The Inspiration for
Buchanan Hall
A DAUGHTER'S WEDDING
As the story goes, in the 1920s Brigadier General James A. Buchanan sought to build an elegant hall in the village of Upperville for his daughter’s wedding, and so, he constructed the building that later came to be called Buchanan Hall.
The Hall has served as Upperville’s community and event center ever since.
INCORPORATION
In the early 1930s, the owners of the Buchanan Hall land at that time, Mrs. Anne C. Dulany and Mr. H. Rozier Dulany, Jr., decided to donate the land and building to a nonprofit that would carry on its central role in the life of the community. On May 25, 1933, they and others created 501(c)3 charitable organization for this purpose under the simple name of “Buchanan Hall” in recognition of General Buchanan’s construction of the building and his gift of its use to the community.
As stated in the founding documents, the Buchanan Hall nonprofit corporation would own and operate the building as Upperville’s community center, noting that it was established “to hold meetings of a civic, patriotic, social, religious, educational and charitable nature.” The first trustees appointed to the board on that date were Mrs. Anne C. Dulany, president; Mr. H. Rozier Dulany, Jr., secretary; and A. Cook Reid, trustee. On June 9, 1933, in fulfillment of their plan, the Dulanys very generously donated the Buchanan Hall land and building to the new nonprofit. Since then, Buchanan Hall has served as the cornerstone of social, cultural and civic events for Upperville and is adored by both the community and out-of-town guests.
1942
In 1942, the structure of Buchanan Hall was assessed to be in need of repair. A new trustee committee was appointed that named Mrs. Paul Mellon, Chairman; Lieut. Walter J. Williams as Vice-Chairman, Rozier Dulany, secretary; and Mrs. Joseph G. Gibson, treasurer. Mrs. William G. Fletcher and Mrs. Thomas Glascock were also members of the committee.
The building renovation proceeded as funded by private contributions solicited by the members of the committee. Upon completion, an article titled “Upperville’s Latest Community Project is Brought to Close” appeared in the Nov. 5, 1942 issue of the Fauquier Times-Democrat. The article states, “the building will be used by churches, charitable organizations, the Red Cross and the Boy Scouts for free. Dances and private parties will be charged a nominal fee. Also, in the event that Washington is evacuated, the hall will be needed for hospital use or canteen service.”
2005-2007
SEA HERO FUND
The “Sea Hero Endowment Fund” was established in 2013 to provide a vehicle for donors to make a gift to support Buchanan Hall in perpetuity. The fund idea took wing when The Estate of Paul Mellon graciously offered to make a $25,000 matching grant toward the establishment of an endowment fund, the income from which could be used to support community events and building maintenance. Upon learning of this grant, the Gale Family Foundation generously offered to double the size of the matching grant by adding another $25,000.
The community rose to the occasion once again and donated the matching $50,000 so that an initial endowment fund of $100,000 was invested as of December 31, 2013, one full year ahead of schedule. The fund was appropriately named after Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon’s 1993 Kentucky Derby winner in recognition of the consistent and substantial support that the Mellons provided for Buchanan Hall through the decades.