BELL HILL TOWN HOUSE
Construction began in March of 1905 and was finished by late November of that year on the authorization of the Board of Selectmen. Inside is a large room with matched boards on the walls and is no longer used (2005). With no running water, an interior "out-house" is still located within the building. A brick vault on the rear used to house vital records, but was replaced in 1999 with a new vault at the Town Office on State Route 121.
March 25,2005 AUGUSTA
- Four area buildings have been placed on the National Register
of Historic Places, according to Earle G. Shettleworth Jr.,
director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, whose
staff prepared the nominations.
The designation indicates that the property has been documented,
evaluated and considered worthy of preservation and protection as
part of the nation's cultural heritage.
The former Otisfield Town House is located on Bell Hill Road,
Otisfield, almost at the geographical center of the rural town in
the foothills of the White Mountains. The simple, but austere,
one-story, gable-fronted building with elements of Greek Revival
and Victorian-era stylistic detailing, was constructed in 1905 by
town officials to replace an earlier town house at the same
location. As in many towns, the wood-frame building functioned as
the location of town meetings, selectmen's quarters and polling.
In addition, it was utilized as a social and meeting hall through
the 1920s. Town meetings were held in the building until 1985
when they were moved to a new municipal building; voting
continued until November of 2002, when it was finally closed. The
Otisfield Town House was placed in the register for its
association with Otisfield's town government, and to a lesser
extent, its social history, throughout the 20th century.
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