Memories School House, Above and Beyond Children’s Museum, Sheboygan, WI

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Memories School House

Above and Beyond Children’s Museum

902 N. 8th Street

Sheboygan, WI

At Above and Beyond Children’s Museum, located on the corner of 8th Street and Niagra Avenue at 902 N. 8th Street in Sheboygan, WI, their mission is to provide “A special place for children and their families, where education and fun connect through exploration and discovery.”   They support this mission statement by offering over 10,000 square feet of hands-on, interactive exhibits for those of all ages to enjoy. Above and Beyond offers tons of educational fun at a very affordable price for all schools and daycare centers in the state. Field trips give students and teachers opportunities beyond the typical school experience by providing “hands-on” experience and involving visitors in creative exhibits and activities.  So whether children are making impressions on a life-size Giant Pin Screen, voyaging in the USS Efroymson Ship, or playing Teacher in the 1900′s replica schoolhouse, the fun yet educational exhibits will take a child’s imagination.

Hood Octagonal Schoolhouse, Dunwoody Village, Newtown Square, PA

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Hood Octagonal Schoolhouse

Dunwoody Village

3500 West Chester Pike

Newtown Square, PA 19073

The Hood Octagonal School is a historic octagonal schoolhouse located in Newtown Square, Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1841-1842 by James Dunwoody and replaced a log school of the same name that was built by his father Joseph Dunwoody and two neighbors for their children, and is a small, fieldstone, one-story, eight sided building with a wood shingled pyramidal roof.  High windows let in light without distracting students from their work. Probably its most famous student was William Hood Dunwoody, son of the man who built the school, who moved west to make his fortune and struck gold as one of the owners of the Washburn Crosby Company, the makers of Gold Medal Flour.

     The school was abandoned about 1865, then restored in 1964. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 and is the last eight-sided one room schoolhouse in Delaware County.  The schoolhouse is on the grounds of Dunwoody Village, and has been cared for and preserved by them in recent years. Each year, school children come to the schoolhouse, where Volunteer school marms or masters in historic garb recreate math, penmanship, history and science lessons as they would have been taught in the 1840s or 1850s. Participating students look forward to recess when they are able to play with toys authentic to the period.

Penns Park Octagonal Schoolhouse, Newtown, PA

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Penns Park Octagonal Schoolhouse

797 2nd St. Pike (Rt. 232).at Swamp Road

Newtown, PA 18940

The Penns Park Octagonal School House, also known as Wrightstown Octagonal Schoolhouse and Wrightstown Eight Square School, is located at the south corner of State Road 232 and Swamp Road, in Wrightstown, Bucks County, PA.  It was built in 1802. Education has always had a high priority in Wrightstown Township. The early settlers were mainly Quaker, who believed strongly in the education of the children. Schools have existed here since ca.1721. These early schools were organized by a Board of Trustees, and parents paid a tuition for their children to attend. Often the Quaker Meeting would pay for those children whose parents were not able to afford the necessary fees.

     In 1802 a group of residents banded together to lease this land (at what is now the corner of Swamp Road and Second Street Pike) for 99 years from Joseph Burson. They decided to build a stone structure in the octagonal shape which was considered very appropriate for classroom use. The eight-sided form allowed the maximum amount of light to enter at all times of the day.  Artificial light, which is so commonly used today, was not as efficient in 1802. Oil lamps (it was before the days of kerosene lamps and electricity) and candles provided meager light for young eyes but these sources were all that were available.  They also added greatly to the expense of operating the school.

     The eight-sided building usually had a door in one of the sides and a window in each of the other seven sides. As in this building, the windows were usually higher up on the wall. This brought in the light but did not provide distracting views as the children could not see out of the windows when seated on their benches. The windows were also not large, because the cost of window glass would be prohibitive.  As heat in the winter was provided by a small stove in the center of the room (with a stovepipe at the peak of the roof), the warmth would be distributed evenly throughout the interior space. The interior walls were usually whitewashed which gave a cleaner, lighter environment. The one-story, one room, stone schoolhouse building has a wood shingled pyramidal roof and small terra cotta chimney.

     The octagonal, sometimes called “ink bottle,” shape accounted for over 100 schools in the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Starting in 1773 with the 8-square building at Oxford Valley, Bucks County and ending in 1851 with the construction of the Harmony School, near Flemington, Hunterdon County, NJ, the buildings served a useful life but most have succumbed to age and “progress.” This Wnghtstown Township School is the only remaining octagonal school in Bucks County.  It functioned as a school from from its construction in 1802 until 1850. At mid-century, local government entered the education field and subscription Township School Districts were formed to build and maintain schools, hire teachers, and provide an education for all children in the area. The private, subscription schools were no longer needed.

     After its life as a school was finished, this octagonal structure served the toll keeper as a farm outbuilding, whose house was built in the 1850’s, in many ways, including as a chicken house in 1899.  In 1976, during the bicentennial, the interior was freshly painted and students from the Wrightstown Elementary School were bused here to attend classes.  Appropriate clothes were worn by the teacher and the students. The children were amazed to find how different school was 170 years earlier. History became alive to them.  It was then used in the 1980s as an artist’s studio. It was restored in 1996 by the Wrightstown Township Historical Commission and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.  The octagonal schoolhouse has been renovated and is open to the public on certain dates. The Commission holds an open house the third Sunday of each month from May through October. Open house hours are 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.

The Cowgill’s Corner Octagonal Schoolhouse District No. 12, Little Creek, DE

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The Cowgill’s Corner Octagonal Schoolhouse District No. 12

6926 Bayside Drive (Route 9)

Little Creek, DE

The Octagonal Schoolhouse, also known as the Eight-square School House, is a historic octagonal schoolhouse building located east of Cowgill in Cowgill’s Corner, Kent County, Delaware. By the Delaware Free School Act of 1829, Delaware became the second state to establish free public education for its residents.  One of the first buildings from that movement, and the only one not significantly altered, the Octagonal Schoolhouse, which opened in 1836, served as District No. 12 School in Kent County is one of the earliest examples of a one-room school in Delaware, and is one of the few remaining buildings from that time period. The date of construction of the Cowgill’s Corner school is often given as 1836, but a public meeting was held at Pleasant Hill Academy as early as October 1831 (this being the school’s original name), and glass was puttied here and walls whitewashed in 1833.

     Manlove Hayes Sr., who lived south of Leipsic, is said to have designed the structure since education benefited his numerous children and step children. It is a one-room and one-story building made of undressed stone, stuccoed and whitewashed, with eight sides of equal dimension, a pyramidal shingled roof, and a stepped stone cornice, like those of two nearby houses associated with him. Each of seven facets has a window; the eighth a door.  The first teacher was Joshua G. Baker. Both boys and girls attended the school, with up to eighty-seven students, and were seated in two circles of desks, back to back, in the interior, with boys facing the outside and girls the inside.

     It remained a public school well into the 20th century, until it closed in 1930, after which it was used as a community center and meeting house. The dilapidated facility was eventually abandoned. The site was acquired by the State of Delaware in 1967. Restored by the state in 1971, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places that year.  However, it was subsequently boarded up.  Then in 2019, improvements were made at the historic schoolhouse.  A compacted-gravel roadway was installed on the property in place of the overgrown, muddy and rutted lane that once led to the historic one-room building. Also the thick brush and trees were cleared from the side of the road and the grounds surrounding the school.  This was the first step in our efforts to preserve this historic structure so that it will be available for public enjoyment in the future.  Plans for future improvements to the property include, among others, repairs to the building’s exterior wood features and stucco walls, replacement of interior flooring and removal of a dilapidated out-building.

Mt. Pleasant School, Alamosa, CO

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Mt. Pleasant School

County Rd. 3S and Rd. 103S

Alamosa, CO

Located in Alamosa County about eight miles west of Alamosa, CO, the Mt. Pleasant School building is the third school at this location.  In 1888, a single room public school was built on the southeast corner of that section. The original school building was replaced twice and this last structure, built in 1911, remains on the site today and served as the area’s only school until 1965, the last one-room school in the Alamosa vicinity.  Up to possibly five generations of school children were served by the school.  As the only public building on the rural landscape, it was not only a center of education, but also a focus of community life, hosting a variety of activities.  In its size, scale, window placement, and interior configuration, the building epitomizes the rural schoolhouse.  Its clustered windows and hipped roof reflect turn-of-the-century “innovations” in rural school design.  The predominant architectural feature on this building is its corner belfry/entrance with an unusual concave roof slope.  This property is associated with Rural School Buildings in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. 

     Different entities owned the building subsequent to its closure. A 1975 proposal to move the Mount Pleasant School to what was then the Adams State College campus to use as a schoolhouse museum was never realized.   In 1989, the Mount Pleasant School Association took ownership of the building. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 2006 as one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses.  Thanks to the efforts of the still existing Mount Pleasant School Association that owns the building, the museum idea may eventually happen at the school’s original site some eight miles northwest of Alamosa.

     However, they need to take ownership of the one-acre parcel first. The land, part of a full section originally acquired by the Colorado State Land Board in 1876 at statehood, has survived earlier attempts to sell it.  In 1925, the State Land Board disposed of the majority of the Section, retaining only the one-acre site where the Mount Pleasant School building is located.  The Alamosa County Board of Commissioners approved purchasing the plot at a Jan. 14, 2020, meeting. The asking price for the one-acre parcel is the appraised value of $30,000.

Quincy Pioneer School House at Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy, CA

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Quincy Pioneer School House at Plumas County Fairgrounds

Plumas County Fairgrounds

204 Fairground Rd.

Quincy, CA 95971

On July 2, 1857, the residents of the eastern end of American Valley in Plumas County opened their first school house in Quincy, CA, the first schoolhouse in Plumas County. The school house held 19 children during its first lessons. The original trustees were J.W. Thompson and J.C. Church.  Mr. S. A. Ballou was engaged as teacher for the 19 children. Sylvester Allen Ballou came to California from Ohio in 1849 to find gold. In addition to teaching school here in Quincy, he served four terms in the state legislature, supporting Sacramento as the final candidate for state capital.  During its lifetime, the Pioneer School House became a kindergarten and later a library. The school house was relocated to the Plumas County Fairgrounds, two miles east of Quincy off of E. Main St. on Fairgrounds Rd, in 1974.

Norris School House, Kern County Museum, Bakersfield, CA

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Norris School House

Kern County Museum Pioneer Village

3801 Chester Ave.

Bakersfield, CA 93301

The Kern County Museum, a history museum located in Bakersfield, California, started in the 1920s with the donation of the Historic Chamber of Commerce that included a large clock tower. By 1941, the basement was used as the first museum of artifacts. Eventually, the museum grew to include the main floor in the 1950s.  Right behind the museum was sixteen acres that were used by the County Fair. When the County Fair moved to another location, these 16 acres became home to The Pioneer Village.

On these sixteen acres, the visitor can walk around this small, late 1800s’ Kern County town collection of over 50 historic buildings, including a log cabin of one of the founders of Bakersfield, Thomas Barnes. Other buildings that were donated to Kern County Museum include the General Store, Drug Store, an Undertaker Funeral Home, businesses offering services and products, Fraternal Hall, a hospital, an Episcopal Church, a school or two, lovely homes, and other places that were a vital part of a 19th Century Kern County town.

     The Norris School House is an 1882 one room school house built on donated land from Robert T Norris, an important pioneer. it is solidly built to last the ages.  From 1882-1913, this one-room school house was used to educate children in the Rosedale area. In 1914, a new school was built, and so the old one room Norris School House was moved to the Rosedale Ranch and used for storing grain. Why let such a hardy building go to waste? In 1958, the Norris one room School House was donated to the Kern County Museum’s Pioneer Village.  Inside, the visitors see a well-equipped classroom having everything needed to teach children in the first to 8th grades, including desks, large blackboards, the familiar dunce cap for sluggards, water, a stove, area for coats, and books.

Ozark Folk Center Schoolhouse, Ozark Folk Center State Park Pioneer Village, Mountain View, AR

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Ozark Folk Center Schoolhouse

Ozark Folk Center State Park Pioneer Village

1032 Park Avenue

Mountain View, AR 72560

Ozark Folk Center State Park is dedicated to perpetuating the music, crafts, and culture of the Ozarks. Located in Mountain View, Arkansas, and open mid-April to late-October, the park offers visitors an opportunity to watch artisans work, to stroll through the Heritage Herb Garden, and to hear live Southern mountain music.  A visit to the Ozark Folk Center will impart knowledge on pottery making or blacksmithing, how to build and play a dulcimer, or how to recognize, cultivate, heal, and cook with traditional Ozark herbs.

     Folk history dates the Ozark Folk Center Schoolhouse to around 1870.  It originally sat in the Gaylor community of the 56th district.  Although built as a homestead cabin, it was also used as a schoolhouse in the late 1920s and 1930s.  Former students say that the 8-12 children who attended sat on split log benches, used slates and McGuffey readers, and went to school only in the summer for 2 1/2 months when they were not needed to help with the chores at home.  It was not a state funded school.  The hand hewn walls of the building are original.  The Folk Center replaced the roof and added the floor.

Redwine Pioneer School, South Sebastian County Historical Society Old Jail Museum Complex, Greenwood, AR

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Redwine Pioneer School

South Sebastian County Historical Society Old Jail Museum Complex

307 E. Center St.

Greenwood, Arkansas 72936

The South Sebastian County Historical Society was organized on February 24, 1963.  The Society was established for the purposes of the preservation and marking of local landmarks, the compilation and preservation of a record of local and area events of historical significance, the creation and maintenance of a museum to house and exhibit artifacts, and the publication of an annual historical periodical. With over two hundred fifty members, the Society continues to hold true to its founding principles; presents a variety of entertaining and educational community events; offers educational opportunities for students and teachers, and conducts monthly meetings featuring accomplished speakers on topics of local and area interest.

     The Old Jail Museum Complex is conveniently located at 307 East Town Square in friendly Greenwood, Arkansas, on the northeast corner of the town square. It shares the history of South Sebastian County by telling the story of the lives of the folks who lived there in the western Arkansas mountain frontier, nestled between the Ouachita and Ozark Mountain ranges. The events of their daily lives are interpreted in the Old Jail, the 1848 Vineyard Log Cabin, the Ole Barn, the Coal Miner’s Memorial, and the Redwine Pioneer Schoolhouse by an all-volunteer staff.

     The Redwine Pioneer School is a replica of a turn of the century one-room schoolhouse.  It is authentically furnished with many original items used by early teachers L.M. and Delma Redwine, for whom the school is named.  The school was moved to the historic district from its location on the Redwine Farm north of the city.  It was donated to the Society by the Redwine’s daughter, Delma Joyce Woosley.  Of particular interest are photos of the ninety-plus one-room schools located across South Sebastian County prior to consolidation.

Groom Creek Schoolhouse, Prescott National Forest, Prescott, AZ

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Groom Creek Schoolhouse

Prescott National Forest

64 Senator HWY

Prescott, AZ 86301

     Built in 1902, this historic schoolhouse and adjacent picnic area in Arizona’s Prescott National Forest may be reserved for day use for groups of up to 60 people. The facility offers a picturesque, quiet setting with indoor and outdoor areas for weddings, reunions, luncheons, and group meetings.  The schoolhouse served about 10 to 15 children in the early 1900s. The building was an active school until 1952. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is used for administrative and training purposes.

     The schoolhouse building has two rooms with new furniture (tables and chairs) for indoor use. The outdoor picnic area is accessible and equipped with 10 picnic tables, vault toilets, an amphitheater (limited access), and parking for 12 vehicles or two buses. No drinking water is available at this site; guests must bring their own.

     The group area is set in a ponderosa pine ecosystem, an area dominated by pines and mixed with juniper trees, Gambel oaks, and native grasses. A multitude of colorful wildflowers bloom in the spring and during the summer monsoon season. Afternoon thunderstorms are possible from late June through mid-September. The forest is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Visitors may spot deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, lizards, snakes, and birds.

     Groups enjoy gathering in the outdoor picnic area during nice weather or heading indoors into the two-room schoolhouse if the weather turns. A leisurely walk through the forest on the accessible, paved Groom Creek Nature Trail provides a nice afternoon respite, and visitors can camp nearby if desired. Prescott National Forest has miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails for visitors wishing to explore the area.