Making progress on all fronts!!!!

If you missed the January 6th meeting of the Exeter Historical Association, you missed a lot of news!

First off, the Woody Hill School restoration project is almost complete. All of the contracted restoration work is done. In addition, the Exeter Town Council voted to allocate additional funds that were slated for the Old Town Hall to be used to restore the front doors of the school - something that was not in the original restoration plan. In the coming months, Woody Hill School's official  celebration will take place. All of this information will be posted here, of course! And pictures too!

Second bit of news: We are starting to come up with a plan to move the Old Town Hall, currently located on Old Ten Rod Rd, over to the property where the Library is currently located on Rte 102. The building now sits in an area of town that does not get much traffic. Let's be honest - how many in town even know there's a Town Hall on Town Hall Rd?  At the same time, the Exeter Historical Association has no real place to store items and papers of signficance, and even the new Library is short on space. So how about we both save an old and beloved building, and give the town another meeting place? It will take lots of work (and some luck!) to pull the plan together, but we're optimistic that it will happen.

And last but not least: We have our 501 (c) 3 status!! Ok, well almost. But we're a stone's throw away from being an official non-profit organization, which will allow us to do lots of stuff such as apply for grants. A HUGE thanks to our friend Pete Lacouture for his pro bono work on the application.


So all this news qualifies are pretty darn exciting, around these parts.  Dontcha think?

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.

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.

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!

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.