Union Hall

Union Hall, Greely Institute, Cumberland, Maine

In 1914, the Alumni Association bought the Union Hall building (previously an exhibition hall for the fair, a vestry for the Congregational Church, and the Red Men’s meeting space) to use as a gymnasium for Greely Institute.

In 1916, the kitchen was remodeled for the home economics cooking laboratory, and Lucille Clark started the first hot lunch program for schoolchildren in Cumberland. When Gyger Gymnasium was completed in 1939, the newly freed space at Union Hall was repurposed for a farmer’s workshop arranged by William Farwell, the agriculture teacher.

Dramatic Entertainment, Union Hall, Cumberland, Maine, 1886

In 1948, the building was refitted for a two-room junior high school. The foundation supports were replaced, the floor strengthened, the walls braced, and the ceiling was lowered. Partitions and closets were added, as well as a new heating system and toilets.

After 1961, it became the school cafeteria, was used as overflow classrooms, and served as the office of the Superintendent of Schools.