Milestones and Events

As the Friends of Liberty Hall look forward to completing Phase 4 of the restoration project, we need your input. Please let us know your ideas and suggestions for the building. How can we make it yours?

Make your views known!

The Friends of Liberty Hall, PO Box 22, Machiasport 04655

During March, under the supervision of Jeremy Whitehouse, RJ and Parker spent a week in freezing temperatures, working to demolish Liberty Hall’s old outhouse and repairing all the rear façade clapboards. At this time, they also scraped, primed and prepared the back of the building for spring painting. In May, RJ and Parker returned to Machiasport to install restored window trim and begin the process of painting. The trim and clapboards on the rear façade will match the historic colors used elsewhere on the building’s exterior. They are Benjamin Moore’s Cocoa Brown and Straw.

Thanks to very generous grants from Maine Community Foundation’s Belvedere Fund for Historic Preservation and the Davis Family Foundation, the Friends have finally been able to tackle the longstanding problems on Liberty Hall’s rear façade. A shortage of funds during Phase 2 meant that the rotted clapboards and trim could not be repaired. The completion of Phase 3, part 1 – the restoration of the 4 rear windows – was the first step toward the resolving the problems with moisture filtration on the back wall.

In conjunction with the restoration work, the Friends have devoted their energies to wide-ranging consultation about the future use of the building compatible with its historic role as a social, cultural, economic resource for Washington County.



From such discussions, a vision emerged for Liberty Hall as a Maker-Space-- a multi-use space for active, collaborative learning across different generations, constituencies and skill-sets. Key local partners – the Gates House Museum, Porter Memorial Library, University of Maine at Machias, Downeast Institute, Greenhorns, Machias Bay Chamber of Commerce – have shared in developing the plans.



We will be expanding this partnership network to provide the foundation for future fundraising.

Restoration of Liberty Hall’s rear façade remains a top priority. With the window reinstallation in August 2019, Phase 3 part 1 of the ongoing restoration project is now complete. Funds are currently being sought for Phase 3, part 2:

Work Completed!

Reinstallation of restored sash window on upper floor.

Replicated window ready for installation.
Installation of replicated window, replacing old fire exit.