Palermo Community Hall
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Text
- Item Type
- Documents
- Description
- The community of Palermo started as early as 1806. By 1835, the town had developed enough to boast its own post office, churches, schools, stores, blacksmith and surrounding mixed farming. The active community started the Palermo Sons of Temperance in 1850 and this group was the genus of the community hall.
The last "Palermo Public Hall Corporation" building (as the hall was legally called) was built in 1912 on Lot 31, 1st Con SDS. The building was totally funded by the people of Palermo and the events held in it - no government money aided the Hall. The Hall saw many social, sporting, political, religious events over the next 61 years.
In 1973, the building was demolished to widen Bronte Road.
When the cornerstone of the demolished building was lifted, it held a surprise. On the back of the stone, it was carved with the death date and misspelled name of Mary Inglehart. The Tweedsmuir History scrapbook has a newspaper clipping about this, as people thought that the stonemason's error ("Ingelhart") meant he had to redo the gravestone for the family, so his shop later used the stone for a purpose where the error was not likely to be seen.
In the Hall, a plaque honoured Mr. Henry Heeks and another was a Trafalgar War Memorial Plaque. A commemorative "WWII Honor Roll of Palermo Volunteers" also hung in the Hall. Another plaque was prepared, perhaps to be used in a gazebo commemorating the Hall, and it says, "This building erected from the proceeds of Palermo Community Hall 1912 - 1974". As well, the flag pole of the Hall, which was erected in memory of Dr. Anson Buck, is visible in this photograph by the window on the left. All of these items are now displayed in the collection of the Trafalgar Township Historical Society at the old, one-room schoolhouse in Palermo and photographic records of them can be found by searching further in this online collection. - Notes
- Information here has been taken from the Nelson Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History in which Palermo is covered in Book III, pages 41-87, which was prepared sometime about 1960. Also from the writing and documents in the collection of the Trafalgar Township Historical Society. A photograph of the Hall built in 1912 and demolished in 1973 is also linked here for your further information.
- Inscriptions
- This is Palermo’s Community Hall, an outgrowth of the former Temperance Hall, the scene of many literary efforts. This was erected by the people of Palermo who take great pride in their achievement. It is situated just off the corner on the Station Road. (Note: "the Station Road" was Bronte, going south to the railway.)
- Subject(s)
- Local identifier
- OIKW0175
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.43341 Longitude: -79.78293
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- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Recommended Citation
- Palermo Community Hall
- Contact
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Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
