WOLCOTT – The Wolcott Schoolhouse, constructed ca. 1855, has received a $20,000 grant from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation as part of $330,211 in Historic Preservation Grant awards to 19 municipalities and non-profit organizations in nine counties. This funding will facilitate the restoration and rehabilitation of Vermont landmarks and important historic buildings and structures, helping to leverage more than $1 million in restoration and rehabilitation efforts.
photo courtesy Wolcott Community Trust
The Wolcott Schoolhouse served as a local public school for more than 100 years, from its construction in 1855 until 1988.
In 2007 the town renovated the newer wing of the schoolhouse, built in 1964, to provide town offices and disconnected the historic schoolhouse from the newer wing. It has been largely unused since.
The newly formed Wolcott Community Trust is now working to rehabilitate the building to house the library and historical society with flexible spaces for community groups and gatherings. The building will undergo complete rehabilitation with the state preservation grant funding restoration of the building’s historic wood windows.
Linda Martin, with the community trust, said the town has given the trust a 99-year lease on the property, which has allowed it to pursue grants and other funding.
The window project is expected to cost a total of $56,000, of which this grant will fund $20,000 and the rest will come for other sources.
The project had already received $400,000, including $100,000 from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and other funding from the Vermont Community Fund, the Council on Rural Development and Preservation Trust.
Vermont Integrated Architects has done a structural assessment and are beginning to work on other parts of the project, she said.
A capital campaign will begin soon for the balance of funding for the project, said Martin.
After the library and historical society move to the schoolhouse, it is hoped a cafe can be developed in the depot and leased to an operator.
“Across the state, Vermonters are stepping up to take care of places that are the pillars of our communities,” said Governor Phil Scott. “This program supports local leadership, leverages additional investment, and preserves historic buildings that make Vermont so special, so they can continue to welcome residents and visitors for years to come.”
“The Historic Preservation Grants support places that matter, that reflect Vermont’s history, that serve as the centerpieces of our communities,” stated State Historic Preservation Officer Laura V. Trieschmann. “Preserving historic buildings like those receiving 2026 grant funding starts at the local level, and we applaud this year’s grant recipients for their commitment.”
Grants awarded this year will support work on historic community buildings from Brownington to Guilford. Projects include slate roof work at the Isley Public Library in Middlebury, the Bennington County Courthouse, and the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph. Other projects include window restoration at the Wolcott Schoolhouse, plaster restoration at the Bellows Falls Opera House, and drainage masonry restoration at the Union Meeting Hall in Ferrisburgh. The full list of award winners is available on the Historic Preservation Grant web page at accd.vermont.gov/historic-preservation/funding/historic-preservation-grants
Historic Preservation Grants are a state-funded program awarding one-to-one matching grants up to $20,000 for the rehabilitation of civic and community resources that are a vital part of Vermont’s historic downtowns, villages, and rural communities. To qualify, the resource must be at least fifty years of age and listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Since the creation of the Historic Preservation Grants in 1986, almost 700 projects on historic buildings, structures, and sites owned by municipalities and non-profits have received over $6 million.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
