Original Upper Falmouth Community Hall in great disrepair and within a year of being torn down as a condemned building by the District of West Hants.
Original Upper Falmouth Community Hall in great disrepair and within a year of being torn down as a condemned building by the District of West Hants.

The land for the Upper Falmouth Community Hall was given to the trustees of the “Falmouth Village Hall” by Inglis Smith, a prominent farmer in the area on April 6, 1908. The gift was to remain with the trustees as long as the hall remained in good condition and continued to be used as a village hall. Should this cease to be situation the land and the building remains would revert back to the owners of the original land, either Inglis Smith or a subsequent owner. As the Hall was about to be condemned and was inhabitable (for humans that is, raccoons had been making it home for years!), it was determined that it should revert back to the current land owner, Johnston Vineyards Incorporated. The decision to renovate the building rather than tear it down was made in consultation with Bob Wilson, a local dairy farmer who recalled with fond memories the Saturday night dances at the hall, and Jeff Chandler, owner of a local construction firm. The building was restored by Chandler Construction Ltd in the winter of 2014 and now serves as a storage building for Johnston Vineyards. That winter brought record amounts of snow and up to 6 feet accumulated around the property. Despite the snow Jeff was able to proceed with renovation and completed it in the spring of 2015, just in time for the arrival of a new 85 hp Kubota vineyard tractor from Nova International Ltd!

Ian Kaye, vineyard consultant, Sharon and Klaus Sudbrack.
Ian, Sharon and Klaus.
Sharon and Jeff Chandler inside the hall after the raccoons were ushered out.
Sharon and Jeff Chandler of Chandler Construction Ltd inside the renovated community hall.