NORWICH — The Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) will be holding a celebration to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Ward School No. 2, which has held the CCHS museum since 1962. The celebration is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 21.

"In the early days of education within the Norwich community there were communities and neighborhoods, and they had schools ... Schools were called Ward Schools, because each of our areas within the community of Norwich were divided into wards," explained CCHS and Museum Executive Director Jessica Moquin. "It's just a way to, you know, categorize the location of the neighborhoods that were represented, where each of the schools were located."

Ward School No. 2, located on the corner of Rexford Street, was built in 1896, and opened its doors to the public as a school on November 21, 1896, according to Moquin. This spurred CCHS to hold their 125th anniversary celebration on the exact day.

As part of the festivities, Moquin said there will be treats, the airing of a documentary on students who once attended Ward School No. 2, the opportunity to view museum exhibits, and some surprises. CCHS will also hold their annual meeting to approve new bylaws.

"We want to celebrate the fact that this building has been here for 125 years," she said. "So we'll have our annual meeting, and we'll celebrate our membership, and some special birthday treats, and the launch of the documentary, and the chance for people to just come and appreciate and experience our museum."

The documentary was made possible by grant funding from a local foundation, Moquin said. This allowed CCHS to hire Craig Creative Services to produce the film, which will include stories about the building's time as a school, and interviews from former students.

"We received a grant from a local foundation earlier this year. We were able to hire Craig Creative Services, and they are producing the documentary for us, including interviews and stories of the building when it was a schoolhouse," said Moquin. "So we wanted to capture all the tradition of those students that remember this building when it was, you know, used for its intended purpose."

"We hear it's a really great story, some really terrific history that has been contained between these walls from all these folks," she added.

Pre-registration for the celebration event is required. To register, visit TinyURL.com/2021CCHSMemberMeeting, or call 607-334-9227, ext. 2. The deadline for pre-registration is November 15, and masks are required by all attendees.

Moquin said there is "never a charge" to get into the museum, as CCHS wants to remain accessible to the public. However, voluntary donations are welcome at the door if visitors wish to contribute.

"Some people have the means to be supremely generous and other people don't," she said. "You know, this is their museum, we're a community resource for everyone to come and experience and appreciate the heritage of Chenango County."

Exhibits in the museum include vignettes on the commerce of Chenango, current and former companies and businesses within Chenango County, art exhibits, the Indigenous Perspectives Gallery, the Years Between the Wars Room, the Pioneer Room, and so much more.

"One of my personal favorites, semi-permanent galleries, is the Chenango County in 50 Stories, which are 50 different artifacts and vignettes, 50 words or less, about a unique cultural experience, or person, or event within Chenango County," said Moquin.

Currently, the CCHS Museum also holds a gallery of artwork by Alice Hudson, called "Alice's Wonderlands."

"That's a retrospective of the last third of her life living and creating in the City of Norwich, and being inspired by Chenango County," Moquin explained. "It manifested itself in her artwork. It's a great exhibit in there."

For more information on the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum, visit their website at chenangohistorical.org, or check out their Facebook page.