Gautier Elementary School, Gautier, MS

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Gautier Elementary School

505 Magnolia Tree Dr.

Gautier, MS 39553

     Built in 1940, the Gautier School replaced the Lyon School, built in 1918 when Horace Hinds, a Gautier grocer, brought a petition to the Jackson County Board of Supervisors asking for a special levy of taxes for school purposes in the Gautier, Bethany, Martin Bluff, Belle Fontainem and Pleasant View consolidated school districts.  Begun in a building owned by R. W. Hamill and Emily Lyon, it was located just north of the railroad on Hakes Road three miles west of the Hilda community. The school district raised money by bond issuance and bought the school and 10 associated acres of land from the owners five years later in 1923. The Lyon School operated until 1940 when Gautier School was built to replace it.

     The Lyon School consolidated other schools in the area, including the ‘Little Red Schoolhouse,’ built in 1890 by Walter Gautier that was located about 500 yards south.  Just south of U.S. Highway 90 adjacent to First Baptist Church of Gautier, the school has seen many changes in its 72 years of existence. The first school in Gautier funded primarily with public monies, it was built on a 10-acre lot to replace the Lyon School. Like the Lyon School, it had grades 1 through 8. When it opened it had four teachers and 80 students.

     Originally having only four classrooms, several grades were required to be taught in one room by a single teacher.  With the growth of the community the school grew to its present size.  Gautier School operated as a county school until it became a part of the Pascagoula Separate School District in 1957. Twelve classrooms and a cafeteria were added in 1962. Four more rooms were added in 1968 and four more in 1986 to make room for kindergarteners. It continues to serve today as an elementary school making it the oldest school in the city in operation. In 1950 the old Lyon School was dismantled, and the lumber was used to build two houses that are now located in the same area.  The school district for the Gautier area was called the Lyon Separate School District until the system became a part of the Pascagoula Separate School District in 1957.

      In 2013, the 72-year-old Gautier Elementary School, previously marked by a state historic marker from the Mississippi Department of Archives History, received another historical accolade with the unveiling of a National Register of Historic Places Marker honoring the schools service to its students and community, hosted by the Gautier Historic Preservation Commission.  The Gautier School is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places for local significance under Criterion A for association with Education. The school’s new designation as a nationally recognized structure is a source of pride by local historic preservation leaders.

Gautier Historic Colored Schoolhouse, Gautier, MS

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Gautier Historic Colored Schoolhouse

401 De La Pointe Drive

Gautier, MS 39553

A little piece of history, known as the Gautier Colored School, is a one-room schoolhouse built in the early 1920s for local African American children to attend school during times of segregation. This small building served anywhere from 20-40 children at a time, ranging from 6 to 16 years of age. The crowded building lacked traditional educational tools such as chalkboards. The students used broken oyster shells in lieu of writing utensils and wrote on pieces of roofing slate. It served as a schoolhouse until 1946 when it was converted to a community resource center.

     Simply constructed, yet full of love and mission, the conception of the Gautier Colored School began when Jackson County purchased land at the northeast corner of De La Pointe Drive in 1921. A mere $200 was appropriated toward the construction of this school for African American children. But, patrons raised additional funds and provided the labor for the construction of the building. Materials were locally sourced, including heart pine wood supplied by a local sawmill and a pot belly coal burning stove that served as the only source of heat.

     Teachers, students, and community members have made long lasting impacts on the community through their involvement in the Gautier Colored School. Moss Point native, Earnestine Ellis Fountain taught at the schoolhouse until its closing in 1946. She was a dedicated teacher and caretaker of the children who attended the schoolhouse, making sure those with no lunch did not go hungry and picking up loose coal that spilled from steam engines in order to heat the classroom. Mrs. Fountain was the first African-American Principal in the Pascagoula School System and served as Principal of Fair Elementary School for twenty-two years.

     In years following its status as a schoolhouse, the building was used by the community as a Senior Citizens’ Center, a polling place, a meeting room for the local Boy Scout Troops, the Lions Club, and many more community functions. The Mississippi Heritage Trust named it in 2013 as one of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi. Although in appearance it is a tiny, rundown building, it is one of the most important structures in Southern culture, housing nearly a century of history.

     With very few historical African American schools still standing on the Southern coast, this is an asset worth saving. Ideally, the building will become a museum and cultural center where visitors may experience what it felt like all those years ago to receive education in a small, one room schoolhouse without any technology typical to that time such as chalkboards, writing utensils, and sufficient heating.

Country School House, Mountain Lake Heritage Village, Mountain Lake, MN

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Country School House

Mountain Lake Heritage Village

1803 Mountain Lake Rd.

Mountain Lake, MN 56159

The Heritage Village was founded in 1972 to preserve the history of the people of the Mountain Lake, MN, community dating back to the late 1800s.  Buildings and items relating to homes, churches, schools, agriculture, and various other businesses have been gathered and displayed. These items tell the story of how things were and the struggles encountered when the area was first settled. It leads us to imagine how difficult things must have been during the early years with grasshoppers, blizzards, extreme heat, and droughts.  From the 1884 Mennonite Homestead to the Prairie Interpretive Center, twenty buildings preserve a rich Mennonite and Lutheran heritage.

    Heritage Village, on the southwest edge of Mtn. Lake, near the intersection of County Road #1 and MN Hwy 60, was established to remember and celebrate the Russian-Mennonite and German-Lutheran immigrants that were early settlers in the area. Visitors stroll through 21 buildings filled with displays depicting pioneer life. Many of the buildings were built in the 19th century and have been lovingly preserved and restored.  While each structure plays a part in telling the story of our 19th century founders, three stand out as truly one-of-a-kind, must-see buildings.

     The Gerhard Dick family home and attached barn was built in the traditional European style over 125 years ago. Few of these structures remain in Minnesota. Behind the home sits an unattached summer kitchen. Cooking was done here on hot summer days in an attempt to keep the house cool.   Also unique is the granary. Often the first building constructed on a farm, the granary stored the harvest upstairs while the family lived downstairs. When enough money had been saved a home was constructed. The Heritage Village granary exhibit recalls the early dual purpose of this building.

     Heritage Village is also home of the Minnesota Hall of Fame Telephone Museum; the only one of its kind in the state. It offers a rare look at the progress of the telegraph and telephone through the history of local telecommunications.  The Village is also home to a depot, chapel, barn, farmhouse, general store, barber shop, country school house, hospital, bank, furniture store, post office, and a large machine shed. A gift shop, with a wide assortment of items, is located in the Buhler Visitors’ Center.  During Utschtallung (Heritage Fair) held the second Sat. of Sept. costumed tour guides discuss the history of each building and its exhibits.

District 96 School Building, Dakota City Heritage Village, Farmington, MN

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District 96 School Building

Dakota City Heritage Village

4008 W. 220th St.

Farmington, MN 55024

     Dakota City Heritage Village is a 1900-era village and museum dedicated to connecting people to the rural past. Located in Farmington, Minnesota, just 30 minutes south of the Twin Cities on the Dakota County Fairgrounds, the five-acre site includes 22 buildings where visitors experience living history firsthand with costumed interpreters and demonstrations. Ahlberg Heritage Center, the museum, houses more than 10,000 artifacts depicting social and rural history, with an emphasis on agriculture. Events throughout the year focus on rural life 100+ years ago, including how residents met their needs for food, clothing, shelter, and social connection. School programs are scheduled throughout the spring and fall, and various group tours are offered. In addition, buildings at Dakota City are available to rent for weddings, family gatherings, and organization events.

     The school building, District 96, was built in the southwest quarter of Section 13, Eureka Township in 1902. It replaced a previous schoolhouse that was originally built in 1892 and struck by lightning. This building was used continuously for classes until 1945 when the children were transported to Farmington.  With the reorganization of the Dakota County schools in 1951, the one room schools went out of existence. This school district formally consolidated with Farmington Independent School District No. 192 in 1959, and this building was given to the Dakota County Agricultural Society by the district. It was moved to the fairgrounds in 1960. The school desks from St. Mary’s Catholic school in New Trier fit students in grade one through eight. The black jacket that surrounds the stove is from Grey Eagle Minnesota. A jacket was required for all rural schools to be eligible for state aid. A Red Wing pottery water cooler sits in one corner, and George Washington and Abraham Lincoln look down on the room form above the front blackboard.

Gaffield School, Montcalm Heritage Village, Sidney, MI

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Gaffield School

Montcalm Heritage Village

2800 College Dr.

Sidney, MI 48885

Established in 1987, Montcalm Heritage Village has grown to include 28 buildings on Montcalm Community College’s campus at Sidney, MI, and it features hundreds of artifacts from local areas depicting life in Michigan in turn the turn of the 20th Century. Some of these structures were moved in from the area and others erected at the Village. The Gaffield School was built near Amble, Michigan, in 1904.  It was used to educate nearby students until the 1950s.  In 1986, it was moved to the campus of Montcalm Community College and became the first of more than twenty five buildings forming the Heritage Village.

     During the annual Heritage Village Festival, the first weekend of August, students in first through eighth grade attend the school, learning and experiencing life in earlier times: one teacher teaching all subjects to all students, using the outhouses, carrying water from the well for hand washing, bringing their lunches in peanut butter pails for small baskets, spending recess on the playground equipment, and having entire families of children in one classroom.  In the spring, several area schools bring classes to tour the Village and learn the history and importance of each building. The school is not only for children.  During the Festival, several hundred people tour the buildings and enjoy the activities.  In the school, it is so enjoyable speaking with adults who share their memories of attending a one-room school while they search the many pictures on the back shelves looking for their school.

The Randall Schoolhouse, Meridian Historical Village, Central Park, Okemos, MI

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The Randall Schoolhouse

Meridian Historical Village, Central Park

5151 Marsh Rd.

Okemos, MI 48864

The Meridian Historical Village is located in picturesque Central Park, a Meridian Township park located at 5151 Marsh Road, Okemos MI, and contains historic buildings relocated from other locations and carefully restored to their original 19th century style. The Village is operated by the Friends of Historic Meridian, a non-profit organization formed in 1974 to create and sustain an active appreciation of local history. The Friends of Historic Meridian preserve and maintain the historic buildings, sponsor a variety of community events in the Village, hold weddings in our chapel and host school tours for local elementary students. 

     All are invited to enjoy the Village grounds and surrounding trails throughout the year.  The buildings are open to public by appointment every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May until October. Tours are currently available by appointment only, limit 10 people per group.  The Village hosts over 2700 elementary students annually on weekdays during the academic year.  The busiest weeks are in the spring between March and June, and in the fall between September and November.    Because the buildings are booked many weeks in advance by teachers for their students, the general public is asked to refrain from entering unlocked buildings while school tours are in progress at the Village during the week.  The office is located in the single story wing of the Barnes House.

     The Randall Schoolhouse, a one-room rural schoolhouse, was originally located in Conway Township, north of Fowlerville, Michigan. The Randall School was built in 1883, at a cost of $853.45, to serve grades first through eighth living in parts of Conway and Handy Townships in Livingston County.  The school was continuously used until 1975, and then was used to store farm items (including corn) until the 1980’s when it was slated for demolition. The Friends rescued the building and relocated it to the Village in 1987, where it is currently used to educate students about education in the 19th century.

Poppleton School, Troy Historic Village, Troy, MI

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Poppleton School

Troy Historic Village

60 W. Wattles Rd.

Troy, MI 48098

The Troy Historic Village is located in the city of Troy, Michigan. The establishment allows visitors to view the lifestyle of those who lived in Troy Township in the 1800s. The carefully restored buildings include the main building (City Hall), log cabin, a Greek Revival Home, a brick one-room school, print shop, wagon shop, a town hall, a general store, and a turn of the century church and parsonage.

     Poppleton School was built in 1877 and stood at the intersection of Big Beaver and Crooks Roads. The school was named after a man by the name of William Poppleton, a prosperous pioneer man who owned 1,200 acres of land in Troy and provided the land on Big Beaver Road west of Crooks Road where a one-room brick school was built. In 1925 that single room was connected through a hallway to a large addition. Children ranging from the ages 8-14 attended this school. The school was taught by only one teacher who taught all the subjects such as reading, arithmetic, spelling, penmanship, and more. Boys had to sit on one side while the girls sat on another side.

     In 1877 those Big Beaver and Crooks Roads were muddy paths traversed by horse-drawn farm wagons; but by 1975 high-rise office buildings and corporate headquarters dominated Big Beaver. When Big Beaver Road was developed as a corporate corridor during the 1970s, the tiny but well-used Poppleton School was slated to face the wrecking ball. In response, the Troy Historical Society rallied community support to buy the building and relocate it to the Village. Saving Poppleton School was a Troy Bicentennial Project.

     However, moving the building presented financial and logistical challenges; because it was too heavy to move across the I-75 overpass and too tall to maneuver under the overpass. Still, a solution was found. The Italianate architecture was carefully documented; the wooden windows and interior components removed; and the brick structure dismantled. The roof—secured to the floor—was easily transported to the Village where new cinderblock walls were built and the salvaged brick, windows, and wainscoting were reinstalled.

     Poppleton School was relocated to the Troy Historic Village in the year 1980 and reconstructed at the Village, 60 West Wattles (a.k.a. 17 Mile Road) in Troy, just west of Livernois near the northwest corner of Wattles and Livernois.  Following restoration, Poppleton School became the favorite destination for thousands of children who visit the Village on school field trips each year. It was designated a Michigan Historic Site on August 22, 1981. 

South Center School House, Washington, MA

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South Center School House

Washington Mountain Rd.

Washington, Massachusetts

The South Center School House is a historic one-room school house on Washington Mountain Road in Washington, Massachusetts. Built in 1880 at the site of the town’s first school for $300, it was one of the town’s seven district schools, and is the town’s only surviving district school building. The South Center School House is located on the north side of Washington Mountain Road, roughly midway between the town’s Upper and Lower, and just south of the road’s crossing of Savery Brook. It is a small rectangular wood frame structure, with a gable roof, clapboard siding, and rubblestone foundation.

     The main (southeast facing) facade has an off-center entry with a broad lintel, a small 2-over-2 window just to its right, and a small round window in the gable above. The side facades each have two sash windows. The interior of the building houses two small cloakrooms and a single classroom. Washington’s population was in a period of decline in the early 20th century, and the school closed in 1922. It then stood vacant for many years, was restored by the local historic commission in the 1970s.and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Denton Schoolhouse, Denton, MD

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Denton Schoolhouse

104 S. 2nd St.

Denton, Maryland

The Denton Schoolhouse is a historic school located at 104 South Second Street in Denton, Caroline County, Maryland, United States. It is a small building, domestic in scale, with a Latin cross plan and several features of the Gothic Revival style, built about 1883. On the roof ridge is an octagonal cupola with a belfry of alternating louvered and plain drop-arched panels, with a cut wooden spire on top.  The longer arms, each three bays, are parallel to Second Street. The main entrance, which opens from a hall onto the street, is in the northeast arm as is the kitchen; the southwest arm is now a meeting room. A large clubroom extends the entire length of the shorter arms of the cross. Two other entrances are situated in the rear wall of the northeast arm, opening into the kitchen, and the street side of the southwest room, opening into the meeting room.

     Although the building has been covered with aluminum siding and an asphalt shingle roof, it still retains architectural details of its Gothic Revival style. The pointed arch windows have 4/4 Gothic sash and shutter blinds with louvered sections over raised panel ones. A few of the window sash have been replaced with ordinary 4/4 sash. The exterior doors have four raised panels each bordered by applied mouldings. “Open work,” typical of the period, exists in three of the four gable peaks. Affixed to the roof ridge of the longer sections is an octagonal cupola with a belfry of alternating louvered and plain drop-arched panels. At the top of the cupola is an elaborately cut wooden spire.

     The Denton Schoolhouse was built during the last quarter of the 19th century on a cruciform plan, and incorporates several features of the Gothic Revival style. This use of a plan and style post often found in church architecture gives this schoolhouse an unusual character. The building has played a number of roles in the life of the community since its erection, and although no longer used as a school, it today continues to serve the needs of the community as the home of the local Woman’s Club.  The Denton Schoolhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Historic Governor Brann Schoolhouse, Cyr Plantation, ME

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Historic Governor Brann Schoolhouse

US Route 1

Cyr Plantation, Maine

The Historic Governor Brann School is a historic school building on the east side of United States Route 1, just south of its junction with Laplante Road, in Cyr Plantation, Maine. The schoolhouse is located one mile south of Van Buren, Maine. The Cyr Plantation, named after the numerous Cyrs who lived in the vicinity, was organized as a plantation in 1870. In 1879, the settlement was principally on the stagecoach-line from Caribou to Van Buren (Maine), known as Caribou Road. Throughout the century, there were people living on rear lots of the Cyr Plantation. At one time, two sawmills and a starch factory were in operation. Today Cyr Plantation is a full township with an area of approximately 6.5 square miles. The township with its reddish soil, yields good crops of wheat, oats, buckwheat, and its famous potatoes.

    The Governor Brann School was built in 1934, the third built by the community for its third district, and named for then-governor Louis J. Brann.  It is a small wood-frame structure with Craftsman styling, finished in wood shingles and has a hip roof. A shed-roof addition extends from the center of the northern facade. The main facade faces west, and is three bays wide, a pair of sash windows flanking the center entrance. The entrance is sheltered by a gable-roofed portico, supported by both large brackets and a pair of square posts. The porch roof, like that of the building, has exposed rafter ends in the Craftsman style. The interior of the main block is a single room, with small closets on either side of the entrance, and doorways leading the northern addition, which originally housed pit toilets. The interior is finished in tongue-and-groove woodwork with a chair rail.

     The design of this school was based on one of a series of plans developed by the Portland architectural firm Miller and Mayo pursuant to a state contract for designing model schools under a 1909 state law intended to improve the state’s rural schools. This school building is one of a number of rural schools in the state built according to the same design. Due to declining population and school enrollment, the community closed three of its six schools in 1943, and the rest were closed in 1950, when its schools were consolidated with those of neighboring Van Buren and it became part of SAD 24..

     The building has been restored to its original condition (except for a modern furnace) with the original paint scheme, hard wood floors, and a “two holer.”  It is the best-preserved of the community’s former district school buildings and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.  The Town of Cyr Plantation (population 117) now uses the building for a polling station and for their annual town meetings.