Every town needs a Town Hall — where administrative work is carried out, perhaps where voting is held. Bennington, NH was incorporated in 1842, but the town lacked the appropriate civic structure until 1881. In the earliest days of Bennington, meetings were held in taverns, in private homes, or in a church. The largest and only church in town in 1843 was the Baptist Church, and that is where the first Town Meeting was held on January 13.

As the town increased in population and prosperity, the idea was proposed at Town Meeting to build a real Town Hall. It was put to a vote in 1844, ’49, ’50, ’54, ’56, and ’57 — but each time it was tabled or voted down. ‘Seems that becoming their own town was more expensive than people had thought it would be. After building bridges and roads and buying land for Sunnyside Cemetery, taxes went up and interest in new infrastructure went down.

The Civil War incurred more expenses for Bennington, so the project was put off. By the late 1860s, citizens began to be chagrined by their lack of a Town Hall. At the 1870 Town Meeting, only 35 of the 135 registered voters [all of them men] turned up for the discussions. Twenty-six of them voted ‘aye’ to set up a committee to look into building a Hall. The following July, a vote was held to see if the voters would approve $1,500. It passed, but was soon and often challenged. Finally, in March of 1871, the matter was decided: the people wanted a Town Hall, and they would pay to have it built.

A location at the East end of the main bridge near the center of the Village was chosen as the site. By September, the splendid building in the Italianate Style was open for business. It had cost $3,800. Part was paid by the town, part was paid by School Districts #1 and #2. More about that later…..

The next installment of the Bennington NH Historical Society Blog will be posted on February 16, 2026. If you click the Subscribe button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month – for free.