In 1909, a crowd of townspeople gathered at the muddy corner of Nelson and Sykes Streets. A glint of brass and a valiant fanfare announced the arrival of the Meaford Cornet Band, and the crowd strained to see as the town’s officials mounted the steps of Meaford’s new Town Hall and Opera House.
 
Like many public buildings across small-town Ontario, Meaford Hall was meant to be more than a Town Hall. Presiding over Market Square, with its bandstand and athletic field, the building housed the council chambers and town offices. The chambers also served as a courtroom, and in the basement miscreants apprehended by the local constabulary would find a cold berth in one of three tiny jail cells. Down at the other end of the building, the Meaford Public Library welcomed generations of schoolchildren and their parents. Farmers used the basement on market day, and in time this space served as a ballroom, meeting area, and Boy Scout hall. Later divided into smaller rooms, it housed the Women’s Institute, the Friendship Circle Quilters, a Senior Citizens club, and the Senior Men’s Euchre Club.
 
Up the high staircases to either side of the Sykes Street entrance is where the magic truly happened. The second-floor Opera House has been the cultural heart of the community and for more than a century, the Opera House has rung with music, drama and debate, and the exceptional acoustics of the room remained famous in theatrical circles.
 

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