Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Woody Hill School Renovation Project


After its doors were closed in 1942, no one knew what would happen to the one-room school house on Woody Hill Road.  The building where the children of Exeter School District No.1 had been educated no longer had a teacher, and the pupils had transferred to the Lewis school.

For decades, the building remained unoccupied, quietly suffering the annual freeze and thaw, windstorms, rain and destructive activities of small animals, insects, and human vandalism.  Several years ago, the Exeter One-Room Schoolhouse Committee, along with the Exeter Town Council, secured a grant from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission to halt the deterioration and restore the building for use as a place to teach about Exeter’s history. 


Renovation finally began this summer after carefully determining what work needed to be done to preserve historical authenticity of the structure.  Preliminary inspections showed that the plaster ceiling had deteriorated beyond repair so was removed after the interior furnishings – desks, woodstove – had been moved to a temporary storage unit on site.  Rotted rafters and windows are being replaced as are the termite-eaten sills and floor joists and new doors are being constructed. All work is being done by Brian Patch of PlanB Construction ,who is certified for renovation work on historic buildings.



Work begins by bringing in a temporary storage unit and dumpster.

Furnishings and construction materials are kept in a locked storage unit on site.


Keeping the building level while severe damage to the sills is repaired.



Deteriorated rafters are replaced with new lumber while the original structure is preserved as much as possible.


Photos courtesy Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Updates from May 27th meeting

Yes, it was Standing Room Only at our latest meeting at the Exeter Grange! If you couldn't make it into the building to hear the proceedings, here are the highlights:
  • Our Fifth Annual One Room Schoolhouse Reunion will take place on Sunday June 27th at the Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd. Spread the  word, and arrive at 1PM for the start of the event itself. However, you can come early and attend...
  • ...our Annual Meeting,  which we decided to hold on the very same day (June 27th) at 12:30 PM. This way, folks won't have to come out twice in June. The meeting will be BRIEF! So please attend if  you can.
  • Bids for the work on Woody Hill School will be opened and read on June 7th at the next Exeter Town Council Meeting (was delayed a bit from previous deadline). According to our Woody Hill School chariman, Lauren Andrews, there are at least 3 companies bidding on the work.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

5th Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion - June 27 2010

Mark your calendars for the 5th Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Reunion !! This year it will take place on Sunday June 27 from 1 PM to 4PM. The location is the same - Exeter Public Library, 773 Ten Rod Rd. We hope to see everyone there!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Progress to report on the Woody Hill School restoration

We're finally on our way to having major restoration work done on the Woody Hill one-room schoolhouse! At our last meeting on March 25th, Planning Board member Mike Abbott briefed us on the paperwork he's done so that the ACTUAL work can get started. Bids on the specified restoration are due back by April 26th, and Mike will present the eligible contract proposals to the Exeter Town Council at their May 3rd meeting.

The building itself will be restored to the way it looked when it was built in the 1800's, using hand-sawn timbers and non-commercial windows and window panes. After the work is complete, the interior desks, chairs, blackboards and woodstove will be placed back inside, and the school will look as it did when it closed in 1942.

We are all VERY excited about the upcoming work, and are anticipating all the visitors that will be able to see this fascinating piece of Exeter's past.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Our new logo!

We've got a draft design for a new logo! Visibile above is a logo designed by EHA Board of Directors member Gary Boden. The idea for the logo came from a brainstorming session of EHA members a few months ago. We wanted a stylized picture of a water wheel and mill, reminiscent of the one that can be seen from Ten Rod Rod on the eastern end of our town, evoking Exeter's past. Gary came up with a great design, which he incorporated in to a complete logo. We're still working on fine-tuning the font and color - but we think it looks fabulous already!