ORANGE — Residents gathered behind Orange Town Hall on Monday afternoon to celebrate the installation of a bronze plaque on the stone monument commemorating the former Memorial Hall at Prospect and High streets, which was torn down in 1996.

The work of three Orange women, Janice Lanou, Pamela Oddy and Pamela Rand, along with project donors, was recognized with a 1 p.m. ceremony, while also taking the time to remember veterans who served in the Civil War and the wars thereafter.

“We did not do it alone. We had individuals helping us. We had organizations helping us. It was a group effort,” Oddy said in her opening remarks. “It is our hope that Memorial Hall and this marker will serve as a reminder to future generations that this little town of Orange did have a part to play in the Civil War.”

Prior to the ceremony, Rand and Oddy both expressed their excitement over the completion of the project, which Rand said has been ongoing since the 1996 demolition. Orange resident Robert P. Collen, who was against the demolition and died in 2014, pushed for a memorial to be placed at the site, but funding issues prevented the project from going forward.

“We decided to finish the project and have it come to a conclusion,” Rand said.

In February, Rand, Oddy and Lanou picked out the stone to be used for the memorial, and the design for the bronze plaque was done by Tim Sakach, thus completing what Collen envisioned 28 years ago. The G&S Lyman Excavating Co. donated the stone and the placement of it on the site, and the bronze plaque, preparation of the stone and plaque placement were purchased with donations through T.S. Mann Memorials.

Lanou spoke to the history of Memorial Hall. Built in 1892, it was dedicated to the Orange veterans who belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). These veterans served in the Civil War between 1861 and 1865 to preserve the Union, and the GAR in Orange was one of 210 GAR posts in Massachusetts.

Memorial Hall was open for 104 years until its demolition in 1996 after it fell into disrepair. The building inspector requested the town either repair or demolish the building. Lack of funding and concern for the public’s safety prompted the town to opt for demolition.

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Selectboard member Jane Peirce spoke as a representative of the town to dedicate the memorial. She spoke emotionally about the service that veterans gave to the country, noting that 620,000 Americans died during the Civil War, making it the deadliest war for U.S. soldiers in history.

Following the Civil War, Peirce said the GAR created Memorial Hall to offer a space for the veterans, supported by donations from residents.

“Immediately following the end of the war in 1865, the Grand Army of the Republic organized to support and memorialize the veterans of this horrific war by providing fraternity, charity and loyalty to the surviving veterans,” Peirce explained.

Peirce expressed that with the demolition of Memorial Hall, it is particularly important to protect history in Orange whenever possible, naming several historical locations in town that are in decline.

Former U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Rebecca Byrum King spoke at the dedication, recalling how multiple members of her family served in different branches of the Armed Forces and discussing what it means to be a veteran.

Following her remarks, Byrum King said in an interview that she feels it is important to remember the service provided by soldiers, both recently and in the past.

“I think we’re all too quick to not recognize our past,” she said. “Any way that we can preserve that and recognize people who fought well before us, I think that’s a big thing.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.

An earlier version of this article included an incorrect reference regarding who provided the stone and the bronze plaque commemorating Memorial Hall. The G&S Lyman Excavating Co. donated the stone and the placement of it on the site, and the bronze plaque, preparation of the stone and plaque placement were purchased with donations through T.S. Mann Memorials.