CALLAWAY, Fla. (WMBB) — After over eighteen months, one of Callaway’s oldest buildings is finally being restored since suffering damage from Hurricane Michael.
The one-room school house on Beulah Avenue is being lifted onto a new foundation after it was partially knocked over due to the strong winds of the hurricane.
Crews went to work on Tuesday to start the lifting process, and residents say they are over-the-moon to see it finally get some relief; several of them having gone to school inside the building themselves, which is over a century old and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.
“It has a lot, a lot of memories for a lot of people,” said one resident, Rachel Piercy. “It was so enlightening to see that we’re finally getting it restored again.”
Callaway Mayor, Pamn Henderson, said the restoration along with other projects throughout John B. Gore Park is symbolic that the city is continuing to rebuild after Hurricane Michael.
“This is just a really happy day, to have our school coming back,” said Henderson. “It shows that we are continuing the progress.”
Next, the school house will be restored with the same materials it was built from more than a hundred years ago for residents to enjoy for years to come.
“I just can’t say how excited we are that our history is still here,” said Piercy. “We’re making history.”
