EARLY TOWN HALL

Inscription

EARLY TOWN HALL
CONSTRUCTED IN 1926 FOR
$2,150, LED BY W. SPARTA TOWN
SUPERVISOR RAY CHASEY. FIRST
TOWN BOARD MEETING HELD AT
THIS LOCATION OCT. 28, 1926.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2026

The Town of West Sparta, in Livingston County New York, was split from the neighboring Town of Sparta in 1846. Given the town’s small, and largely rural, population (numbering 1,619 according to the 1850 Census), local officials were content with holding town meetings in various ad hoc locations, such as churches, local schools, and private homes.

By 1885 the shortcomings of this arrangement had become apparent, and a committee was appointed by the Town Board to search for a suitable site for a dedicated town hall building. However, this effort seems to have fizzled out, because no site was identified until a little over four decades later, when, after a 1925 proposition put forth by the town’s Republican Caucus, the question was put to the voters, who approved a measure to purchase a site and build a new town hall in April 1926.

The Town acquired land for the project in August of that year, and in September Supervisor Ray Chasey was empowered by the Town Board to enter into a contract with Hughes and Moose, whose $2,150 bid had been accepted. Chasey then oversaw the project, purchasing fire insurance for the building and dispersing funds when necessary.

The first meeting in the new town hall was held on October 28, 1926. The Town Board passed a resolution to officially approve the structure for use as the West Sparta Town Hall and to authorize Supervisor Chasey to pay the remaining balance due for its construction.

While this was the first meeting held in the new building, its rooms still lacked many necessities, such as firewood and toiletries, so the Town Board chose to hold its next meeting at the Town Clerk’s office in Byersville. At the meeting, Supervisor Chasey was authorized to reimburse those who had purchased the items necessary for holding regular meetings at the new town hall. As of 2026, the original building is still used by the Town of West Sparta, alongside a major addition made in 2011.