The pictures above show the library when it was located in the town hall. It was there until the Bancroft Memorial Library opened in 1899.
The pictures above all show the town hall with a decorative iron-work grating on the roof. In the one below, taken in 1919, it’s gone. It was almost certainly taken down and contributed to the scrap iron collections that were being done during World War I. The picture below shows the town hall decorated for an event to welcome home the servicemen who had served during the war. To the right of the town hall, you can see the honor roll that had been placed there with their names on it.
Below are just a few of the hundreds of articles that appeared in the Milford newspapers over the years for various functions held at the town hall.
Norm Handley, shown above, opened the Town Hall Spa in 1940, and there has been a restaurant there since then. Click on the picture to go to a page of Norm’s son’s memories of the Spa.
The post office was located in the town hall from 1912 until 1964. In that year, it moved to the building next to the town hall, where it is now. Click on picture to go to a history of the Hopedale Post Office.
The Hopedale Town Hall was built by George Draper in 1887, the year after Hopedale separated from Milford.
In addition to town meetings, the town hall served for many other uses. High school basketball was played there until the Draper Gym opened. High school plays, usually to raise money for the annual Washington trip, plays performed by various other groups, musical performances, and minstrel shows were held there. On the first floor, there was a dentist office, a barber shop, the post office, and as there still is, a restaurant.
For many years the police station was in the basement on the Depot Street side. I hope in time a few photos may turn up showing some of these activities.