The Pleasant Valley Schoolhouse Museum, 771 Ellington Rd., will open Nov. 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The South Windsor Historical Society has added the days to its schedule to offer items from its gift shop, including stationey, historic maps, note cards and others. Also being sold are recently donated dolls- some antiques and other collectibles. Proceeds will be used for the maintenance of the former one-room school.
Admission and parking are free. Used as a town elementary school from 1862 to 1952, the schoolhouse has been renovated and expanded by the Historical Society as a local history museum containing school and town memorabilia. It is the only old district schoolhouse in South Windsor that hasn't been demolished or converted to a home. It replaced an earlier school that had been built on the north side of Ellington Road in 1837.
From 1978 to 1994, the historical society leased and maintained the Ellington Road building as a museum, open to visitors and to annual field trips by local elementary school children and scouting groups. It then acquired the building from the town.
Most of the upper level is maintained as a 19th century school room, while the lower level has displays of various items from the town’s agricultural and social history. Among the items for sale at the museum are replicas of the Union District School, maps of old South Windsor, and schoolhouse notepaper, with proceeds used for maintenance of the building. Memorial bricks for a walk are also being sold for $35.
Plans are being completed for the annual visit of Mr. and Mrs. Claus to the museum in December.
For more information, visit the society website at www.southwindsorhistory.org or on facebook.
