The Liberty County Historical Commission will hold an official marker dedication honoring the 1937 Dayton City Hall on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at the building on the corner of Cook and Church Streets, next to the Crossroads, at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend.
From September 1937 until August 2004, this red brick building housed the city’s government, volunteer fire department, police department and public library in various combinations. Prior to 1937, the city conducted its business in rented quarters above the Dayton Mercantile Company on Main Street.
Two devastating fires resulted in the formation of the Dayton Volunteer Fire Department in 1930. The DVFD stored its equipment and fire trucks, purchased with funds from fundraising events and City Council, in an old lean-to structure on Bryan Street. An elected City Marshal provided law enforcement for the community.
City fathers decided in 1935 a building was needed to house city hall, fire station and although not mentioned in council minutes, included law enforcement personnel. On June 26, 1935, Aldermen authorized the City to borrow $800 to purchase a lot for the building, “said loan to be paid out of any funds that may be available.”
The construction of City Hall on the corner of Cook and Church streets took place between June and August 1937.
This building formed the foundation from which Dayton’s city government, fire and public safety departments developed and expanded and was also a place which virtually every citizen of Dayton entered at some time.
For more information concerning this marker dedication or the commission, please contact Linda Jamison, County Chair at lchc318@gmail.com or call/text 936-334-5813.