CANAAN — The Canaan Historical Society is seeking to raise more than $180,000 to repair the historic Canaan Meetinghouse.

The meetinghouse, located on Canaan Street across from the Canaan Street Lake, was built in 1793 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town-owned building has served as a gathering spot for generations of Canaan residents. From May through September, it is used for town meetings, weddings, concerts and the popular Meetinghouse Readings series.

“We have a situation where some parts of the building are failing, which is normal just due to age,” said John Bergeron, who serves as president of Canaan Historical Society.

Among the most pressing needs is replacing the eight timbers that support the iconic bell tower.

“Those eight posts are showing some rot,” Bergeron said.

This fall, temporary bracing was installed which are “good for probably two or three years, and that’s enough to keep it safe,” he added. “That gets us to a point where we have time to raise some funds.”

Michael Fogarty, who chairs the Meeting House Preservation Committee, said initial estimates call for $20,000 to $30,000 to stabilize and replace the timbers.

“We’re always hopeful we can do things less expensively, but we really can’t cut any corners on things,” he said. “We’re looking for a long-term solution so this doesn’t become a recurring problem.”

The town of Canaan owns the building, which is overseen by the Meeting House Preservation Committee. Since the 1970s, when the town established the meetinghouse committee, much restoration work has been put into the building, including the bell tower restoration in 2012, according to a timeline on the town website.

In 2015, the committee began raising money to restore the windows. That work continues: Around 15 windows have been restored so far, and there are around 15 left to do, Bergeron said. Among the other jobs needed are repairs to the roof, the flooring on the first floor and work done to the exterior trim and sills, which will all add to the roughly $180,000 total estimate.

“As we walk around the building, close to the ground, where the sill is located, we can see some rot beginning to develop,” Bergeron said.

All of the money the Canaan Historical Society raises will be given to the Trustees of the Trustfunds, which will earmark it to be used solely for the meetinghouse, Bergeron said. In addition to asking for private donations, preservation committee and historical society members are also working on applying for grants.

“We’re really just kind of getting organized to start this fundraising effort,” Fogarty said.

The goal is to have the money in place by early 2025. There is a chance the committee and historical society might ask voters for money during Town Meeting 2025.

“It’s a matter of getting the funds together and then we go through a bidding cycle,” Bergeron said. “It’s unlikely to happen in 2024, so 2025 would be mostly likely.”

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.