G.A.R. MEMORIAL HALL STOW POST 29

Over 10 percent of Vermont’s population of 315,000 served in the Civil War. In 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic was founded as a fraternal group for Union veterans, and GAR posts in Vermont grew to 116, creating community centers for 5,400 members. In April 1883, 17 veterans of North Calais formed Stow Post 29 of the GAR. The Stow Women’s Relief Corps #36 organized in 1884 to support Post 29 and fundraise for construction of a hall. Begun in 1885, Memorial Hall Stow Post 29 was dedicated on Memorial Day 1886, named to honor the sacrifices of North Calais residents Alonzo and Eliza Stow, who lost three sons to the war. The local GAR, WRC, and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War were all stewards of the Hall. (continued) Beginning in 1886 with Memorial Day observances and GAR post meetings, Memorial Hall became known in Calais and neighboring towns for hosting a variety of community events, such as social dances, fairs, dramatic productions, literary entertainments, concerts, harvest suppers, weddings, and memorials. Overlooking Mirror Lake, the two-story porch facing east was added about 1910. In 1921, a granite memorial was placed in honor of all Calais veterans. In 2017, the North Calais Memorial Hall Association formed to save and restore the Hall and continue its legacy as a community landmark, with the restoration completed in 2023. Memorial Hall Stow Post 29 is the last remaining wood-frame GAR post in Vermont.