Memorial Hall, ca. 1919

Standing in front of Memorial Hall in 1919 is the Women's Group. Memorial Hall was at the southeast corner of the intersection of Main and Broad streets. The Man and Field mill was razed to make way for the new Memorial Hall in 1918. The hall was constructed to honor the veterans of World War I and served as a community meeting hall. The hexagon-shaped building was designed to mimic the Chautauqua Building in Waxahachie. All work on the construction was volunteers. The lumber for the building was taken from the old dormitory of the Mansfield Male and Female College, which closed in 1909.

Shown standing left to right: Mrs. Earl Holland, Ms Maude Holland, Clara Malone, Mrs. Nora Stone, Ms. Kate Smith, Mrs. Allie Henderson, Mrs Moore and Mrs. Pete Gilstrap. Seated left to right: Mrs. Ben Graves and Josephine, Mrs. Otis House, Mrs. Stella Smith, Mrs. Mary Sumpter Smith, Mrs. Jay Grow, Mrs. Harry D. Nifong Sri. and Mrs. Ruby McGee. Children are Maude Graves and Harry D. Nifong Jr. and the dog is Ted.

To learn more about Mansfield history, check out the Mansfield Historical Museum, 102 N. Main St., open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more info, call 817-473-4250, emailmuseum@mansfieldtexas.gov or go to mansfieldhistory.org.

Photo courtesy of the Mansfield Historical Society.