Ward School No. 2, or the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum building. Constructed in 1896 and used as a ward school, the building was acquired by the City of Norwich in 1958, and reopened as a museum in 1962. On November 21, CCHS will hold a celebration of the building's 125th birthday. (Photo from the CCHS and Museum Facebook page)

NORWICH — The Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) will be holding a celebration to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Ward School No. 2, which has held the CCHS museum since 1962. The celebration is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 21.

"In the early days of education within the Norwich community there were communities and neighborhoods, and they had schools ... Schools were called Ward Schools, because each of our areas within the community of Norwich were divided into wards," explained CCHS and Museum Executive Director Jessica Moquin. "It's just a way to, you know, categorize the location of the neighborhoods that were represented, where each of the schools were located."

Ward School No. 2, located on the corner of Rexford Street, was built in 1896, and opened its doors to the public as a school on November 21, 1896, according to Moquin. This spurred CCHS to hold their 125th anniversary celebration on the exact day.

As part of the festivities, Moquin said there will be treats, the airing of a documentary on students who once attended Ward School No. 2, the opportunity to view museum exhibits, and some surprises. CCHS will also hold their annual meeting to approve new bylaws.