February 15, 1972
At the February meeting, the Town Board voted to ask for bids for the removal of Memorial Hall. The demolition of the building was recommended by a committee appointed about a year ago. Few local residents realize this building was given as a memorial by Mary Ellen Latham Saunders in memory of her parents, John N. McIntyre, and his wife Elizabeth Hauver, and their children. The McIntyres were former Pine Plains residents. Mr. McIntyre was a superintendent at Evergreen Cemetery. A certificate of incorporation stated that the purpose for which it is formed are as follows: to build and maintain in the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, New York buildings to be used for the purpose of lodge meetings , lectures, concerts, banquets, fairs, celebrations, plays, entertainments, political meetings, religious meetings and public and private meetings of any kind permitted by law, and for public libraries, reading rooms, gymnasiums, and for the filing and storing and keeping of the records and papers and property of the town of Pine Plains and for any purpose deemed beneficial for the public and for any lodge, society, body, organization, church, club, or association of persons or corporation. In January of 1947, while still financially sound, the trustees offered the hall to the town of Pine Plains. The Town Board voted not to accept the hall. The deed was turned over to the Town Board April first, 1968, by the hall trustees at that time. A citizens committee on June second, 1969, had an architect give an opinion to the cost of – $160,000 to $200,000. Twenty-five years have taken their toll.
It is the consensus of many that the people and local organizations have only themselves to blame for the loss of the building. Instead of continuing to use the building for meetings and activities, various groups and churches left to provide their own facilities. Thus, financial support was lost. It was built with a big kitchen and dining room in the basement, a big two story auditorium and lodge rooms on the third floor. The masonic lodge and eastern star remained until several years ago. Movies have not been shown there for many years.
The donor had left a maintenance fund, but when the building was under construction, the third floor collapsed, and the court authorized the use of this fund to deal with this problem. Sad to report, a Delbert Shook, father of Harold Shook, Pine Plains, lost his life in this accident and Edward Schrowang had his legs broken. Mr. Shook was a workman on the building, Mr. Schrowang was an observer.
Memorial Hall was a large gift to the town and for many years the rallying place for many good times as many older residents may remember. The big brick building will soon be no more – a memorial for but 57 years.
This article was originally written by Eda Aroh, publisher of the Pine Plains Register-Herald