Alexander Breiding has submitted the paperwork for his Eagle Project, and it involves the final restoration effort on the Gull School House!

Alex, a member of Hebron’s Troop 28 Boy Scouts, has taken on the exterior renovations of the Gull, which is a huge project that will finalize the year long efforts to restore this historic building.

Alex has already done a tremendous amount of work on the building – he, his father, Paul, and his uncle, Rick, power washed the building a few months ago. It was pouring rain, but this motivated young man didn’t let that stop his commitment!

Alex began his project in earnest on Saturday, June 11, 2005, when he gathered a crew of approximately 25 Troop 28 members and parents to prime and paint The Gull. He was assisted by donations from Route 85 Lumber in Amston and Ace Hardware in Hebron in obtaining the necessary primer, paint and painting materials needed to restore this building to its original luster.  Dunkin' Donuts and Angie's Pizza donated food for the hungry workers.

On Saturday, June 18, more boys gathered to dig out around The Gull and installed the fascia.  In addition, the grounds were completely racked of all the dead grass, and the stone wall was repaired.  Angie's Pizza again donated food for the workers.

Historic preservationist Thomas R. Linskey, West River Restorations, will be doing the final carpentry work on the building beginning June 27, replacing all the clapboards on the north side of the building.  After that is done, Alex and his crew will do the final priming and painting on the newly restored side.

Stay tuned for updates on Alex’s project – and the final completion of the Gull School House. Next year, after this project is finally completed, the Historical Society will be opening up the Gull on a bi-weekly basis on Sundays, during the months of May through September, so that Connecticut residents can take a step back into yesteryear.

IN MEMORIAM: Richard Alan “Rick” Breiding

 

Finishing the Project

On Saturday, June 18, more boys gathered to dig out around The Gull and install the fascia. In addition, the grounds were completely racked of all the dead grass, and the stone wall was repaired. Angie's Pizza again donated food for the workers.

Photo Gallery

Saturday, June 18, 2005

 

One of the side benefits of the scaffolding put up for the Old Town Hall renovations is being able to capture, visually, Hebron Center in 2006. It's a far different view from other pictures of the Center taken in the late 1800's and also in the 1920's. We freely share this valuable photographs, courtesy of Craig Cyr and Donna McCalla, who have climbed to the top on numerous occasions in order to capture this important moment in time. However, these photographs are the property of the Society, Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved. If you plan to reprint the photos, we ask only that you credit the Hebron Historical Society as the source for the photos.

Photo Gallery

Matt Siok's paperwork for his Eagle Project, which involves significant restoration and improvements on the Burrows Hill School House, has been approved by the district Boy Scout Council!

Matt, a member of Hebron’s Troop 28 Boy Scouts, is going to lead a team of volunteers to scrape and paint the exterior of the Burrows, as well as do some painting on the famous Burrows two seater outhouse. He will also be doing window painting and repair. Matt will be planting an apple tree on the east side of The Burrows, reminiscent of the Smith Family orchards which were prevalent in the area for almost a century, and also plans to design and implement a visitor's board so that people can stop by the Burrows at any time and learn more about the history of Hebron's oldest one-room school house, whether it's open to the public or not.

Keep in mind that the Sioks are third generation Hebronians, and still live in their homestead on Burrows Hill Road. What an exemplary testament to the commitment of Hebron families and our Hebron youth to their community!

Stay tuned for the various stages of Matt's project, which will most likely take place in August 2005 -- and watch the Burrows School House get revitalized with a much-needed makeover.

Photo Gallery

Thomas R. Linskey of West River Restorations corrects major structural problems with The Burrows prior to Matt starting his project. The four center beams, which support the massive weight of the chimney, had suffered dry rot and had to be replaced. Tom braced the building from the cellar all the way up in order to keep the chimney from collapsing while he replaced the beams two at a time. As you can see from some of the pictures, this work was done just in time! One of the beams was completely hollow with rot -- unfortunately, it was one of the beams carrying the vast majority of the chimney's weight. The Society expended a significant amount of money to make these much needed repairs to Hebron's oldest one-room schoolhouse.

Phase Two Gallery

On Sunday, September 25, Matt and 30 of his fellow Troop 28 Scouts, parents, neighbors and family gathered at the Burrows Hill Schoolhouse to begin their work. The building and the outhouse were stained an historic red, an apple tree was planted on the eastern side of the property, and the stone wall was rebuilt and enlarged. Day lilies were also planted around the property. It was a great day!

Phase Three Gallery

On December 5, the floor refinishing work began with stripping and sanding the floors, then applied the first coat of industrial polyurethane to all but the stage area, just in time for J. Paul Loether’s inspection visit!

Loether’s scheduled inspection of Old Town Hall on Friday, December 9, had to be rescheduled to December 12 due to a heavy snow storm. The plaster, paint and floor renovations were all approved! Mr. Loether remarked that the building’s interior looked great, and that the newly painted ceilings and open windows made the building look and feel much larger.

The floors should be completely done by Christmas week. After that, Society members will be carefully arranging the furniture and artifacts. After years of Chiquita banana boxes lining the walls, dingy walls and ceilings, and lights that usually worked, we think the newly-renovated Old Town Hall will be a “must-see” on everyone’s list.

No more renovation work will be undertaken until late spring 2006. At that time, exterior carpentry repairs will be made, as will exterior scraping and painting. Stay tuned!

Renovation History: The Hebron Historical Society received a $50,000 grant last year from the State of Connecticut to make much needed renovations and repairs to Hebron’s Old Town Hall.

Not only has the work has begun, but interior renovations are moving rapidly along. Check the site often to see pictures of the various renovation projects.

Electrical repairs by Professional Electric (the winning bidder to our RFP) began on October 5, were completed prior to the Katie Hill show on October 27. The building was updated from a fuse box to a 200 amp circuit breaker system. Other major electrical repairs, including significant rewiring of the entire building, were also completed.

On Wednesday, November 23, the interior plaster and paint work began with the arduous job of moving all the Society’s heavy furniture and covering it in plastic. The work was completed in mid-December. You won’t recognize the inside of Old Town Hall! The new historical green color and bright walls and ceilings lend a warm and inviting atmosphere.

As other bids and work are approved by the State, we will be updating this page. The project must be completed by December 2006 based on the terms of our Funding Agreement with the State of Connecticut.

Photo Gallery 

In September 2001, the Gull School House was moved from the Green property in Amston to the center of town, adjacent to the Hebron Town Office Building and the Horton House. After three years, the interior of the Gull has been restored and a ready-to-view museum will be available as a result of Eagle Scout Will Aubin's project. Will's crew battled below zero temperatures to sand, scrape, and paint the interior. Much thanks goes to Willie Bell and the Town of Hebron for their support in this project!

Tours will be available from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. Grand Re-opening Ceremonies are planned for 1:00 p.m. with Town Officials, members of the Henrietta Green family, and Historical Society members in attendance.

Follow the progress of Will and his crew though the picture gallery.

Inventory of Gull Contents

Will inventories all the Gull furniture and accessories stored at Old Town Hall

The Inventory Begins

Will and his crew gather at the Gull in below zero temperatures to begin the sanding and scraping; Willie Bell supplied much needed heat.

Moving Day for the Gull Furniture

Will and the crew are preparing to move the Gull contents to it new home.