Restoration continues for Southborough hall
Progress despite some setbacks
SOUTHBOROUGH – In a major construction project, some delays can be anticipated. Paperwork can take longer than expected, or materials may be in short supply. But other interruptions, such as hitting a spring that results in rapidly gushing water, are more difficult to plan for.
“We hit an artesian well in the basement when we were excavating the old one, and they literally hit a spring,” Southborough Historical Society President Michael Weishan said of workers. “On Christmas Day two years ago, we had literally 4 feet of water in our basement. A friend of mine said it was too bad we were not opening a brewery.”
The Southborough Historical Society is restoring the old Fayville Village Hall building, a project that began in 2022 and is tentatively expected to be completed this fall.
“We are about 90% done with the project,” Weishan said. “What is missing are some of the interior features. We are waiting for bits and pieces – part of the delay has been COVID-related supply chain shortages. We waited nine months for the windows to arrive, for example. We are still waiting for the elevator, which is probably another five months out.”
Fayville Village Hall built as meetinghouse, social space
The building, at 42 Central St., was originally constructed in 1911 by Civil War veterans as a meetinghouse and social space. Over the years it hosted numerous community events and served as a hub for Fayville, one of Southborough’s three incorporated villages (Cordaville and Southville are the others).
“It was originally built as a meeting place by veterans of the Civil War as their lodge home,” Weishan said. “It sounds funny to us now, but Southborough was four separate villages and walking between them was not exactly quick. So each community had a little place to meet, and this was the one in Fayville. At the time, it had its own selfcontained area, its own tavern, its own grocery store, its own blacksmith, all right there.”
The plan for the new village hall is for it to be used in a way that’s similar to its original purpose. While it will serve as a home and archive for the Southborough Historical Society, the hall will have plenty of space for additional events and activities, including