NORWICH – Renovations to the 19th-century schoolhouse located on the grounds of the Chenango County Historical Society Museum, 45 Rexford St., are now complete.

Thanks to a $4,200 Community Foundation for South Central New York grant, received by the Historical Society in late December of 2009, museum officials were able to make vital repairs to the structure, originally located at Ross Corners in Preston.

Museum Curator Diane Hamblin said she wished to thank local resident and unofficial foreman/crew leader Bruce Webster for all his help in getting the project off the ground.

“Bruce got the ball rolling, he had an idea for the work that needed to be done and he drew up a rough estimate of material costs,” stated Hamlin. “He really took it upon himself to advertise and find a couple of gentlemen who, in his words, wanted to swing a hammer and not sit around at a meeting.”

Webster, joined by volunteers John Graves and Chris Given, spent 17 consecutive Wednesday mornings, from 8 a.m. to noon, making the necessary renovations, primarily to the floor and ceiling of the structure.

Prior to these repairs, Hamblin said damage to some sections of the floor was so bad it forced guides to warn school groups and other visitors where and where not to stand. In addition, CCHS Museum Director Alan Estus reported that the structure’s main beam showed considerable signs of rot and had been “repaired poorly” at some point in the past.