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Jane Weaver, whose dedication to restoring and preserving the schoolhouse over the past quarter-century is credited for saving the building, and County Administrator Kelly Cox, another staunch supporter of the building restoration, had the honors of officially ringing in the new Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum bell tower, completed earlier this summer.

The new tower is a replica of the 70-foot-tall bell tower that was part of the school's original construction, completed in 1877. {sidebar id=5} 

The original bell tower was badly damaged in the 1906 earthquake which left San Francisco in ruin and caused damage even as far north as Lake County, according to a museum history. In 1907 the damaged bell tower was removed, a thick coat of stucco was applied to the exterior and the straight French roof was changed to a mansard-style roof.

Three elementary grades were taught at the school between 1877 and 1935. After it closed as a grammar school it was sold to the Masonic Lodge, according to the history. It also later served as a grange building before the county regained ownership of the property in 1986 and a group formed to restore it. The work began in 1992.

The new bell tower was completed earlier this summer. Construction, museum officials reported, began in November 2006.

The occasion Thursday drew a crowd of more than 100 people, including Congressman Mike Thompson, Supervisors Ed Robey and Jeff Smith, and residents from around Lake County.

Clymire said the the turnout was "tremendous."

Calling the restored museum and new bell tower a "beautiful facility for Lake County," Clymire said once upon a time there was a question about whether the building should be demolished or saved.

Congressman Mike Thompson, taking his turn at the podium, said, "Thank you to the folks who were on the side of fixing it and not tearing it down."

Thompson shared the story that his district representative, Brad Onorato, had a family connection to the schoolhouse. During a stay in the county with her family, his mother, Carole, had attended kindergarten at the school.

Thompson said he's working to get federal funding to help complete the final piece in the building's restoration, the earthquake retrofit.

During his remarks, Supervisor Ed Robey noted, "Sometimes in government things take longer than you think."

He joked that it only took government 100 years to manage to replace the tower.

Once the earthquake retrofit is complete, said Robey, "We'll have something that will last a long, long time."

Cox told the crowd that he had always wanted to see the building's bell tower restored, and that the results were beyond what he had imagined.

"I can still hardly believe that this has happened after all these years," he said.

There was some question about whether or not the building could be saved, said Cox, because it was thought that it was too far gone.

"It's too difficult to describe what it was like," he said, adding that at the time he was ashamed that the county had let the building fall into such a condition.

Cox described going into the dilapidated building more than 20 years ago, with the stairs to the second floor missing, pigeons and bats were the only inhabitants. He said it was like being in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

He joined the effort to save the building, led by John and Jane Weaver, and said he spent many vacation and weekend days shoveling pigeon droppings out of the schoolhouse.

Cox credited many people for their efforts to restore the building, which he said has become a "truly outstanding museum." He also credited the Board of Supervisors for supporting the project.

His greatest praise, however, was reserved for Jane Weaver, the most energetic person Cox said he has ever met.

"Jane, there's your bell tower," he said.

Museum Curator Linda Lake, who marked her 10th anniversary at the museum Thursday, described first seeing the "haunted house on the hill," which she eventually would join the effort to restore.

"Sometimes it takes my breath away just to look at it," Lake said of the schoolhouse.

Weaver shared a history of the schoolhouse, which originally was called the Nichols Schoolhouse in honor of architect and trustee trustee of the schoolhouse, Leslie Phineas Nichols.

Nichols came to Lake County in 1866 to look for a way to use Clear Lake to supply water to San Francisco, said Weaver.

Eventually, he became involved with farming, including planting winegrapes to supply the area's growing number of wineries.

"He built this jewel for this area, but he never saw the children in the classroom," said Weaver.

That's because he drowned in Clear Lake on Sept. 12, 1877 – 130 years and a day before the Thursday ceremony. Weaver said he drowned while trying to retrieve a duck he shot from the water.

Clymire shared why he called Jane Weaver "Dream Weaver": She managed to get the building painted in a week's time in order to be ready for the Thursday ceremony.

"She works miracles," he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Congressman Mike Thompson spoke during the Thursday dedication ceremony. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

Jane Weaver shared the schoolhouse building's history. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

From left, Elaine Wallin of Lower Lake, Muriel Kunzler of Clearlake, Pat Ellis of Clearlake and Maxine Glimme of Lower Lake all attended school in the schoolhouse building before classes ceased there in 1935. Wallin, Kunzler and Glimme are sisters; Ellis is their cousin. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.