The Dance Hall as it looked in 2005 at Historical Park

On Tuesday, May 22, 2013, hammers and saws made new music at the nearly 125 year old Dunneville Dance Hall as a Cal-Fire crew of 14 men began the long awaited re-building of the historic structure. The Dance Hall was originally built in 1890 near Four Corners. In an effort to preserve this landmark building, the San Benito County Historical Society moved it to the County Historical Park in 1992, but unfortunately, in 2006 a fierce storm blew it down. Since then the Historical Society has been planning and fundraising with a goal of rebuilding this grand old gathering place. With generous support from numerous donors and a grant from the Community Foundation for San Benito County, restoration has finally begun. Not much of the original wood was reusable so the new structure will be built according to current building codes with new materials. The original windows and some of the old wood will be used to replicate the original aesthetics as closely as possible. Funding and sponsorship opportunities still exist for many of the special details and features of this major community project so if you are interested in being part of this restoration contact Don Pidd, Caretaker for the Historical Park at (831)902-9349.