Restoration Progress Continues at Valley’s Little White Schoolhouse
April 15, 2026
By:
Brandon Hansen
After years of work to preserve one of the community’s historic landmarks, the Little White Schoolhouse is entering a new phase of restoration, with major milestones completed and progress taking shape ahead of this year’s Valley Community Fair.
According to the Valley Historical Society, the schoolhouse, originally built in 1916, was relocated to the Valley Fairgrounds in 2020 after being listed as an endangered historic site. Since then, the Valley Historical Society, along with community volunteers and donors, has worked steadily to restore the building with the goal of transforming it into a museum and community gathering space.
In recent months, restoration efforts have reached several key benchmarks, according to Valley Historical Society President and Restoration Director Jesse Klemish.
“The biggest milestones have definitely been the schoolhouse move and getting the foundation in place,” Klemish said. “Getting the new roof installed was a big one also.”
With those structural improvements complete, attention has shifted to the interior, where the project is now in what organizers described as its “most visible stage” yet. Klemish said work is ongoing to refinish floors, restore trim and address aging materials, including the removal of lead paint, a costly but necessary step before repainting can be completed.
Despite the remaining work, the transformation may already be noticeable.
“There has been a lot of hard work and progress happening lately,” the Historical Society shared in a recent update. “The completion of the inside, and eventually the outside, of the schoolhouse is starting to come into view, thanks to everyone’s support.”
Community involvement has played a critical role in keeping the project moving forward. Klemish credited private donations and contributions of historical items for future exhibits as essential to the effort.
“Definitely, the private donations have kept us going,” he said. “And people donating items for our future exhibits has been huge.”
That support will be on display during the Valley Community Fair, when the schoolhouse will again open its doors to the public. Klemish said visitors can expect to see freshly painted walls, upgraded lighting and newly refinished floors.
Organizers said the upcoming open house will showcase just how far the project has come.
“At the Open Schoolhouse this year during the Valley Community Fair, you won’t believe your eyes,” the group said in a social media post.
The restoration effort has been guided by a small but dedicated team, including Klemish and restoration assistant George Craig, both of whom have deep personal ties to the building and the Valley community.
As work continues, the long-term goal remains the same: to preserve the schoolhouse as a place where local history can be shared with future generations.