[MassHistPres] old town halls

[John Worden]

A particularly interesting case of mixed use can be found in Lynnfield.  In 
1714 a meeting house was built for the north parish of Lynn.  Lynn Town 
Meetings rotated through the various parishes, and thus were sometimes held 
there.  In 1782 Lynn End was set off as a separate town, Lynnfield.  The 
meeting house was enlarged (by cutting in half and inserting a new section 
in the middle) and used, of course, for both public and religious purposes. 
When the church was disestablished in 1832, the building was divided 
horizontally, with the church upstairs and the town hall downstairs.  The 
church moved out and built their own edifice at some point, but the old 
meeting house was used as a town hall  until 1892 when a new separate town 
hall was built.  Thereafter it was  used as a school, library, & fire 
station (sequentially) until 1960, when it was restored to its 1836 
appearance and is now used as a function hall and meeting place for the 
Lynnfield Historical Society.

J. Worden
Arlington HDC