CLARYVILLE, NY — The Time and the Valleys Museum and the Claryville Reformed Church have launched a joint one-room schoolhouse restoration project, located at 946 Claryville Rd. The restoration has been made possible by a substantial donation by Vera Curtis Wranovics, a former Claryville resident.
The school was open from 1848 through 1956, when it was given to the Claryville Reformed Church by the school district. Everything was left in the schoolhouse, and it has remained intact through the years, maintained by the church and opened periodically for special occasions.
The schoolhouse retains many of its original features, including light fixtures, the stove, desks, books and items on the walls. It is an early rural education time capsule.
The museum now has a 25-year lease with the Claryville Reformed Church to begin needed repairs, including updating the electric, installing heat, repairing leaks and painting, all made possible by the generous donation. Members from the museum, church and the Claryville community are inventorying and cataloguing school records, books, memories and photos and plan on restoring the interior, creating exhibits and programs and opening the building to the public on a regular basis.
Help with this exciting new restoration project is needed in the form of volunteers to do inventory and planning; donations of photos, artifacts and memories to expand the collection; and funds for archival storage and exhibit materials.

For more information or to make a much-needed donation, visit www.timeandthevalleysmuseum.org. To find out more about volunteering, email director@timeandthevalleysmuseum.org or call Donna Steffens at 845/985-7700. Claryville residents are encouraged to get involved.