the survivors of the great conflict, met with general favor. The Angier property having been purchased for $2450, the Washington Hall lot for $1500; and the Church Street store lot for $150, work was immediately commenced by Israel Wood Parker, contractor, according to plans made by Brigham & Spofford, of Boston, architects. The building was completed the following year. It is irregular in shape, two stories and a basement, with projections and a cupola. It has an unbroken front of fifty feet on High Street, and the same, irregularly, on Church Street. From one projection to the other it is sixty-nine feet and two inches. The building is of brick, with granite belting and terra-cotta finish. The interior is finished in ash and in the most substantial manner throughout. The basement is used for the fire department of the city. The first floor, with the entrance from Church Street, is occupied by the Belfast City Government, Police Court, and Treasurer's offices. The city government rooms are supplied with handsome furniture, each member having a table and chair. On the second floor is Memorial Hall, occupied by Thomas H. Marshall Post, the Sons of Veterans and the Ladies' Relief Corps. The cost of the whole was about $25,000. Currently (2016) the building is fully occupied by the City of Belfast.