Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-14
WAvERLEY HALL.
Interesting Story Of the
Old Building.
Was Built for Town Hall. Prob
ably in 1911.
Has Contributed Its Portion to the
History Of the City.

Among the numerous ole landmarks
OF Augusta. th.r- IS perhaps nom.
winch bears Il closer relation to the
history Of tn" town. The state ana even
| the na1ion, than the building which
bears the nam. of Waveli,.y hall. Til.
| building has undergone many and var
| i"d changes dGr.ng The past century,
| and little resembles The original. but
| much OF thu original material remains
| !" pear Mltn-sS To- events which haT-
hsid their influence IN The lives 81 in
| 'iNlduals, ana on the history Of the
PAST years.
Authorities differ rs TO the first Local
ron IF the building. but certain it is
| that Il VAS erected for 4 town han ana
| served that prrpoSr :ol over 80 wears.
| Orders Were issued for the erection o.
| town han IN I>ll and it is generally
| oeIlrVed that il vas fuit near the To-
| fa'l"n OF III" present Opera houS,
blocE. facing market square Without
| iouhi II was tn" seen" of many inter-
| sung town meetings" while located
| mere. and i is matter OF certainty
| nat the funeral of the PCrintnn fami.
| ~. who's" tra2ir end IS q matter of To-
cal history. vas held within It's walls.
Bat after j; had been in use for 3.
years. the ST.: was needed for a more
modern structare. and Il more. pretcn-
| tious building was dem2nded fo,. The
| ruhllc uses. Consequently the town hlll
| was sold at auction to 4 Stables. and
| moved in pieces to the lot on Winth1 on
| street known as the Anthony lot. Later.
ii WAS again moved. this time on roll
lers. 10 the present location. Of the Uni
EersallSt church. Alter atoms and a,ldi-
tons weIe ma'lh. and the building Civ
en- the name - Winthrop nall.
After it Went from public to private
ownership. the building had a chez ker-
eG career. AS Winthrop hall it was
| Il popular resor: for dances. and the
only place in tcWn for Shows" At one
time during the wlr the building was
occupied as an army hospital
Later. one sam Brown appeared. who
remoGeilcd ;hc hall into what was then
| q first class theatre. and j, was at this
time that it acquired he name of Way
| erlcN hall For Il long time il flourish
Cd successfully. until the building Of
Granite hall practically rut an end to
its gay career. but many are the Incl
| '"ntS which are related Of scenes with
in the hall during its palrly days.
one of the uses TO which the hall was
put was substitute for the court
house. During the bhildirg Of the new
edifi'e. the trial Of The celebrated Bon
ney. the counte"fcitcr. vas held in
| WaNri Hey hail. Cyrus W. King a son
| 4 the first "nvtrno" Of the State was
somewhat Of IN artist and conducted
q drawing school i'll tn CID hail. He al
| 50 painted Il panorama view of the
| kenn"bec river, valley. AMI put it on
exhibition in the han. When the Sol
| dierS' HON" III FOCUS was burned. the
entire buildin" was fitted up to se!vn
as barracks anG there were sounds of
revelry by night when the new quar-
t"rs were being filled.
| But 4 better memory which HANGS
around the old building is that of its
| furnishing a home for the Augusta
| LyCeum Association. the Augusta Dra-
| matte and the Dial N,tiC Clubs. Nnder
The auspices Of the former many an
able and uplifting lecture was listened
| to by the people Of the town. for the
Lyceum was one Of the leading educa-
| tional institutions Of the time in all
| parts Of the country.
The dramati" clubs furnished train.
| ing 3S well as entertainment for the
young people who made ur the mem
i"rship. ana 1T least one Of those who
contributed to the success of the clubs
has since risen to position of honor
md influence in the nation. The one
referred to is none ether than Melville
w. Fuller. now chic: justice Of the
United States supreme court. and in
his younger ,lavs president of the Au.
@usta nialectic Club
lii the political arena. also. the old
hall has had its place many of Ameri- |
cas- celebrated men whose names will |
always be a part Of the nations history
living spoken from the Platform Of the |
han. The "dianified" Polk Wendell |
Phillips and Horace Greedy here pre- |
Scntcd their opinions to the citizens Of |
Augusta. AMI by no means least of all, |
the only +. r. Rarndm presented the |
celebrated Tom Thumb to the Won
Gerirg gaze o. the crowds. Eut beyond |
all this il is Claimed by those who |
scould kllow. that tie gre It Republican |
party was practically born in Waiver
l'y hlll.
Prominent among Maine men who
have Deen heard from This platform are
Lot NJ and Ans4n P. Morrill, and John
l.. Stevens. who was popularity known |
as the Oxford hear and who is vivid
~ remembered by all who We're prvil-
cg,d to hear him speak.
The meetings End conventions which
have been he'll in the hall are too num-
crous to be ch~nniclrd. but one i'm par
t;cul1r is recalled wien the Casco En-
CINE 60. Of Portland met with and va;
entertained BY Tie Atlantic Go. Of Au-
euSta. In those days the fire companies
ere made I'D OF tho leading citizens
If The towns. practice that makes the
BUSINESS man Of today smile and Won
her where they found tn" time
But the OLD hall was doomed to be