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COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2024
New Old Town Hall , an interactive history site
Plymouth ’ s Old Town Hall , which used to function as the city ’ s main place of operation , reopened as an interactive history site Aug . 3 , 2024 . The former city hall building for Plymouth , located at 3625 Fernbrook Lane N ., has been standing since 1885 and , with a few structural and aesthetic improvements , is now ready to welcome visitors again .
In this newly renovated space , guests can view displays pertaining to Plymouth ’ s history , some of which will only be temporary , and participate in interactive exhibits . A research station allows residents and guests a chance to explore the history of Plymouth , including searching their family histories or when various structures in the city were built .
In a new initiative by city staff , residents can also visit Old Town Hall to record an oral history interview . Residents can spend an hour or two talking to staff at Old Town Hall , sharing their stories and experiences living or growing up in Plymouth . Each interview is archived as both an audio file and a text document so that it can be preserved for years to come .
While Old Town Hall is newly renovated , the origins of this building stretch back hundreds of years . Plymouth ’ s history traces back to the pre-Columbian period ( 1400- 1500 ), and the first people to live on the land that is now Plymouth were Native Americans of the Dakota tribe . On this land , the Old Town Hall building was constructed almost 140 years ago .
Formerly serving as Plymouth ’ s city hall , the building was endangered by a street expansion project in the 1970s . A group of local citizens worked to move the building and start the Plymouth Historical Society ( PHS ). Old Town Hall began functioning as a museum in 1975 , and the PHS operated as a volunteer-run nonprofit until 2017 , at which time the City of Plymouth resumed ownership of the building .
The museum at Old Town Hall was closed after a water pipe burst in the basement just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic . For several years , city staff made repairs to the building , updated the interior , reorganized artifacts and came up with new historical programming .
The city also hosted a series of volunteer opportunities called the Archival Adventures , in which local volunteers helped make Old Town Hall what it is today . From the beginning of 2024 through the reopening of the building , volunteers were trained to sift through historic photos , letters and paper documents , preserving collections so that future Plymouth residents could access the materials .
Old Town Hall is open to the public 11 a . m . to 2 p . m . Tuesdays , Thursdays and the first Saturday of each month .
For more information , visit plymouthmn . gov / about / history .
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