Norbury Hall has been a fixture on Ellenville’s Center Street for 115 years, and though of late things have been quiet at the Norbury, there is word that there are newcomers to the area interested in purchasing it. If that comes to pass then the Norbury will go on into yet another era in its long existence.

Ellenville’s history has an interesting cast of characters, and one of them is still remembered in the name of Norbury Hall. That would be Sarah Stoddard Norbury, who became a generous benefactor to many local organizations in the first decade of the 20th century.

The Norbury’s history begins in 1904 when the Pioneer Fire Company decided to build a “Clubhouse.” Their modest wishes found their way to this remarkable lady, most often referred to as Mrs. John Norbury. She not only heard about the Pioneer Fire Company’s desire, she demonstrated the generosity that she became well known for and paid more than half the cost of constructing Norbury Hall. The fire company, in gratitude, presented her with a solid silver “Gorham” cup, inscribed:

Presented to Mrs. John F. Norbury as a token of our regard and grateful recognition of her friendly interest in our welfare.

Pioneer Engine Company, Number One,

Ellenville, N.Y. Nov., 1904

The fire company referred to her as “our gracious Lady Bountiful.”

The hall is described as “one of the most intriguing buildings in Ellenville” in the National Register of Historic Places account of the village. It displays a “Spanish Colonial” or even “Moorish-inspired design” and shaped front gable.

Lady Bountiful

Sarah Stoddard was a local girl born October 26, 1835, to parents Phineas and Marilda Stoddard. The family were Quakers and attended the Quaker Meeting House in Greenfield Park, which still stands and is maintained by the Town of Wawarsing. She married John F. Norbury from New York City, who was practicing medicine in Athens, New York. They had a daughter, Fannie, who tragically died at the age of 16. John Norbury gave up medicine and sought his fortune through the New York Stock Exchange, which moved to its first permanent building on Wall Street in January 1865.

John did very well in the turbulent markets of the late 19th century and when Sarah returned to Ellenville in 1902, she was wealthy. She became a generous member of the Methodist church, and provided that church with five of its stained-glass windows, as well as the handsome pews, during its renovation in 1907. Sarah went on to buy land for the local school district for $3,000, and in 1923, she gave $5,000 towards the cost of creating the area’s first hospital.

Notices and reports from the papers of those days give something of the flavor of the times. New Year’s 1912: “A new telephone, Number 39, has been installed for the new year at the Reformed Church manse, a gift to the Reverend Walter Steiner from his Bible class.”

The same year the Pioneer Fire Company held a reception for 150 guests at Norbury Hall on New Year’s afternoon in honor of Mrs. John F. Norbury. George J. Hoornbeek provided potted plants to “trim the parlors,” and a buffet lunch was served while Rosenberger’s orchestra played until late afternoon for dancing in the ballroom.

Changing With The Times

Over the years there have been significant alterations made to the building, including a two-story front “ell” and a one story “ell” on the right side, with Art Deco ornamentation. (An “ell” is a wing of a building at a right angle to the length of the main portion.) These changes provided the Pioneer Fire Company with a space to place two fire trucks, parked end to end.

The building switched from a dance cum social event hall to a movie theater in January 1939. From a court case recorded at the Appellate Division New York courts of January 9, 1952, we learn that the building, which is described as an “old building, housing a fire house, club rooms for members and a hall used for social and athletic events,” was leased to a Mr. Wernick for 21 years, with a monthly rent of $125 initially, and thereafter for a negotiated rent not to be more than $3,000 a year.

Wernick subsequently spent at least $40,000 to completely remodel the building and it became a well-known, popular venue for movies for several decades. It was bought at some point by the Spadero family, who also owned the Shadowland theater. Both theaters showed movies throughout the 50s to the 70s.

The fire company continued to operate from the extension added to the main building. However, the fire company also sued in 1949 to have the lease declared void on the ground that the trustees of the fire company were inexperienced in business affairs and rent provided was inadequate. Their suit failed and the movies continued.

Marion Dumond, a longtime resident of Ellenville, recalls an evening that typifies the way life could be in the 60s and 70s.

“We went out to supper at our friends’ home nearby, and as we finished up, he suggested we go to the movies at the Norbury. After the film we bought ice cream cones to lick as we walked home.” This was in the early 70s, and alas, she does not remember the movie.

The Spadero lease on the Norbury appears to have ended somewhere in the mid-70s, and for a while the hall was unused, until the fire company decided to show movies themselves. Butch Distel, who holds the unwritten history of the fire company in his head and his heart, recalls that Charles Craft was the young projectionist, manning the machinery to show the movies. That use of the Norbury ended in the 1980s, and the fire company brought in their tools and took out the seats and the angled raised floor, poured a cement floor instead and brought the hall back to its original function as a large space for meetings, events and dances.

And now? Distel shakes his head, the building has issues. It needs repair work and the building is for sale. Representatives of the fire company are meeting with some interested parties, but as is the way with these things, no names can be mentioned this early in the process.

“The fire company will move, but be absolutely sure of this,” said Distel with determination, “we are not disbanding the Pioneer Fire Company!”

The fire commissioners will work out what comes next, but the Pioneer Fire Company will seek a new location, and possibly a new building. The Norbury Hall, perhaps with new owners, will still offer something that is rare to nonexistent in our area — a large hall that could be used for concerts, dances, meetings, and gatherings of a kind that a certain benefactor, Sarah Stoddard-Norbury would recognize herself.