One hundred and fifty years ago, a group of ladies from the Methodist Episcopal Church on Southport felt that their Sewing Circle needed a larger meeting place. The result was the “Union Hall.” The original structure, which had a stage at one end and a balcony at the other, forms the central portion of the current Southport Town Hall. A multipurpose building, it became the location for the annual town meeting in 1868 and has served that function admirably ever since! Southport purchased the building in1900, and it supplemented the small town office building which had been built in 1888 and was located next to it.

In the 1950s, Southport expanded the building by removing the balcony and adding the current East Wing. A few years later, the 1988 building was removed, and a new West Wing building was added providing a kitchen and selectmen’s office. The building is still known as “Union Hall” and the original sign from the balcony was refurbished and hung on the wall in 1955.

On March 7, at the annual Southport Town Meeting, the Friends of the Southport Historical Society will proudly present a permanent plaque to commemorate the sesquicentennial of Southport’s Union Hall. We hope to see you there!