Designed by architect John Danley Atchison, this two-storey brick and stone building on Church Street in Emerson was constructed between 1917 and 1918, opening in July 1918. It was the last court house built during the great settlement boom of 1880 to 1920. The structure is bordered by Church and Winnipeg streets in a mixed residential and commercial area, one block east of the town’s business sector.
An honour roll lists local residents who served during the First World War including ones who were killed. In council chambers on the second floor, a key is displayed that was presented in 1918 by the building contractor to Emerson Mayor Ezra Casselman.
A commemorative sign was erected beside the building by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba. The site’s provincial designation applies to the structure and the two lots on which it sits. In the 2000s, the facility was part of the Manitoba Prairie Icons Program.
Postcard view of Emerson Town Hall (no date)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2019-0083
Emerson Town Hall (May 2018)
Source: George Penner
Emerson Courtroom (May 2018)
Source: George Penner
Emerson Courtroom (July 2018)
Source: Glen Toews
Emerson Council Chambers (May 2018)
Source: George Penner
Honour roll in the Emerson Town Hall (May 2018)
Source: George Penner
Key in Emerson Council Chambers (July 2018)
Source: Glen ToewsSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.005698, W97.214050
denoted by symbol on the map above
Name
Occupation
Service
Rank
Birth Date
Death Date
Harry Aylward
[Emerson]Clerk
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
1896
2 August 1916
Hugh Alexander Empson
[Emerson]Grain Buyer
Canadian Infantry
Private
1884
28 October 1918
Harold Arthur Knowles
[Emerson]Farmer
232nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
29 August 1886
1 December 1918
William Donald Marshall
[Emerson]Farmer
13th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
1889
8 October 1916
Phillip Vernon Mills
[Emerson]Farmer
222nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
1897
30 October 1916
Archibald Moore
[Emerson]Fireman
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
1897
10 April 1917
David Edgard Peterson
[Emerson]Telegraph Operator
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
Private
1893
6 June 1916
Albert Pryor
[Emerson]Labourer
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
Private
1878
19 July 1917
George Roberts
[Emerson]Clerk
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
Private
1880
26 October 1917
Thomas Rossall
[Emerson]Farmer
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
1899
9 October 1918
Arthur Spick
[Emerson]Car Inspector
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
Private
1881
26 October 1917
George Taylor Urquhart
[Emerson]Fireman
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
1891
17 February 1920
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Danley Atchison (1870-1959)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Provincially Designated Historic Sites
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Emerson War Memorial (Emerson, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Prairie Churches Project / Manitoba Prairie Icons Project
“Opening of Emerson’s fine new town hall,” Manitoba Free Press, 2 August 1918, page 30.
Emerson Town Hall and Court House, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch
We thank George Penner, Tim Worth, and Glen Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 May 2025
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