ORLAND — Members of the Orland Historical Society know a good deal when they see one.

For years, the society was housed in the former Narramissic Grange hall in Orland Village. Though steeped in history, the building lacked some important features, including running water, heat, parking and handicapped accessibility.

So when the town offered the society the former town office building on School House Road — which features all those things the old building did not — for $1, the society accepted.

“We said that looked awful good to us,” said Roger Wood, president of the historical society, with a smile.

Historical society members began working on their new building last fall. They replaced the upstairs floor, putting down new pine flooring designed to give the space an old look.

The town took care of a mold problem in the building’s basement before turning the building over to the society.

About a month and a half ago, work began in earnest. Shelves were added, tables were built and items that were relatively easy to move were relocated from their former home to their new location.

A few treasures were unearthed in the moving process. An old stage curtain was found upstairs in the Grange hall, rolled up and tied off with a rope.

The curtain now hangs in its new home. Unrolled, the curtain features an idyllic coastal scene with a schooner sailing underneath the words “Narramissic Grange 224.” Ads from Bucksport businesses line either side of the painting.

For more community news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.