The origins of this gem of a building are rooted in the needs of a growing, mid 19th century town. It was proposed at Hardwick’s annual meeting of 1850 to build a town hall with space for a school on the second floor, which was later removed to create the current balcony. Ten years later, in September of 1860, the “almost completed” building was the site of a special town meeting for the casting of ballots in the state election—the first official use of the building on record.  By 1891 the Hardwick Academy had its own building on Main Street, freeing up the Town House for other uses.

Within the next few years the town would decide to transform the Town House into a “Town Opera House.” In 1896 voters approved a proposal for a stock theatre company to lease the Town House.  By 1898, 14 major opera houses would be built in Vermont. That same year Hardwick residents approved, at town meeting, $3,311 in funding to complete the conversion of the Town House into an opera house of the highest quality.  Structural improvements were made and electric lighting was installed. The largest sum, $574 was paid to George Kimball, a Hardwick Main Street merchant, to procure the seats.

The first musical concert took place in October of 1898 as Hardwick joined the list of towns on the performing circuit. Within 20 years the Town House would be completely transformed, and by the early 1900’s, it would host “regular lecture series and family entertainment such as Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado (with operatic arias frequently being punctuated by the St. J. & L.C. train whistles.)”  The new popular entertainment at the time was Vaudeville, combining song and dance, comedy skits, playlets, acrobats, and magicians.

The granite industry was on the rise, with “metropolitan” Hardwick a microcosm of America’s growth. According to The Hardwick Gazette, the new century began at the Town House with the “Granite Cutters Jollification”, which included a grand promenade, vocal and instrumental selections, recitations, three speeches, and dancing ‘till a late hour.”  There were almost weekly “social hops” and “box parties” where young ladies’ supper boxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder, their escorts for the evening.

Local presentations in 1901 included temperance talks, a wrestling match, and Pauline, the Belle of Saratoga, an operetta that contributed $25 toward the purchase of a new piano. In the midst of all of this, disaster struck. Just before Christmas in 1902 a fire destroyed the roof, stage and piano. But there was no question about making repairs. Insurance covered the loss, and in 1903 the warning for Town Meeting Article 11 proposed an enlargement to the hall.  By spring the improvements were in the works including a new entry. The Selectmen purchased a new piano, and Charles W. Henry, with his family troupe, was hired to paint the new curtains including “a lake scene from Switzerland.”  

By 1910 silent movies were frequently shown in the Town Opera House.  Summer stock theatre companies still toured regularly, but by the late 1920’s, with the appearance of talking movies, many of the opera houses were being converted into movie houses. By the 1930’s radio was taking over as the main family entertainment. Economic depression and World War II took its toll on the vitality of live, touring performance.  Many small, New England opera houses were torn down. The Hardwick Town House stage, however, remained a significant place for community events and school productions into the mid-20th century. In the 21st century, a renewed interest in its historical value has given it a new life as a performance venue and community gathering space.