Historical information
The Trustees for Lot 20 Henry Street were declared by the Wesleyan Methodist Church on 7 October 1901 to be Revd. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika, Francis Thomas, Farmer of Doncaster and sometime of Keelbundora, John Brown, State School Teacher, William John Taylor, Gardener, Robert David Taylor, Gardener and Isaac Hill, Dealer, all of Eltham.
Originally purchased in 1856 from Thomas Roberts, Yeoman of Little Eltham, for £10 for use by the Wesleyan Chapel, represented by indentured Trustees, Rev. Barnabas Shaw Walker, Minister of the Pentridge Circuit, Francis Thomas, Farmer of Keelbundora, William Harriman, Blacksmith of Nillumbik, Nicholas Rodda, Farmer of Nillumbik, Aaron Grimshaw, Farmer of Greensborough, Joseph Cooper, Gardener of Keelbundora, Peter Dredge, Scholmaster of Jika Jika and Samuel Jeffrey, Farmer of Jika Jika.
Lot 20 of Subdivision of Portion 13, Section 4 of the Parish of Nillumbik in the County of Evelyn was located on the southern side of Henry street in Little Eltham North, where the current Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church is situated. It became the location of the Eltham Rechabite Hall. In 1893 a new hall was built and further enlarged in 1919. At the commencement of 1922, the property was purchased from the Independent Order of Rechabites with publicly subscribed funds and a new hall built at a cost of £750 and improved road access constructed to reduce the grade, running from Dudley Street to Henry Street. This hall was eventually replaced with the new Shire Offices and Hall built on the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road, which was opened in 1941.
Significance
Traces the earliest history of the Eltham Public Hall in Henry Street and the various names, occupations and abodes of the Trustees associated with the property
Physical description
1 page typed, letter size
Subjects
- eltham public hall,
- eltham rechabite hall,
- eltham wesleyan chapel,
- francis thomas,
- henry street,
- james abel marsland,
- james massland,
- john brown,
- joseph cooper,
- little eltham north,
- rev barnabas shaw walker,
- robert david taylor,
- samuel jeffrey,
- trustee,
- william john taylor,
- little eltham,
- isaac hill
References
- Eltham - Public Hall (Henry Street) and Eltham Rechabite Hall Public list of relevant newspaper articles accessed via the National Library of Australia website, TROVE. References and history of the original Eltham Public Hall (1922) in Henry Street, which was publicly purchased in December 1921 from the Wesleyan Methodist Church and a new building erected at a cost of £750. Lot 20, Portion 13, Section 4, Parish of Nillumbik, County of Evelyn was originally purchased by the Wesleyan Church in January 1856 from Thomas Roberts for £10 and was the location of the original Wesleyan Chapel until a new Methodist church was built. The Hall was also known as the Eltham Rechabite Hall prior to its sale in 1922 to the public. The Public Hall was superseded in 1941 with the opening of the new Shire of Eltham Offices and Public Hall at the corner of Arthur Street and Main Road.
