Thanks to the Towamensing Township Supervisors and Historical Commission, progress has been made on the Greenzweig one-room schoolhouse.

Don Bonnet, chair of the commission, said: “We are working on the outside to prevent further deterioration. It couldn’t have been completed without the support of the township to preserve our history.”

Open from 1892 to 1955, the schoolhouse building sits on a quarter-acre property on Church Road on land donated to Towamensing Township by the Kuehner family in 2014.

In 1892, the cost to build and furnish the schoolhouse with desks, as well as securing the deed, was a total of $767.24.

In 1896, the school term was only six months long and teachers’ pay was $25 to $28 per month.

Terry Hahn is called the unofficial “supervisor” of the project. His father, Clarence, attended the school.

After that he recalled when “a farmer used to store his grain in there. I used to help him out.”

Hahn will be redoing the broken concrete steps with a new ramp. He was instrumental in helping with the new aluminum siding.

Local craftsman Lynn Byerley made an exact replica of a missing 1892 window.

Township Chair Guy Seifert was hands-on with the project.

He provided wood and made the new front door and helped with the shutters in his workshop. The original hardware was used to replace them.

In June, the board gave the historical commission six months to demonstrate it could raise funds to preserve the schoolhouse.

Through mailings, the commission received enough money to be solvent and got many volunteers for the renovation.

Sandy Branch, a member of the commission, got involved in the project because there are not many one-room schoolhouses around.

“We’d like to preserve the history of what it was like back in the day,” she said.

The plan is to begin working on the inside in the spring.

There are several ideas of how the schoolhouse can be used once the work is completed.

There is no heat or electricity.

They are looking at putting bluebird boxes around the property.

Possibilities include using it for the Boy Scouts, a veterans memorial or using it to display antiques.

Historical commission member Jack Branch said: “It was a community effort. It’s been very heartwarming to be a part of, and we really appreciate the help we’ve been given.”

Countless community members have volunteered their time and skills to renovate the schoolhouse.

The historical commission is looking for volunteers and donations to continue the preservation and restoration project.

Contact Don Bonnet at 610-671-8807, Historical Commission, for further information or to volunteer or make a donation.