Elizabethtown Historical Society recently issued an SOS - and the community responded. The "SOS" in question refers to the Save Our Little Red Schoolhouse preservation campaign launched by the historical society last fall. It's part of a five-year, $100,000 capital campaign to renovate and update the building at 57 S. Poplar St., which features a one-room schoolhouse that dates to 1860.

"The community response to this fundraiser was incredible," said Dixie Kaley, historical society curator. "We started fundraising in October, and by Christmastime, I had all the money for the schoolhouse project. I was shocked at the generosity."

The schoolhouse portion of the capital campaign includes replacing all of the original windows in the structure and installing all new shutters as well as replacing a boot on the roof and repairing wall damage caused by rain.

Although Kaley hoped to repair the existing windows, the frames were so deteriorated, they couldn't be saved. Instead, the society installed windows that look like the original four-pane style as well as shutters that were reproduced and handmade to look like the original shutters.

The work was completed by Jim Gibble of Creekside Construction in Manheim, and it was financially supported by a variety of individual donors, including Barry and Barbara Shaw and Yvonne Kauffman.

Members of the Rotary Club of Elizabethtown also presented the historical society with a check for $5,000 toward the renovations.

Rotarian Kevin Schafer picked up a fundraising flyer about the schoolhouse project at a local business in Elizabethtown and pitched the donation idea to the club.

"They have so much good history about Elizabethtown, and they are promoting different businesses in their most recent exhibit," Schafer said, referring to the exhibit that displays old photographs with notations of what structures or businesses exist in the spot today. "It's important to celebrate our history. This is our shared history of Elizabethtown."

The schoolhouse renovations not only bring in more light to the research room housed in the former school, but also increase the building's curb appeal, Kaley said.

"It looks so much more inviting now from the outside, because these shutters are now mounted permanently open," she explained. That helps draw the public into the building, which is a goal of the historical society, she said.

The organization hosts public programs on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. for eight months throughout the year.

The next program will be held on the Sept. 17 and will feature the presentation of two historical society plaques for local buildings. The plaques will be presented to The Elizabeth, located at 18 N. Market St., in a building that marks its 100th anniversary this year, as well as to a building at 40 W. High St. that dates to 1832 and now houses Steph 'n Sara's Naturals.

The Elizabethtown Historical Society formed in 1970. The building houses several original items from the structure, including oil lamps, a coal stove and the front door, along with space for meetings and exhibits and an extensive research library.

Although the society collects money from membership dues, it relies heavily on donations from the public to fund its programming and operations.

"We are trying to create an awareness of what we do and how we are preserving the history of Elizabethtown and the surrounding areas, including Bainbridge and Rheems," Kaley said, noting the historical society plans to host an open house in October to bring even more people into the building. "This is a history everyone should care about."

For more information on the historical society, visit https://etownhistory.com.