Western-Star.com

The West Chester Historical Society is looking for a financial leg up this season to help with three local projects.

The Society is continuing to raise funds through three uniquely local sources, including books, a holiday ornament and a throw.

The money raised through purchases of these items and donations will be used toward the preservation of two area buildings, and the continuation of an archeological dig next summer.

"We're small but mighty," said Mary Raffel, Historical Society vice president.

For that reason, a number of Society jobs have been donated by retirees, which helps make limited funds last longer, Raffel said.

The first project for the Society is finishing work on the historic school house, located off Station Road. The early 1900s-era building is the only two-room school house left in Butler County, Raffel said. And, once finished, it will act as a meeting place and storage facility for the Society.

The Society will also be raising money to fund the renovation of the chapel in Brookside Cemetery, a building that dates back to the late 1800s, Raffel said.

The organization is also planning to reopen its archeological dig along portions of the Miami-Erie Canal off Port Union Road in August, a project that last year netted several artifacts from some of the original settlers of Butler County and southern Ohio.

To fund the work in 2009, the Historical Society will be selling two books — one on the history of Union Elementary, the other about the roots of West Chester — a holiday ornament featuring the Station Road school house and a throw that depicts the history of the township.

Each book is $25, the ornament is $10 and the throw is $40. Call the Historical Society at (513) 874-4373 for more information.