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Visitors to the Strawberry Festival
will also have the opportunity to see
one of the most historic buildings in
the area, constructed in 1875,
The building is now the home of
the Belleville Area Museum and
Historical Society and houses many
artifacts and treasures marking the
history of the city and Van Buren
Township. The building is still owned
by Van Buren Township and was the
first official town hall of the commu-
nity. In 1875, after official business of
the township had been conducted for
40 years in private homes, stores and
rented quarters, voters in the town-
ship agreed during the spring elec-
tion to erect a one-story brick town
hall.
The township leaders agreed to
appropriate $1,500 for the construc-
tion and Robert Patterson Clark,
William Crawford and Thomas Quirk
were appointed to oversee the proj-
ect, now located on Main Street in
what is downtownBelleville.
Members of the Belleville Grange
No. 331 requested permission from
the township officials to add a second
story onto the planned building to be
used for their meetings. The group
had been organized for about a year
and township voters approved the
proposal to double the size of the
town hall. The Grange donated the
brick and lumber for the construc-
tion.
Township business and Grange
meetings took place in the town hall
and continued even after the Village
of Belleville incorporated in 1905.
The Main Street building was no
longer part of Van Buren Township,
but now in Belleville. Nevertheless,
official township business and offices
See
Hall,
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Township Hall is part of area history
