The Brunswick Area Historical Society has announced that its effort to save the community's last freestanding one-room schoolhouse has been unsuccessful.
 
"The ailing economy has hit everyone hard," said David Goodyear, chairman of the board of directors, "and the schoolhouse project is a victim of what has become a national problem for all non-profit agencies."
 
The Historical Society has been working with the property owners and the restoration firm that had been selected to try to move the building from Pearl Road to the Heritage Farm property. "We will have to settle whatever debts still remain from our preliminary work," Goodyear explained. Those debts will be paid from the remainder of the approximate $31,000 raised over the past two and a half years from a variety of fund raising events.
 
"Any funds left after those expenses are paid will be used for the upkeep of Heritage Farm," Goodyear said. The farmhouse itself needs a lot of work including moisture removal and re-painting.
 
Amber Dalakas, president of the Historical Society, said the board had a very difficult time with the decision. "We hope everyone understands that despite our best efforts, and the hard work of the project chairwomen, Mamie Grunau and Jane Meding, we were just unable to continue.  We want to assure everyone we tried our hardest to raise the more than $120,000 needed for the project but it just seems impossible in today's tough economic times."