ATKINSON — Contractors have been busy this past summer and fall completing renovations to the west, east and south exterior walls of the Center School.
As winter approaches, contractors are moving inside the building to tackle the original tin ceiling, which has been painted over several times. The ceiling will be sandblasted in the next two weeks and repaired throughout the winter, said Atkinson Historical Society President Kate Rochford.
Renovations are expected to be complete by the late winter or early spring of 2027.
“The only thing left on the exterior is the front of the building,” Rochford said. “That will be done next summer.”
Last year, the Historical Society accepted a $54,000 grant awarded by New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. The grant matched funds raised by the Historical Society, bringing the total to $109,000 to be used to renovate the Center School.
“We did not apply for the LCHIP grant again this year because we are still working through the money,” Rochford said.
However, the Historical Society did receive $7,500 from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance as part of the 1772 grant, which the organization applied for last year in the amount of $10,000. Rochford is getting ready to reapply for funding from the 1772 grant next year.
“We’ve very excited,” Rochford said. “We’ve made great progress and kept our word to the town not to ask them for money.”
The Historical Society will start another round of fundraising in the coming months to further support the renovation, and Rochford continues to encourage donations from townspeople and local organizations.
At this time, the Historical Society has raised $150,000 of the estimated $250,000 needed for the renovation, she said.
The Center School on Academy Avenue opened as one of five single-room schoolhouses in town from 1880 to 1949 and is the last one still standing.
Over the years, it’s served as the town’s police department, town offices and a family counseling center. The interior of the building was partitioned to create rooms and offices, which have since been removed, and the space returned to a large, single room.
The building, which is owned by the town and leased by the Historical Society, was rumored for demolition when the Historical Society stepped in and said it wanted to restore the aging building.
Efforts to save the building were championed by placement of the school on the New Hampshire Register of Historical Places in 2022.
In May, the Kimball House, another historic building in town, was added to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, Rochford said. The Historical Society is working to set up a room in the house to honor the country’s 250th celebration, which will reflect Atkinson’s role during the revolution.
“The Kimball House where we reside was built by Rev. Stephen Peabody in 1772 with his first wife. His first wife passed away, and he married his second wife, Elizabeth, who was the sister of Abigail Adams,” Rochford said. “Now we have found documentation that when President John Adams left office, he did visit the Kimball House with his wife and five of their grandchildren went to Atkinson Academy.”
The exhibit will open in early 2026 and stay open for most of the year.
To donate to the Historical Society, visit shorturl.at/xC1pm