North Hampton Town Hall

Completed in 1844, this town hall became the first municipal building in North Hampton and was built mostly out of recovered items from older religious and civic buildings. The tower house atop the building houses the Revere Hall. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2013.

The town hall was built in 1844 as a way of providing needs for the city’s municipal needs. It was built at a different location rather than the one it is currently present at today and it was moved to 231 Atlantic Avenue in 1886. The building was a project by students of Winnacunnet High School in their senior year. The North Hampton Town Hall building is the first local government building in the city and a town vote in 1885 saw the building move closer to businesses and local activities. The land it sits on was purchased by John Leavitt at a cheap cost of $800 and the building was moved onto that land by Joseph A. Dearborn with the assistance of his oxen.

After the move, $1,500 was transferred and saved to put repairs on the building as well as add an additional 15 feet of space to the rear of the building. There was a garage for the fire department and a holding cell located in the basement. In 1892, the town’s first public library was built in the southwest corner of Town Hall. In 1899, ten horse stables were built behind the building. The Town Hall building has been used for a multitude of different events like formal dances, card parties, graduations, and theatrical performances. A clock tower was donated to the building by Joseph Oliver Hobbs, great-nephew and heir to Boston businessman John Fogg Hobbs, in 1920 and it was manufactured by E. Howard & Company of Boston. In the 1940s and 1950s, many basketball games would be played at this hall, and in 1958, a kitchen was inserted when additional space was added as well as indoor heating.

A researcher by the name of Kathy Shea did some research on the building and brought awareness to the need for repairs. In 2010, the town of North Hampton worked on the building modernizing it from its last appearance. It is now reserved only for municipal needs and acts as a voting place for elections. The North Hampton Town Hall was placed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2006 thanks to the research by Katie Shea and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It is the oldest standing building in the town staying up for more than 200 years.

“North Hampton City Hall, Rockingham County, New Hampshire,” National Park Service. Accessed May 17th 2021. https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/presmonth/2013/North_Hampton_Town_Hall.htm.

“North Hampton Town Hall,” New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. Accessed May 17th 2021. https://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/programs/state_reg_list_details.htm#northhamptonth.