The Lothrop Memorial Building-G.A.R. Hall is an historic building located at 95 Washington Street in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

. It was originally built in 1888 as the First Presbyterian Church, on land purchased from

Marcus Morton Marcus Morton (1784 – February 6, 1864) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Taunton, Massachusetts. He served two terms as Governor of Massachusetts and several months as Acting Governor following the death in 1825 of Willia ...

, and now houses professional offices. It was for many years home to the William H. Bartlett GAR Post No. 3 of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, a veterans organization, which ran the building as a community center. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984.

Description and history

Lothrop Hall is located at the northeast corner of Washington and Governor Streets, a short way north of the Taunton's center. It is a two-story fieldstone building, adorned with a variety of Queen Anne style elements, including a wood latticework screen, brackets and ornamental balustrade on top of its square tower, which projects from the right front of the west-facing front facade. The building was erected in 1888 by the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, on land it had purchased from

, a prominent local jurist. The church was dissolved in 1903 amid financial difficulties, and the building was sold to Cyrus Lothrop. He donated it to the Massachusetts Veterans of the

(GAR), an organization of veterans of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was one of 210 GAR posts in Massachusetts.Library of Congress list of GAR posts in Massachusetts
/ref> The hall was used for many years as a site for social events and military remembrances. After standing vacant for some years, it was rehabilitated in 1983 for use as professional offices.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Taunton, Massachusetts Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Buildings and structures in Taunton, Massachusetts Massachusetts in the American Civil War 1888 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures completed in 1888

Description and history

See also

References