Scarborough Historical Society & Museum applies for Alger Hall lease

Alger Hall, Dunstan Grange courtesy photo/Collections of the Scarborough Historical Society

The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum has formally applied to lease Alger Hall, a town-owned building situated at 649 U.S. Route 1 in Dunstan. Linda McLoon, representing the historical society, said they notified Scarborough’s Town Council and Town Manager Tom Hall of their intention.

Alger Hall itself has a significant history, dating back to the 1800s when it served as a meeting hall for the Independent Order of Good Templars. It later became the venue for classes of the original Scarborough Free High School in 1878. Over the years, it changed hands and purposes, eventually being sold to the town in 2020.

As part of its mission to preserve and share Scarborough’s rich history, McLoon said, the society aims to secure Alger Hall to address current space constraints. Presently, monthly historical presentations are held at the Scarborough Public Library, but due to fire regulations, attendance is limited, often resulting in people being turned away. Alger Hall, with its larger capacity, could become an ideal venue for these historical presentations, she said.

“In Alger Hall’s largest room, where meetings and Dunstan Grange suppers were held for many years, the society would at last have a place to present its programs,” McLoon said. The move would be a solution to the challenges posed by the lack of adequate space in the society’s building.

Since its founding in 1961, the Scarborough Historical Society & Museum has been a repository for artifacts and documents relating to the history of Scarborough and its people. McLoon said more space is needed.

“Its collections are bulging at the seams and more space is desperately needed,” said McLoon. Alger Hall is a viable option, she said, to provide additional storage and office space, enabling the society to expand its exhibits, that include items like bog shoes and Civil War artifacts, offering a comprehensive narrative of Scarborough’s past.

“Alger Hall’s significant historical past should be preserved and any necessary improvements to the building made while at the same time respecting its heritage,” McLoon said. The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum’s request to lease Alger Hall is grounded in its commitment to better serve the community by utilizing the building’s ideal location and historical significance, she said.

The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum is not the only organization interested in leasing the hall from the town.
The Scarborough Land Trust has also expressed interested in leasing Alger Hall, and recently went before the Scarborough Town Council to make its case.

SLT Executive Director Andrew Mackie said his organization would like to lease Alger Hall and use it as a conservation hub.

“We see this as a long-term partnership with the town,” he said. “This building will be a conservation hub for Scarborough. It will become a place where people can come and connect to the natural world to learn more about it. We will have programs here. We will have meetings here. We’ll have our office space and storage here. But there will also be another avenue, it will be a place that someone can just stop in and learn more about the natural resources of Scarborough whether it’s the Scarborough Marsh, trails, hunting opportunities, whatever it is, we hope to have that possibility here of really informing and educating not only the residents of Scarborough but the visitors to Scarborough.”

While Mackie told the Town Council that the two groups could potentially share the space, McLoon said that wouldn’t work as the historical society requires the entire space for its needs. She said the historical society is a better choice than the land trust to lease the hall because a conservation hub could be located elsewhere but “Alger Hall is located right at our doorstep”.

McLoon said the historical would like to collaborate with the town regarding society’s enthusiasm for Alger Hall. “We believe this partnership will not only preserve the history embedded in Alger Hall but also provide a valuable resource for Scarborough residents to connect with their past.”

“The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum is uniquely positioned to better serve Scarborough residents if it can lease the property from the town,” McLoon said.

Meanwhile, the Scarborough Historical Society & Museum is in the process of restoring one of the town’s historic buildings.
“The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum is in the final stages of restoring the Beech Ridge School,” McLoon said. “It is hoped that once completed, the Beech Ridge School will be available for use by community groups and displays will illustrate what going to school was like in the 19th century.” The Beech Ridge School is a one-room district school dating to early times, and its restoration is part of the society’s broader vision for historical preservation.

The top part of a petition when townspeople were objecting to paying for the hall’s use as a school after so many had contributed to the labor to build it. courtesy photo/Collections of the Scarborough Historical Society