MILFORD – Continuing its efforts to restore and maintain one of the town’s great landmarks, the Milford Heritage Commission has replaced the granite steps at the door of the Laurel/Abbott Schoolhouse in East Milford.

Last fall, the commission restored the windows of the town’s last remaining one-room schoolhouse, which has been known as the Scout House since 1952. Previously known as the Abbott Schoolhouse and the East Milford School, it originally served the town’s farm families on Ponemah Hill Road.

It was moved to its current location on Shepard Street near the turn of the 20th century to accommodate the influx of immigrant families working in Milford’s growing granite industry.

With the original granite steps crumbling, donations from Steve Trombly and Clayton Gray spurred the installation of new granite steps, made from Milford granite, over the spring months.

Donations from individuals, local businesses, the American Legion and the Keyes Foundation allowed the Heritage Commission, chaired by David Palance, to proceed with this phase of the ongoing project to make the Scout House habitable for future town groups and activities.

Other Heritage Commission members include Chris Thompson, Sarah Brown, Sara Weyant-Bunn, Charles Worcester, Katherine Kokko, Herbert Adams, and Selectmen’s representative Paul Dargie.

Thanks to efforts by the commission, the Scout House is on the state’s Register of Historic Places.

The Heritage Commission is hopeful of ensuring the building’s usefulness for the foreseeable future by minimizing heat loss during the colder months, making the site secure from vandalism, and providing for continued maintenance.

More information is available at www.milford.nh.gov/heritage-commission, or by contacting Palance at davidpalance@comcast.net.