Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz was joined today by representatives from the Erie County Department of Environment & Planning and Friends of Limerick, Inc. Director Wynne Klingel at a historic one-room schoolhouse on Cummings Road in Akron to celebrate the recent completion of a renovation project made possible using county funding.
Thanks to the Erie County Cultural Capital Grant, an ADA-compliant restroom was installed, repairs were made to the structure’s chimney and the adjoining sidewalk, and the installation of a brand-new septic system. The improvements have allowed the organization to offer year-round programming, including art programs and educational visits for students to learn about early education in Western New York.
Field trips for local elementary and homeschooled students have already been scheduled to take place later this month and in June providing interactive lessons for children to sit in the original one-room schoolhouse desks and learn what a typical day was attending classes. Friends of Limerick, Inc. also received an additional $3,800 in operating funds to be used for future special events and programming.
“These important infrastructure improvements are another example of what our cultural capital grants are intended to do,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “We are investing in a historic building to not only help preserve the structure but to allow for the space to be used to educate and enrich the minds of all, especially school-aged children. By helping to pay for one-time renovation and repair costs we are helping smaller organizations countywide to strengthen them for the future and enriching the communities in which they are located.”
Friends of Limerick Inc. was founded in 2020 as part of a community inspired effort to save the historic one-room schoolhouse. The building is believed to have been built to replace a small log schoolhouse in School District No. 10 to meet the growing needs of the area as Irish immigrants came to work at the Cummings Cement Mill. It functioned as a school from 1869 until 1957 and became known as School No 12. It is believed to have been named after the immigrants’ homeland of Limerick.
Community members voted in 1957 to save the school so it could be used as a town hall after members of the Akron-area Home Bureau organization fought for its preservation. The Town of Newstead eventually took over ownership and maintenance of the building until 2008. After sitting vacant for several years, the Frends of Limerick Inc. organization was created and eventually was able to assume ownership and began various restoration efforts.
In addition to celebrating the recent renovations, Friends of Limerick, Inc. reminded community members about their plans to host “Cultural Day” on the grounds of the schoolhouse on Saturday, May 16 from 1pm to 4pm as part of the Newstead/Akron area’s observation of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
The event will be free to attend and is open to people of all ages. Activities will include:
- Drawing lessons involving local artists
- Weaving instructional opportunities with the Buffalo Weaving Guild
- Calligraphy classes with Trout Design
- An 1876 fashion display and discussion with Anneliese Meck
- Visiting with local colonial reenactor David Freeman
- Patriotic craft table led by the Newstead Historical Society
- 1800s-era games
For more information:
About the Erie County Cultural Grant Program, visit www.erie.gov/cultural/funding-overview
About Friends of Limerick Inc, visit www.limerickschool.org
