The history of the Arlington Hall in Whitefield, Maine is rich and long. A fixture in the town for over 130 years, the Arlington Hall building was imagined by the Erskine Post #24 Grand Army of the Republic, as posted in The Evening Journal on Thursday, February 21st, 1884:
“A Worthy Enterprise – Plucky Grange Army Post in Whitefield – Building a G.A.R. Hall and High School House.”
“……The upper story with anteroom will be used as a Grand Army hall. The lower story will be used for a free library and Free High school with suitable recitation rooms, and to be so arranged that at any time when occasion requires it may be thrown into one large room or hall.
…….It will cost about $100 to grade and furnish granite, which will be done by the veterans without expense. The estimated cost of the building is $1,500. About $400 more will be required from other sources to complete the proposed building. Let those from the surrounding towns who have the means “chip in” and contribute to the success of so laudable a measure.”
Upon completion of the building, the hall became a gathering place for the community. They also succeeded with their plans to make the hall a school that hosted many graduating classes. According to Charlie Miller, a longtime member, the blackboards are still under the paneling on the first floor! They never succeeded in establishing a library. The opening of the Whitefield Library completes Post #24’s vision of what the hall would provide to the community.
In 1918, the GAR sold the building to the Arlington Grange, named for Fred Arlington Naray, a civil war soldier from Whitefield. In 2015 the Arlington Grange celebrated its 100 year anniversary. Debbie Rogers, a long-time Grange member, wrote an informative article for the event.
The Arlington Hall is a stunning example of community gathering space at its finest. The lower level has a large working kitchen with a spacious main room. The second floor has an ante room with an entrance to the old balcony and two entrances to the main floor. The main floor has a wonderful stage with curved ceilings and antique lights covered by a suspended ceiling. Restored, this would be a wonderful place for music, plays, art and even dance. The hardwood floors are in wonderful shape. The original handmade benches line the Hall as if set in preparation for this next generation of community gatherings. There is much to preserve
