Scioto Township District No. 2 Schoolhouse, Orient, OH

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Scioto Township District No. 2 Schoolhouse     

8143 Snyder Rd. (Township Hwy. 146)

Orient, Ohio  43146

Scioto Township is one of the fifteen townships of Pickaway County, Ohio. The 2010 United States Census found 9,933 people in the township, 8,081, or 81%, of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.  The Scioto Township District No. 2 School is located on Snyder Road between Commercial Point and Orient, OH, and is a very well preserved schoolhouse. The school was built in 1888, serving many years of educating the area’s youth. The building eventually ended up in private hands. It was restored and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1987. There is not very much historical information about the school. The building is on private property but can be observed from afar.

Henry Timrod Schoolhouse, Timrod Park, Florence, SC

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Henry Timrod Schoolhouse

Timrod Park

400 Timrod Park Dr.

Florence, SC 29501

Visitors to the little historic one-room Henry Timrod Schoolhouse, located at Timrod Park in Florence, SC, can imagine themselves attending classes in a one-room schoolhouse from the early 1900’s.  It was built in 1859 for Henry Timrod, teacher at a plantation in Florence before the Civil War and the unofficial Poet Laureate of the Confederacy. Inside this one room building are Timrod’s chair and desk.  Timrod was a maudlin and morose writer who eulogized the South and its war-time woes. He taught at, and possibly lived in, the schoolhouse building around and during the Civil War. It was originally located on a plantation in what was then Darlington County at the time. The location was not far from the current site of Timrod Elementary School, also named for him, on Old Marion Road in northeastern Florence County.

     The building had been moved at least three times before locating to what was then City Park, now known as Timrod Park, in the 1930s.  In 2013, the United Daughters of the Confederacy Ellison Capers Chapter 70 in Florence unanimously voted to donate the building and property to the Florence County Museum since the group could no longer maintain it the way the group wished.  It was planned to be moved into the new Florence County Museum courtyard in downtown Florence next year where it would be restored and once again allowed for people to tour. However, members of the Timrod Neighborhood Association (TNA) said moving the building would strip the neighborhood of its identity. 

     The Florence Design and Review Board (DRB) denied the county’s request to move the schoolhouse,  Florence County Council Chairman James Schofield then agreed to assign up to $20,000 from the Council District 8 infrastructure allocation account to restore and protect the 155-year-old schoolhouse at its current location in the eponymous Timrod Park. It will be repaired and fixed, but the museum owns it because the Daughters of the Confederacy gave it to the museum. The museum will try to work out a way for people to see it when it’s appropriate. The $20,000 the county will put into the project will go toward restoration costs and erecting a “security fence” around the schoolhouse to protect it from vandalism, a reoccurring problem.

1838 District No. 2 Schoolhouse, Charlestown Historical Society, Charlestown, RI

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1838 District No. 2 Schoolhouse

Charlestown Historical Society

4417 Old Post Road

Charlestown, RI 02813

The District No. 2 schoolhouse was one of eight schoolhouses built in Charlestown, RI, in the 1800s and is listed on the National Historic Register.  It was originally located in the Quonochontaug section of Charlestown, and built when there were only 26 stars on the U.S. Flag.  In this section of the state some of the hills, streams, rivers, and ponds retain at the present time the original names given by the Indians.  Quonocontaug is situated in the southwestern portion of the town, and this name appears first applied to a pond in this neighborhood, from which the district received it.  Edward Wilcox, who was lieutenant governor from 1817 to 1821, transferred a lot of land to the district, upon which the district 2 school house was built in 1838.  Although a respectable number of teachers have gone forth from other schools, still this school is entitled to the honor of educating an unusual number of good and faithful teachers.

     The single-story Greek Revival structure was built c. 1838, but fell into disrepair in the early 1900s, after being used as a private home and 4-H Club.  It was donated to the Charlestown Historical Society in 1972, and moved along with its foundation stones to its present location at Old Post Road (Rhode Island Route 1A) in the Village of Cross Mills section of Charlestown on the Cross Mills Public Library grounds, where it was lovingly restored by the CHS and opened to the public in 1973.  The drip stones and field stone steps were also relocated with the building.  Restoration work is ongoing, but the bones of the building remain in their original state.  The schoolhouse is the best-preserved of Charlestown’s eight 19th-century schoolhouses, and is now maintained by the Charlestown Historical Society.  The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Ziegler’s School, Skippack, PA

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Ziegler’s School

Rt. 73 at Cressman Rd.

Skippack, PA 19474

     The Michael Ziegler farm on Rt.73 near Skippack Village, PA, is the location of a brick schoolhouse which still stands at the corner of Cressman Rd. The schoolhouse is known as “Ziegler’s School.” It is indicated on the map of 1848. It is now a converted home with stucco over brick exterior, but the original size and material appear intact, as well as the roof lines.

     About the mid 1800s, the State government began to organize an education system, and as residents grew in numbers, additional schoolhouses came into use. They were constructed in areas where there may have been more families with school-age children. Families in an area might have decided to construct a schoolhouse for their children, instead of having to travel miles to the nearest school. Some schoolhouses, if not all, were constructed on lands owned by farmers. Many schoolhouses reflect the name of the farmer. Skippack township had seven schoolhouses in use at the peak of the “schoolhouse period” that lasted into the 1920’s, approximately.

     This schoolhouse was built on a farm purchased by settler Michael Ziegler, in 1727. The Ziegler family was important to the development and prosperity of Skippack on both the religious and business fronts. Michael Sr., a minister, was highly respected in the Mennonite church and by the Lower Skippack Mennonite congregation. He was appointed a trustee by Van Bebber for the 100 acres he transferred to the settlers of Skippack. His son Andrew was a Mennonite Bishop. His son Michael Jr. started a tannery business as early as 1747 (operating close to 100 years) in the building on the opposite corner, across Cressman Rd. His grandson, John Ziegler, who built the house at Rt. 113 & 73, SW corner, was a well known musician and organ builder.

     A long time resident recalls a teacher being Alice Smith. The writer remembers Ms. Smith as a music teacher. She was a kind person, also playing the organ on Sunday at the Trinity Church, which is her final resting place.  A booklet dated April 10, 1916 was a gift to the graduating class from their teacher. The hand written inscription, inside the front cover, reads “Miss Mabel A. Witman, presented by my teacher Melvin T. Tyson, Zigler’s school, Penna.” The front reads “Best Wishes, With pleasant memories of happy days spent together in the schoolroom, this souvenir is presented to you with the best wishes of your teacher.” Listed are: J. Horace Landis, Co. Supt.; Assistants- W.D. Beyer, Caroline Niblo; Directors- Samuel P. Fox, Harry D. Kulp, Irvin S. Hallman, Jacob Buckwalter, Henry Reinford.

Butteville Academy School, Newell Pioneer Village, St. Paul, OR

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Butteville Academy School

Newell Pioneer Village

8089 Champoeg Road NE

St. Paul, Oregon 97137

Newell Pioneer Village is a historical site run by the Daughters of the American Revolution in St. Paul, Oregon, since 1954.  There are four historic buildings available to tour: The Newell House, Pioneer Mother’s Memorial Cabin, Old Butteville Jail, and Butteville Academy.  The Butteville Academy, a pre-Civil War building built in 1859 and an example of the federal style of architecture which was used until about 1860, used to be in the historic town of Butteville, located about three miles northeast from Champoeg and was originally relocated to Champoeg State Park.  Butteville Academy and Jail were then moved to the Village in the 1950s.  The Academy also includes an attached teacherage, where the teacher would live. The Jail dates to 1848.  Newell Pioneer Villages holds a variety of Living History Interpretation and Reenactment Events for adults and children, including dinners, teas, dancing, festivals, picnics, caroling, and more.

Har-Ber Village School, Har-Ber Village Museum, Grove, OK

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Har-Ber Village School

Har-Ber Village Museum

4404 W. 20th St.

Grove, Oklahoma 74344

Visitors to the Har-Ber Village Museum in Grove, Oklahoma, can experience and enjoy history and ecology on a self-guided tour through 6 acres and nearly 100 exhibits located on the shores of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees. Antiques, collectibles, and reproductions are displayed in displays representing the mid-1800s to the early 1900s in the local four-state region (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas). This immersive historical area features cabins, exhibits, antique collections, a gift shop, nature trail, café and visitor center. There is a unique and scenic pioneer-era village at Har-Ber Village Museum in Grove.

     Har-Ber Village’s historic buildings include a schoolhouse, jail, and over 30 log cabins and log structures. 19th century-style log structures house a courthouse, bank, and a stagecoach inn. Other replicated buildings include a chapel, mercantile, jail, doctor and dentist offices, print shop, post office, drug store and more. More than 25 hands-on activity stations keep kids entertained, including a kid’s cabin, nursery, school, jail, saloon, milking cow, water pump, and more. Har-Ber Village also offers historic craft and trade demonstrations like blacksmithing, spinning and weaving, and hearth cooking. New interactive exhibits include a craft room with live demos, a covered wagon, cabin living, puppet shows and vintage dolls.

     Visitors can take advantage of the on-site picnic pavilion for lunch or snack breaks, walk on the 1.9 mile nature trail (dawn to dusk daily), or shop for unique gifts at the Country Store. A new feature is the Har-Ber Village Mining Company. Folks can pan for minerals, gemstones, fossils, and arrowheads or purchase the mining rough at the gift shop during regular museum hours. The museum café also serves breakfast and lunch. Annual special events at Har-Ber Village Museum include Pioneer Day and Cherokee Heritage Day.

Summit One-Room Schoolhouse, Freeman Lake Park, Elizabethtown, KY

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Summit One-Room Schoolhouse

Freeman Lake Park

Blue Heron Way

Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Freeman Lake Park is the largest City Park in Elizabethtown, KY. It features a 170 acre lake where fishing and boating are the main attraction.  This lakefront park also offers walking trails, a tennis complex, and historical structures.  The Lincoln Heritage House, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln Memorial Cabin, and Summit One-Room Schoolhouse are all located here.  Once described as the “finest school in the county,” this 1892 one-room school was later used to store hay. This recently restored schoolhouse is now open to the public with tours available the first Saturday and Sunday of the month from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Dighton School House, Harristown, IL

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Dighton School House

Jensen Farm

Harristown, IL

The Dighton School House, a white, wooden structure, built in 1889, was a school until the Monticello school district consolidated in the 1940s. The 1½-story building with a kitchen, bathroom and two rooms in a loft was about 1 mile east of Monticello. Dorothy and Bob Miller owned the property for 30 years.  Bob Miller, who died in July 2017, was a longtime owner of the Dairy Bar ice cream shop and Monticello school board member. He and Dorothy, who died in 2008, were avid Monticello sports fans and used the former school as a cabin and community gathering place.  They had dinners out there, a lot of steak dinners for cheerleaders, the football team, and the basketball team. Monticello residents Cindy Darnell and her mother, Jena Clifton, bought the 129-year-old former School House in a 2017 auction as a home for Darnell’s new pottery business, Catalyst Creative Studio & Gallery, but they soon saw renovations would be too costly.  After trying to sell the schoolhouse for $20,000 for months with no takers, they decided to make the giveaway offer that Kathleen Jensen accepted.

     A former teacher, Jensen had been dreaming of owning a one-room schoolhouse for more than a decade.  In 2005, Jensen was going to get a schoolhouse from Blue Mound, but the plan fell through. Next, she was planning to have an Amish builder create one for her, but she didn’t go through with it.  Finally, on Feb. 2, 2018, she saw an article in the Decatur Herald & Review advertising “Free to a good home: Historic schoolhouse outside Monticello needs new location.” She called the same day and said she wanted it.  Jensen hired a team using trucks and cranes for its 40-mile trek along country roads to its new home near Harristown.  The roof was removed to avoid the $60,000 to $80,000 cost of moving power lines, and it and the 17,000-pound base were moved in separate trips.  A crane was used to get the roof off and onto a truck. Then, the base of the schoolhouse was lifted onto a separate truck. 

     The movers measured the roof to the inch about where they were going to cut it off and then measured every tree, every mailbox, every bridge high enough to clear the bridge and low enough to get under the wires. There were some close calls on the journey. The building scraped across some bridges, and the movers had to push some power lines out of the way with wooden poles.  It was delivered to Jensen’s driveway where they were pulled by a tractor toward the house and later moved to a foundation already prepared in a meadow near Jensen’s home.  Jensen said she is excited to restore the schoolhouse. She has a collection of authentic one-room schoolhouse supplies and asks people to share their photos and artifacts associated with the school.  She hopes to invite schoolchildren to experience life in a one-room schoolhouse as a way to honor the four generations of teachers in her family.

Jeromesville School #1, Fickes Furniture, Jeromesville, OH

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Jeromesville School #1

Fickes Furniture

63 N. High St.

Jeromesville, OH 44840

Opened in 1941 by Rodney and Glorine Fickes, the Fickes Furniture store in Jeromesville, OH, was originally an old one-room schoolhouse. With a few renovations and updates, it was transformed into a furniture store. Being in business for the past 71 years, it has seen its fair share of changes, both in personal and home furnishings, and has still stood the test of time. Based on the beliefs instilled by Rodney and Glorine, the furniture store always continues to put the customer first. Currently owned and operated by Don and Mark Fickes, the furniture store continues to sell quality furniture at an affordable price.

Jones One room Schoolhouse, William L Fiesler DDS, Decatur, IL

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Jones One room Schoolhouse

William L Fiesler DDS

2495 N. Water St.

Decatur, IL 62526

The stylish and former one-room brick Jones School at 2495 N. Water St. in Decatur, IL, now houses the dental business of Dr.William Fiesler. He had his eye on the place for some time, and when his practice needed a new home and the price was right in 1997, he didn’t hesitate.  The School, which even has a restored bell (from a locomotive, surprisingly) in its belfry, has rung the changes over the years.  The building was home to Jones School from 1865 to 1912. After it stopped being a school in 1912, it  served as a private home, an accountant’s office, a picture framing business, and more before Fiesler bought it and implanted his practice.