General 5 — Mendon Town Hall Campus Green Guide

The Mendon Town Hall c. 1840 (Harrison Hall), Union Chapel c. 1896 (became the Taft Public Library in 1919) and Fire Station c. 1950 (now the new Mendon Police Station) represent the cherished hamlet of the community of Mendon.

Prior to the construction of Harrison Hall in 1840 this village center drew residents from nearby and distant farmlands to congregate for goods, supplies, mail, religious gatherings and civic meetings. In the village center was a blacksmith shop, a harness shop, a boot and shoe shop, a bakery, several taverns, a bank, churches and a law office. Some came on foot, some by wagon and others by horse to gather here.

c. 1947 Post Office and Steere and Brown Grocery at 1 Maple Street

c. 1930 Postcard Image Taft Public Library

c. 1910 Union Chapel (Taft Public Library 1919-2014, currently town offices) and c. 1840 Town Hall (the outside front stairs of the Town Hall were removed in 1929).

c. 1906 Steere and Brown Groceries Grains and Provisions at 1 Maple Street

Town Hall

Mendon’s Town Hall is one of the most significant buildings in the Center Historic District. Built in 1840, this Greek Revival Style structure represented the prosperity of Mendon’s Golden Age. Silas Dudley, a prosperous gentleman farmer, donated the land on which it was built.

A building committee was formed and presented a proposal to the Town. The original plans presented by local builder William T. Metcalf and designed by his brother Dr. John Metcalf, amateur architect, physician and author of the Annals of Mendon was approved but later dismissed for a plan submitted by Silas Dudley who presented the Town with a partnership offering. In his proposal Mr. Dudley would retain ownership of the second floor and the land. The first floor would be owned by the town and used as a school. In his proposal was the agreement that the district could use the hall free of charge for lectures, meetings and other educational purposes.

Mendon’s first town meeting was held there in 1844 and in 1849, the town purchased the building and renamed it Mendon Town Hall. The second floor became Mendon High School from 1868 to 1903.

c. 1948 The new Mendon Fire Station (in 2020 the new Police Station). Kids lined up for a bike inspection c. 1950.

Union Chapel

The Union Chapel was built in 1896. This congregation was active until 1914. At this time the use of the building had dwindled. In honor of her husband Arthur Taft, an avid reader, Rosa George Taft purchased the building in 1919 and donated it to the Town. In addition, she added a significant sum of money for the renovation and maintenance of the building.

Susan Lee Houston was the younger half-sister of William Putnam Taft. He was a literary inspiration to Susan. Countless hours were spent between the two of them discussing books. At the end of his life he set aside money to establish a library in his childhood hometown of Mendon.

Although he was unable to complete his final will, Susan saw to it that his wishes were realized and took her inheritance from William and donated it to establish the first town library located at 3 Main Street. The only stipulation was it be named in memory of her brother. Following Rosa Taft’s purchase of the Union Chapel the library collection was moved to the Union Chapel and renamed the Taft Public Library in 1919. The library relocated in 2016 to North Avenue.

Fire Station

The Fire Station built in c. 1950 completed the municipal services in the village center. The original fire apparatus was located next to the blacksmith shop in the campus area. Deciding that a permanent structure was needed the town appropriated the funds to build the Mendon Fire Station next to the Town Hall in 1950. An addition of a Police Station behind the Town Hall in the 1980’s allowed public safety to remain in close proximity to the village center.

A new Fire Station was built at 8 Morrison Drive in 2008. In 2017, voters approved a plan to adapt the former Fire Station and repurpose the structure to serve as the new Police Station.

Crowd gathers for Memorial Day Parade in 2017

Mendon Today

Today Mendon’s Village Center remains a remarkably well-preserved New England Hilltop Community. The open fields behind these buildings slope down to the Valley of Muddy Brook. The village center sits adjacent to the historical George Homestead and Farm built in the early 1800’s preserving a sweeping vista reminiscent of the farming community that was a hallmark of the town’s agricultural roots.

This area and its historic structures were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. They became part of the Mendon Center Historic District in 2017.

People in the community have supported many efforts to preserve what they value about their community. The MVP Grant awarded in 2021 along with funding provided by the voters of Mendon will make improvements to the Town Hall Campus Village Center. Along with preserving the natural characteristics by reintroducing green space, we are able to employ sustainable design and environmental practices that will ensure the site is both attractive as well as functional for generations to come.

The Town Hall Campus lies in the Mendon Village Center Historic District. The new Mendon Police Station, completed in 2020, can be seen on the right. The old brick fire station was preserved and adaptively repurposed and expanded to accommodate the new Mendon Police Station and facilities. Photo credit: Officer Nicholas Erskine.

We are honored to support this initiative to adapt and restore the Mendon’s Town Hall Campus landscape. Few towns can remark today that a trip to the Town Hall can include a chance to sit, relax, chat with a cow and enjoy the natural historic setting that dates back hundreds of years. We hope that this project will highlight the value of our community center and demonstrate how environmentally sound practices can enhance our daily lives.

— Mendon Historical Commission

Thank you to Richard Grady, Mendon’s Town Historian, who has collected much of the historical information on this page.