The Town Hall Project
    We intend to renovate the old bank building to be used as a Town Hall, where the town council will meet and where community activities will take place.
    The former bank building is one of the few remaining business buildings of the early 1900s. Built in 1906, it housed the Bearcreek Banking Company until 1911, when the bank was sold and became the Clark-Wright Company. The Clark-Wright Company was the only bank in town and served the growing Bearcreek mining community. The Clark-Wright Company operated until 1921. At that time it became the Miner’s State Bank, until 1928. The building functioned as a city hall until the mid-1930s, and as a community center until 1967, at which time the town of Bearcreek purchased the property. It then served as the town hall, until the need for renovation made the building unusable for practical purposes. In 2004, the building was accepted to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

What Needs to Be Done
Exterior: The exterior of the sandstone block building is in relatively good shape. The masonry work is incredible. Eventually, some mortar replacement will need to be done. Volunteers, using donated materials, put a new metal roof on the building in 2003.

Interior: Extensive renovation required. Thanks to a partial grant and some donations already received, a new restroom has been installed and a propane furnace replaced the old coal furnace. There is much more to do. The early 1900s electrical wiring has to be replaced. An electrician living in Bearcreek has offered to do the work at no charge. Because of a leak, the ceiling must be repaired. Some interior walls have cracks. The wood floor, however, is in good shape.
    Our goal is, before the 2006 100th birthday celebration, to completely renovate the interior. This would include the ceiling and interior walls, all done in style of the time the building was constructed in the early 1900s. We will seek as much volunteer labor and donated building supplies as is generously offered. However, the cost of the renovation will amount to several thousands dollars. When completed, the building will serve as a place the community and friends can gather for meetings, holiday celebrations, and community activities. The town council will meet in the building (they now gather in the firehouse garage because of the deterioration of the town hall building). On the building’s interior walls, photos of old Bearcreek and memorabilia will be displayed – thus the building will not only fulfill a serious community need, but will also serve as a tribute to the pioneers of Bearcreek.