Select Board accepts $12,000 Cogswell grant to replace historic society furnace

The Select Board voted to accept $12,000 in unanticipated funds from the Cogswell Benevolent Trust to replace the heating system at the Henniker Historical Society's Town Owner Building at 51 Mabel Street.

Susan, speaking for the Historical Society, explained the building dates from 1836 and said the existing furnace is roughly 40 years old and no longer serviceable in parts. "The furnace was 40 years old," she said, describing prior work to replace alarm systems and lighting and the society’s efforts to fund building preservation.

The historical society intends to remove the oil furnace, convert heating to gas, and install mini‑split units and smaller wall units to heat specific rooms; staff also contracted for interior window inserts to improve energy performance. Members of the public asked whether the oil tank would be removed; society representatives said the crew would attempt to remove it intact but that removal might require cutting and additional work.

A board member moved to accept the $12,000 grant and appropriate the funds to the Henniker Historical Society to administer the furnace replacement; the motion was seconded and carried (vote recorded as 5‑0).