Places Where Glenn F. Pease Called Square Dances

Glenn called in a variety of dance halls and other venues within a 30 mile radius of his farm, but the majority of hiss calling took place at three halls in New Hampshire: the Rumney Town Hall, the Warren Town Hall and the Painted Barn in Wentworth.

The Painted Barn in Wentworth
The Painted Barn
The painted Barn, just before being torn down in 1978

Located just steps from the pavement of Route 25 in Wentworth, NH, north of the Rumney line, was one of the favorite 'dance barns' of the 40's, 50's and 60's in the Baker River valley. The Painted Barn was a typical old English-style barn, end to the road, with wide doors on the end to allow hay wagons to enter and a stable on the south side. At some time before the mid-1940s, the barn was converted to a dance venue. A stage was built in the east end, away from the road, and a fine maple dance floor was laid down. Part of the stable was converted into a snack bar and a little entryway was built on the north side, near the road and parking lot.

Poster for the Painted Barn
A Rumney resident remembers when Don Fields and His Pony Boys, a country-Western band from Waterbury, Vt., played for dances in the late 40s. Certainly other bands played there too, but in from the late 50s through mid 70s, the Painted Barn was synonomous with Saturday night dances, "music by Pat McIssac's Band, Glenn Pease calling."

According to NH DOT records, the barn was to be dismantled by April 1, 1978, to make way for the widening and realingnment of Route 25 to remove a dangerous corner and bridge. There is no record of where those great old beams went - they must have been re-used somewhere - but Pat McIssac is pretty sure that the fine maple dance floor was bought by the Annalee Doll folks in Meredith to become the floor of their doll museum. It is nice to know that some happy feet are still treading that old maple, even if they aren't accompanied by Pat's pounding piano and Glenn's do-si-dos and allemande lefts.

Pictures of a few other Local Halls
Huntington's Pavilion, East Thetford VT Poster for Huntington's pavillion
Huntington's Pavilion, East Thetford VT Poster for Huntington's pavillion
Rumney Town Hall Orford NH Town Hall
Rumney NH Town Hall Orford NH Town Hall
Wentworth NH Town Hall Inside the Wentworth Town Hal
Wentworth NH Town Hall Inside the Wentworth Town Hall


Places where Glenn called

Here is a list of the places where Glenn called, compiled by Harry Pease starting from a hand-written list prepared by his wife Theda.

Massachusetts:
  New England Folk Festival, Boston (Summer 1950)
  N.E.M.P.A., Boston (New England Milk Producers Association ?)

New Hampshire:
  Bath, Town Hall
  Beebe River [Grange Hall?]
  Bridgewater
  Campton, Mirror Lake
  Canaan, Mirror Lake (Grammy said Enfield, but it is in Canaan or Orange)
  Dorchester, Town Hall
  East Haverhill
  Gilford, New Hampshire Folk Festival (May 19, 1950)
  Haverhill, Alumni Hall
  Haverhill, Morrill School
  Landaff
  Lyme, Church Hall (Around Early 1940s)
  Lyme Center
  Monroe
  Orford, Bicentennial Ball (August 7, 1965)
  Orford, Camp Moosilauke
  Orford, Hayloft (Early 1930s)
  Orford, Masonic Hall
  Orford, Memorial Hall [Orford High School gym]
  Orford, Bedell's Barn
  Orford, Town Hall
  Piermont
  Piermont, Lake Tarleton Casino
  Piermont, Lake Tarleton Club R
  umney, Baker River Grange Hall
  Rumney, Stinson Lake (Friday Nights, 1950 On)
  Rumney, Town Hall
  Warren, Town Hall (Over 20 Years)
  Wentworth, Camp Pemigewassett
  Wentworth, Grange Hall
  Wentworth, Painted Barn (Before 1957) [This must be AFTER 1957, because I was
  going there in the early 60's]
  Wentworth, Town Hall
  Moosilauke Inn

Vermont:
  Barre
  Bradford, VFW Hall
  East Thetford, Huntington's Pavilion (March through December)
  Fairlee, Bonnie Oaks Resort
  Fairlee, Lake Morey Casino
  Fairlee, Town Hall
  Newbury, Town Hall
  So. Strafford
  Thetford Center
  Thetford Hill
  Woodstock

Last Updated August 2, 2009