Bremen, Maine - Lucky 7 on Waymarking.com

View waymark gallery

Bremen, Maine

in Lucky 7

Posted by:  T0SHEA

19T E 466244 N 4873554

Town Hall, meeting place, community hall, library, fraternal hall and school - this building has done it all in its nearly century and a half of life.

Settled largely by German immigrants, Bremen developed as a farming and fishing community. On February 19, 1828, the town was incorporated and named after Bremen, Germany. Spread out over a large area of forest and small farms, it takes in the villages of Broad Cove, Turners Corner, Bremen, Medomak and Muscongus, as well as Hog Island, a center and the Maine chapter of the National Audubon Society. Stretching along the west side of Muscongus Bay, it has a sizeable lobstering and clamming industry, with tourism being economically important, as well. The present population is somewhere just north of 800.

The much less venerable and less interesting town hall is now 1.7 miles north of the old town house on the east side of Waldoboro Road, as is the Bremen Public Library.

The old town hall, known as the "Town House", was originally built in 1874 as a meeting place for the Good Templars, an international temperance organization. It was initially contemplated that the town would use the lower floor for town meetings and business. This came to pass in 1877, with the town renting the building for $12 (we assume per year). In 1884 the building was deeded to the town, which still owns the building.

In the intervening years the building was used, in part, as a library from 1944 to 1954, a 4th grade classroom from 1954 to 1959 and the Bremen Town Hall until 1959. When the town vacated the the building it leased it to the Patriotic Club, which continues to use the building to this day. From about 1884 until 1910 the Ocean Grange held its meetings and community events here.

In 1938 the building was expanded, with the wing on the south of the building being paid for with funds raised by the Patriotic Club. The 1938 wing is, in its design and finish, essentially a perfect match to the original 1874 building.

Immediately south of the Town House is the Bremen Fire Hall and about 300 metres north is the Bremen Union Church, the Bremen Civil War memorial and the Bremen Cemetery.

Erected in 1874 and enlarged in 1938, the (Former) Bremen Town Hall is a two-story vernacular frame building that has played an important role in the community's history as a meeting hall for a number of organizations. Originally constructed for the Good Templars, an international temperance organization, the building began to be used in part for town meetings beginning in 1877. It is still owned by the town, but has been leased to the Patriotic Club since 1959.

By the time the original portion of the town hall was constructed, the town's population was already in decline (by 1930 there were 322 residents, a figure which has doubled since then). Nonetheless, the membership and activities of the Good Templars apparently warranted the erection of a suitable meeting hall. It may be that the original expectation was that the town would utilize the first floor for town meetings, but it was not until 1877 that the first such meeting took place here. At that time the town rented the meeting space for $12. In 1884 the Good Templars deeded the building to the town which continued to use it for governmental functions until 1959. The Patriotic Club raised the funds to add the wing in 1938 -- primarily for the purpose of improving the second floor kitchen facilities ~ and with the establishment of a town library in 1944, a portion of the first floor meeting space was partitioned off for the collection. The library remained here until 1954 when it was moved to larger quarters. Throughout this period, the upper floor was used for a variety of purposes. Sometime after 1884 and until 1910, the Ocean Grange held its meetings and community events in this space, which contained a kitchen (subsequently relocated to the wing). Thereafter, it hosted a number of local events such as public suppers, shows, Red Cross training, Vacation Bible School, rummage sales, and Silver Teas. Between 1954 and 1959 it was also used as a classroom for 4th grade students. Since town government vacated the building, it has been leased to the Patriotic Club which continues to maintain the former town hall and make it available for public functions.

In small rural towns such as those found throughout Maine, it is not uncommon for a building like the (former) Bremen Town Hall to be the focal point of community events and activities. Sometimes, there may be several historic buildings that have fulfilled this role, such as church parish halls, grange halls, or perhaps the town hall. In Bremen, the events which have defined its social and governmental history have been largely centered in this building. For this reason, the old town hall, now known as the Bremen Town House, is an important local landmark.
From the NRHP Nomination Form