An exterior view of the old Bristol Town Hall along Highway C in Bristol Woods County Park.
Moving the old Bristol Town Hall to a village park was approved by the Bristol Village Board Monday.
The vote to allow the move of the building to Firemen’s Park across 198th from Village Hall and the Bristol Fire Department Station at no cost to the village was unanimous, said Trustee John McCabe, who has been leading the project.
The project will be funded by the The Bristol Wisconsin Historical Society Inc.
The concept of the move had earlier been approved by the village.
“This was a big step for us to secure a location to relocate the old town hall to,” McCabe said.
From a media release from the historical society about the move:
The society will restore the old town hall once it is relocated. It is the first town hall in Bristol and was used as a gathering place. The Bristol Wi. Historical Society will benefit the community and preserve our history for future generations. The hall will be used as a museum for educational purposes by schools, scouting organizations, and other community organizations, programs, and citizens that benefit from the learning experience of an original 1870’s town hall. It will get people involved through historic demonstrations like mock town hall meetings and restoring old artifacts. School children and their parents will learn about the area through visiting the hall. It can be used for other events like reunions, weddings, plays, holiday programs, 4H, HCE, scouts, and adds an historic meeting hall to the community.”
The building was constructed in 1870 and currently is inside Bristol Woods County Park along Highway C. The county uses the building for storage. Its current site is problematic for the above uses since it lacks electricity, parking and other modern necessities.
County officials have told McCabe they are willing to allow the move.
