More info at Historic Effingham.org
A 2018 building assessment process yielded a wealth of interesting information on our 162 year-old building including:
- the 1858 Masonic Charitable Institute appears to have been a unique venture, with no similar academies known to have existed anywhere else in the United States,
- the beams under the building are solid, and
- parts of the belfry’s original clover leaf window are lying under the dust on the unused third floor.
In 2018, the Town began work on a new Capital Improvements Plan. As part of this effort, the Town reached out to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance (NHPA) to discuss the Town Hall and options for funding the rehabilitation of the structure. As a result, the decision was made to nominate the building to the Nat’l Register of Historic Places and the Town asked NHPA for a grant to conduct an updated historic building assessment. A team was assembled to develop a long-term plan, including multi-year phases for repairs and renovations. The application to the Nat’l Historic Register was submit in April of 2019.
The Preservation Society has been part of the team and has agreed to be the Fiscal Agent of the Historic Town Hall Project. The project will benefit from our 501(c)(3) status in fundraising and from the energy of our earnest volunteers. For more information and to connect with our project, please contact Chuck at: info@HistoricEffingham.org
