Happy Birthday to Zachary Harris on December 14. At this time we
also offer Happy Birthday wishes to Richard Millette and Jordan
Davison whose birthdays fall on December 24.
Chichester Grange will meet on Wednesday, December 21, at 7 pm on
the first floor of the Grange Hall. This is the annual Christmas
program. We hope to see Grangers there who are unable to attend the
meetings held upstairs.
Thanks to Jaan Luikmil and his family the lights are on the tree at
Carpenter Park. Thanks also to the Harkness family for providing the
electricity to keep the tree lighted a few hours each evening during
the Christmas season. There will definitely be no official
"lighting" this year. If you miss it, speak to Carol Frekey-Harkness
when you see her, and we will see what can be done next year.
Out Of Your Attic Thrift Shop News
Submitted By Carol Hendee
Donations are being received daily, allowing our inventory to change
daily.
We have 2 nice ironing boards, exersaucer, jogging stroller, a nice
selection of winter socks for women, men and children, and heavier
tights for girls. Winter hats and gloves are coming in and going out
daily. There is Christmas wrapping paper for $.25 a roll! Rags for
sale for $.50 a big bag.
We can use a helper to take yellow bags (ripped, torn, stained
clothing) to the Yellow Planet Aid boxes.
Our last ½ price sale for the year will be Thursday, December 22nd.
Everything in the store is marked ½ off. VCR tapes for the kids
vacation days are $.25 and cassette tapes are also $.25; DVDs are
$1.00 (speaking of which, we could use donations of DVDs as they
sell out quickly.)
Stop by Mon. 8-12, Tues. and Thurs. 8-4, Wed. 11-4, Sat. 10-4 on Rte
28, Chichester, near the Pittsfield line. You can call us at
247-7191 or 707-7577 or visit the website for
babythreadsofnh.com
and you can see Out of Your Attic news as well as Baby Threads
happenings! The Attic is a major fund raiser for Baby Threads!
Chichester Historical Society Town Hall Transition
Submitted By Walter Sanborn
In the early years there was a small budget and only several warrant
articles to be acted upon so they were done at 2 pm while the polls
were open. By 1973 the town had grown so that the budget and warrant
articles took so much time that the polls closed at 6 pm and the
business meeting opened at 7 pm. In the 1980s voting was done at the
town hall on Tuesday of town meeting and because of increased
attendance and time involved the meeting was adjourned until the
following Saturday at the Grange Hall.
Later town meeting was moved to the Grange Hall and temporary booths
installed for voting on Tuesday and the meeting adjourned to the
following Saturday for the budget and warrant articles to be acted
upon.
In 1926 electricity was installed in the town hall and in 1930 the
driveway in front of the hall was tarred. After the hall was moved
back and basement built in 1956, a furnace was installed in the
basement for heating and all the old stoves removed. A well was dug
and an electric pump and toilet installed.
The upstairs room used by the militia was now used as the library.
In the early 1980s the town clerk’s office and police department
were situated in the small room used by the selectmen.
In 1980 the Chichester Grange turned the Grange Hall building over
to the town of Chichester for future use as a town hall. During the
next few years the town rebuilt the basement under the Grange Hall
and constructed the town offices in the basement level of the Grange
Hall which I will describe in a future article. In 1993 the town
moved its town offices to the new town hall in the Grange Hall.
When the Grange gave the title of the hall to the town there was a
stipulation that the Grange could use the upstairs meeting hall as
long as the Chichester Grange was in existence. Today many of us
older people refer to the building as the Grange Hall. You may
notice the old sign on the front still remains in place and a new
sign Town Hall has been erected as it is also now the new Town Hall
so both signs remain in place.
When the town moved all its offices and town meetings into the new
Town and Grange Hall the old town hall was given over completely to
the library and is now the Chichester Library.
Accompanying this article is a picture of the old town hall before
it was moved back and erected on the new basement in 1956. The
building showing on the back of the town hall was the old hearse
house which was removed and the old hearse was sold.
My next article will be Phase 3 of the Old Meetinghouse the Town
Library.
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