On December 11, 2023, members of the Historic Town Hall Project attended the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) Grant Reception at the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire.
LCHIP awarded a $172,000 matching grant to the Town of Effingham to help with continued rehabilitation of the Effingham Library and Old Town Hall. Work will involve restoring the 6-story bell tower, double doors, and upper-story windows, along with insulating the ceiling and updating wiring.
The EPL would like to personally thank Grace Fuller, Lead Grant Writer, and Chuck Fuller, Lead Project Sponsor, for their hard work on this grant!
About the project
The project is the next chapter of a multi-year effort to rehabilitate the Italianate structure built in 1858 as the New England Masonic Charitable Institute, the only known boarding school sponsored by Freemasons. After the school closed, the first floor served as the Town Hall for over a century, before the Town converted it to the Effingham Public Library, now referred to as a “community center with books.”
Photo (left): Bird’s eye view at the New Hampshire Historical Society where Historic Town Hall project members Chuck Fuller, Leo Racine, and Steve Regal can all be seen at the grant reception. (click to enlarge)
Learn more about the preservation efforts of the Historic Town Hall Project.
