The building that houses the Elizabethtown Historical Society dates to the 1860s, and now it's showing its age. "We need to raise some funds for building repairs," said Dixie Kaley, president of the historical society. She noted that work needs to be done on the one-room schoolhouse that holds the historical society's archives. "I'm calling the campaign 'Save Our Little Red Schoolhouse Fund,'" Kaley said.

A few months ago, a volunteer noticed water damage on a wall, which led to an inspection of the schoolhouse's original windows. "We realized we need to replace the windows," Kaley remarked. "The wood around them has deteriorated to the point it can't be painted anymore, and the windows are no longer able to be opened or closed."

The schoolhouse features 10 original windows, but two of them are interior windows that mark the wall between the older building and the newer edition built in the late 1990s, so only eight need to be replaced.

Kaley also hopes to raise enough money to install shades on the windows, so the shutters can remain open but the items inside the building would be protected from the sun.

She noted that it's not a cheap project. "The estimates we have received are between $30,000 and $40,000," she said.

In addition to asking for corporate sponsors and community donations, the historical society is organizing an online auction through John Carl Auction Company in Maytown. "We have some interesting pieces from Klein's Chocolate Factory that people have never seen," Kaley said, noting that the auction will include a variety of historical items from the society's collection.

When it was originally constructed, the building at 57 S. Poplar St. served as a fire house. The fire company disbanded when its members left to serve in the Civil War, and the space was converted to a schoolhouse in the late 1800s. Over the years, it's been home to a church, a community entertainment center and even a storage space for a local shoemaker. When Elizabethtown resident Anna Olweiler Needham gifted the building to the community, the historical society was chartered in 1970, and the Kiwanis Club spent years restoring the space.

"A lot of faith and labor was put into this building by the Kiwanis members and volunteers, and we want to preserve that," Kaley said.

She's been working on establishing a research library on-site, and the historical society holds meetings throughout the year that are open to the public.

"We have a lot of history in this building," she noted. "It was used to store wagons at one point, and it was home to the first Boy Scout troop in Elizabethtown. It's been through a lot over the years, and it's important to preserve the building's integrity for future use by the community."

To support the historical society's fundraising campaign, call 717-361-9382. Donations may also be mailed to the society or submitted in person.