The New Salem Town Hall was built in 1937-1939 as a Works Progress Administration project with a matching grant from the Millington Village Improvement Society. The money for the match came from the sale of Moore Hall in the lost New Salem village of Millington, when it was bought by the Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission as one of properties taken for the creation of the Quabbin Reser
voir. After a decision in Massachusetts Superior Court, the money from the sale of Moore Hall was allowed to be used for the construction of the Town Hall, provided it include a public hall, according to the provisions of the will of Lyman E. Moore of Millington bequeathed money for the construction of a public hall for all residents of Millington and the town of New Salem, to be used without cost to residents, to be maintained and kept well-insured. Moore Hall and the Town Hall Auditorium have been New Salem's only year round public halls for social, recreational, cultural, educational, and commercial events in New Salem. These uses were essential factors in New Salem's growth and development, allowing residents to form meaningful community connections, and to engage in and raise money for all kinds of projects and programs. This page is meant to be both a celebration of the New Salem Town Hall history and as a forum for discussion about its present day development.
