Country School Association of America

CSAA Board Member to Exhibit Schoolhouse Photo Selections

 Schoolhouse Photographer to Exhibit at Mission, Kansas Art Gallery February 10th - March 3rd

“YESTERDAY’S SCHOOLS,” a brilliant collection of photographically inspired works of the photographer/sculptor Gloria Hawkins will show at VALA Gallery (Video, Audio, Literary Artists) from February 10th. Hawkins work is full of surprises. She captures images of an Americana that is disappearing, and creates art from her
travels. Multi-layering, merging digital photos and re-purposed objects, she often contains them in wooden containers, boxes and suitcases. The artist will be available at opening and closing festivities for personal conversations about the process of creating and preserving our past.

VALA Gallery offers meet-the-artist opportunities on Friday, February 10th (6-9 pm) and Closing, Saturday, March 3rd noon-4 pm at their newest location, 5903 Johnson Drive in Mission, KS, nestled between the Mission Theatre and Lamar’s Doughnuts. Works can also be viewed Mondays 10-2, Wednesdays noon-4 pm & by appointment.

Gloria Hawkins, photographers/sculptor, is above all a preservationist of history and memories. A former teacher, Hawkins applies her fascination for historical accuracy to meticulous documentation and preservation. Hawkins embraced the daunting task of seeking out and interviewing living residents who taught or learned there. Her passionate works are infused with the living memories and histories of those whose stories she preserved. Hawkins does not stop there. She digitizes and re-masters the piercing photographs and reforms them into sculptural narratives to places traveled. 

The creation of her exhibit Yesterday's Schools," is an extensive collection of over 15,000 photographs and interviews. Its creation covers a span of 15 years and 37 states. She has exhibited in numerous galleries and universities: including University of Iowa, Northern Iowa University, Heartland Theater Gallery and The National Agricultural Hall of Fame. 

The CSAA is proud that Gloria is a member of our board of directors and a regular, and very popular presenter at our annual country schoolhouse conference.

Photos: by Gloria Hawkins

#1 Rose Hill School, OK

#2 Amish Restaurant

#3 Redstone School, MA

#4 Colorado School

Call for 2012 CSAA Conference Proposals

"Preserving an American Icon"- 2012 Conference Theme, Proposals Accepted Through March 12th

The Country School Association is now accepting your proposal to present at the 12th Annual Country School Conference to be held from June 17-20, 2012 on the campus of First Baptist College in Ankeny, Iowa. Presentations will take place on Monday, June 18th and Tuesday, June 19th. The optional, but ever popular schoolhouse tour will be Wednesday, June 20th.

Registration materials will be available at a later date, while proposals to present should be submitted by March 12, 2012 .

For complete information in printable PDF form: 

Download Call for Proposals

Photo; West Village School, Reading, MA

Fundraising Idea for One-Room Schools

Cole School Print Aids Boone, IA Restoration  

                                                                           

 At the Iowa Country School Conference in October, Iowa artist JD Speltz from Armstrong, presented a fundraiser idea for one-room schools and Cole School supporters took him up on it.  That idea was to sell an art print of the schoolhouse painted by JD, and use the proceeds for renovations. 

The Cole School, a country school, was built in 1888 in Boone, IA with walls of three layers of brick. Citizens were determined their school would last, and so will its legacy if this fundraiser is a success!

According to Bill Sherman, coordinator of the conference, this is only one of three brick schoolhouses left in Iowa and volunteers have been working since 2006 to restore it.  Up to now,  all the brick has been repaired and re-pointed, the limestone foundation resurfaced, a new cedar-shingle roof has been installed, windowsills and a door step set in place, and electricity run to the building. Still in need of replacement are the six windows and door, the building of a vestibule inside, and the laying of a new floor.

The remaining work will certainly get a boost if the prints sell. According to Barb MacDougall, "We will be selling these prints for the next 10 days until Christmas Eve. You'll find that the colors of the print are more vibrant than a digital image here can portray."

You can buy just the print for $40 ($35 plus $5 for foam core board and shrink wrap, which is required, and add an additional $5 if you want it shipped). 

There are options for matting and framing and personalizing. $117.00 includes matting, framing and sweatshirt with the print on it. Contact Barb for framing options.

With your order, you'll get a Christmas card now with the same image, and the actual print will be ready Feb. 29th.  Barb MacDougall can hold the print for you until the CSAA Conference in June, if you're planning to attend, or she will mail it for additional postage and handling. Or, if you can get close to Boone, she can meet you! 

For every print sold, $15 will go toward restoration of Cole School.

It really is a beautiful print!  Let Barb know if you would like to order one or more!    

Barb MacDougall

Chairman, Cole School Restoration Project

Daughters of the American Revolution &

Boone Community Schools 

Barb MacDougall

Boone Community Schools

K-6 TAG

bmacdougall@boone.k12.ia.us

 

CSAA Launches New Forum for Writers

CSAA Now Offers Country School Journal                    Submitted by Dr. Lucy Townsend

The CountrySchool Association of America is now offering an opportunity for writers to share their scholarly work dedicated to the subject of country schools, their history and their current state. We recently launched our new website at COUNTRY SCHOOL JOURNAL and invite submissions for publication on this site.

The Country School Journal, sponsored by the Country School Association of America (CSAA), is a peer-reviewed, online, annual publication that includes interdisciplinary, open-access articles, curriculum, reviews, and icons. Its audience consists of people who wish to preserve country schools, disseminate scholarship about these schools, create and/or maintain the schools as museums, promote living history programs, and enable people of all ages to explore country schooling as practiced in the past and present.

Editors:

Lucy Townsend, Northern Illinois University

Nicholas J. Shudak, Mount Marty College

Editorial board:

Mark DeWalt, Winthrop University

Veronica I. Ent, St. Vincent College

Susan Fineman, District #1 School (Nashua, NH)

David L. Burton, University of Missouri

Susan Webb, The Traveling Schoolmarm (Birmingham, AL)

Articles are invited that deal with a range of issues and questions, for example:

• teaching or attending one or more country schools during a specific era,
• educational technologies used in country schools,
• fund raising for the preservation of a country school,
• the history of a country school,
• the biography of a country schoolteacher,
• a book or film review about country schooling.

Curriculum includes but is not limited to

• research methods for discovering the history of a school and its teachers to be used in lesson development,
• plans for a public school or family visit to a country school,
• script for a reenactor in a country school,
• cooperative efforts to tie a country school visit to the curriculum of a local public or private school.

Book or video reviews, poetry, icons, and family histories as related to one or more country schools are also encouraged. Links to videos are provided.

Online Submissions

Publication will be determined by juried review. They should be relevant to CSAA members and others interested in country schooling. Each manuscript should be accompanied by a statement that it is unpublished and has not been submitted to another publisher for possible publication. Articles should be submitted by email to Lucy Townsend (ltownsend@niu.edu) and Nicholas J. Shudak (nicholas.shudak@mtmc.edu). Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material and are required to sign an agreement for the transfer of copyright to the CSAA. All accepted manuscripts, artwork, and photographs become property of the CSAA. For more information, contact Lucy Townsend or Nicholas J. Shudak.

 Proofs

Page proofs are sent via email to the designated author. They should be carefully checked and returned within two weeks of receipt. If authors have any problems, they should contact Lucy Townsend or Nicholas J. Shudak.

Online Submission Guidelines

Article Submissions
The suggested length for submissions is 15 to 30 double-spaced pages. Chicago Manual of Style and the sample articles below can serve as guides for formatting a submission.  The author should not write his or her name or any identifying information on the manuscript. That information belongs in the author’s email message to the editor.

The Great American Experiment:

The One-room Schools of DeKalb County, Illinois, 1830s—1957

            Education has been called a “great American experiment, . . . a test of various philosophies

ideas, and institutions.” This study is about one of these experiments—the one-room country school

—where most American education occurred from the colonial era to the middle of the twentieth

century. In the 1918-19 school year, the number of one-room schools reached the high-water mark

of 196,037, including more than ninety thousand in the Midwest.[i]

            The focus of this study is on the one-room schools of DeKalb County, Illinois, a 633-square-

mile tract of land with its eastern border fifty miles west of Chicago’s Lake Michigan shore and its

northern border around twenty-five miles south of the Wisconsin state line. The county was

established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1837, from land previously included in neighboring

Kane County. DeKalb County is named in honor of Baron DeKalb, a German soldier who was killed

while fighting with the American patriots in the Revolutionary War. Most of the county’s earliest

settlers were farmers moving west who made their land claims in close proximity to the groves of

trees and the streams that were most abundant in the northern and southern areas of the county.

Settlement later expanded into the sparsely timbered prairie of the center of the county, particularly

after the railroad lines came through.[ii]

            Between the late 1830s and 1957, when the last one-room school closed in DeKalb County, the

county’s children were educated primarily in approximately 160 one-room schools scattered

throughout nineteen townships.[iii] Why did the residents build and support one-room schools?

What role did the schools play in the neighborhoods? What activities typically occurred in these

schools? How were teachers selected, educated, paid, and supervised? And what became of these

schools?  These are the questions that will be explored in this study.

 

---

[i] Quotation from L. Dean Webb, The History of American Education (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson-Merrill-Prentice Hall, 2006), v; Wayne Fuller, One-Room Schools of the Middle West: An Illustrated History (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 194), I; Historical Dictionary of American Education, 1st ed., s.v., “One-room Schoolhouses.”

[ii] Harriet Wilson Davy, ed., From Oxen to Jets: A History of DeKalb County, 1835-1963 (Dixon, IL: DeKalb County Board of Supervisors, 1963), 11-12, 14, 23; Henry L. Boies, History of DeKalb County, Illinois (1868; repr., Evansville, IN: Whipporwill Publications, 1987), 34-36.

[iii] Davy, 12, 14, 23. The exact number of DeKalb County’s one-room schools is difficult to ascertain since one school was actually located in an adjacent county, some were moved, others were rebuilt and renamed, and there may have been others so fleeting that all traces of them have been lost.

Book and Video Review Submissions
Book and video reviews are important contributions to artistic and scholarly work on country schooling. Reviews keep other country school enthusiasts and scholars informed and examine important issues. Reviewers should reveal the strengths, weaknesses, and uniqueness of the work in question. Also, they should include the quality of the author's scholarship and its contribution to the body of visual and scholarly work on country schooling. Reviewers are encouraged to use their knowledge, experience, and taste to write a review. Length of a review may vary from 1,000 to 2,000 words. The submission should include a word count at the bottom of the text. If the video is online, they should provide viewers with a link.

Icon Submissions
Icons (line drawings, halftones, photos, photomicrographs, etc.) may be in color or black and white. They should be submitted as separate digital files (300dpi or higher), be sized to fit a journal page, and be formatted in TIFF, EPS, or PSD.

Bibliographic Information and Referencing Guidelines

Each scholarly submission should provide complete references, text citations, and notes according to The Chicago Manual of Style, Sixteenth Edition:

Table and Figure Submissions

Tables and figures should not be included as separate files. Each table should also include a brief descriptive title with a clear legend and any footnotes identified below the table. All units should be included. Figures should be completely labeled, taking into account necessary size reduction. Captions should be typed, double-spaced, on a separate sheet. All other figures should be clearly marked in pencil on the reverse side with the number, author's name, and top edge indicated.

Painting credits: Elizabeth Stanhope Forbes, "School is Out"

 

Honor Your Volunteers and Preservationists

Country School Association of America Seeks Nominations for 2012 Service Awards

 

    There are currently hundreds of individuals who freely give of their time, talents,

and funds to keep up and/or serve as school marms, and/or curators for country

schools throughout the US and Canada. CSAA is committed to honoring these

individuals each year.

    Two awards will be given annually. Each award will include a stipend of $300 

which can go to the individual or the historical association involved with their local

school house. Winners will also receive free registration to the annual conference for

the year the award is received.

CSAA will award candidates that have demonstrated a long-standing support of their local schoolhouse.

Examples of potential awardees could be (and not limited to:)

• Someone who has donated their time each summer or season to have a schoolhouse open for a day or an event, week after week or year after year.

• An area volunteer who has donated time and time again their talents to make repairs to the local schoolhouse.

• A person who has served as the school marm for years and is always an advocate for the preservation of the schoolhouse.

 

 Two (2) awards will be granted. The first award will be given to an individual that

lives within 100 miles of the annual conference. The second award will go to an

individual who resides at least 101 miles from the CSAA Conference site. Please

check the CSAA website for this year's location.

The selection committee, CSAA Treasurer, and the director of the upcoming CSAA

conference will review the nominations. The selection committee will notify

awardees by mid April, grant a conference voucher, and present the stipend at the

CSAA conference. 

DEADLINE for submissions is March 1, 2012

For information and applications, go to: CSAA Service Awards

 Artwork: "The Red Schoolhouse" by Winslow Homer

2011 Service Award Winners

Marilyn Boley of Birmingham, Iowa, is one of the two inaugural winners of the Country School Association of America Service Award of 2011. While serving as treasurer on the Morris Park Board, Marilyn has devoted her time to raising funds for school house preservation. “Marilyn has tirelessly dedicated countless hours in the restoration and preservation efforts that have been devoted to the one room schoolhouse at Morris Park,” one nominator stated. Not only did Marilyn tour other country schools in Iowa for ideas and inspiration, she also tackled school improvement jobs both large and small, from raising funds for a new roof to painting and cleaning school interiors. An inspiration to her community, Marilyn Boley has worked tirelessly as fundraiser, recruiter, advocate, and educator in the country school movement.

 

Pete Canale of Medford, New Jersey, is the other inaugural winner of the Country School Association of America Service Award of 2011. A member of the Medford Historical Society, Pete has worked tirelessly to restore the Cross Keys one room schoolhouse, from painting the interior and exterior to equipping the building with period furnishings. Moreover, Pete has served as a liaison between the community and the school by assisting in the creation of a docent’s handbook and scheduling class visits, among other things. Pete supported the establishment of a living history program for third graders in Medford. “Pete’s enthusiasm for the Cross Keys schoolhouse makes him a worthy candidate for this year’s service award,” one nominator stated.

Photos: Top- Marilyn Boley; Bottom-Pete Canale (speaking)

CSAA National Schoolhouse Registry Adds Perkins Hollow

Landmark School Status for Perkins Hollow, NY 

Congratulations are in order for Perkins Hollow Schoolhouse of the Washington County Fair Farm Museum! The Greenwich, NY schoolhouse was rededicated recently as a CSAA Landmark Schoolhouse and entered into the CSAA National Schoolhouse Registry. Education Director Joan Prouty and her husband Dale presided over the ceremonies and the enveiling of the CSAA Registry plaque, now displayed at the schoolhouse. The Proutys, both CSAA charter members, administer the schoolhouse collections, interviews, and memorabilia, and shared the information below.

"The white clapboard one-room schoolhouse stood atop a hill in Perkins Hollow In Salem, NY for over a century. Built during the 1850's it was where the Beatty family and neighbors were educated until it closed in 1910. By 1977 it was well-weathered on the outside and overgrown with brush when the Beaty family donated the building and contents, along with the woodshed-outhouse building to the Washington County Fair for the newly formed museum.

Amazingly, the four shuttered windows, two on each side of the building, still held their original glass. The wide wood board and plaster walls were still intact as were the nine woodedn desks made by the original carpenter. Placed in three rows of three desks each, the desks are double and accomodate eighteen scholars. The seat for the desk backs is one long board across the width of the room! The recitation bench on the wall at right angles to the desks is a long seat where pupils sat to recite their lessons. The blackboard, simply boards painted black, still hangs on the front wall.

The furnishings of the room were the teacher's desk and chair, another chair for company, and two charts as teaching aids. There was a low bench which could be used as an extra seat or pulled up to the stove on cold mornings. A water pail and a long-handled dipper stood at one end of the recitation bench.

Care was taken to preserve the schoolhouse and outbuildings in their original condition to offer visitors an opportunity to step back in time. Each year multiple generations visit the schoolhouse and interact with stories of when they went to school."

Note: Through its National Schoolhouse Registry program, The CSAA recognizes school buildings that contribute to the appreciation and understanding of the country school experience and their unique architectural heritage. Markers are awarded to buildings that are at least 50 years old, have been preserved, restored, renovated, or reconstructed to retain the integrity of their original design, and are well-maintained. See the CSAA website for applications.

Perkins Hollow Timeline

1853-  First students taught here.

1910- School closed and left untouched.

1977- Schoolhouse donated and moved to Washington County Fairgrounds.

1974- Received Washington County Historic Preservation Award.

2010- Recognized as CSAA Landmark Schoolhouse and listed on CSAA National Schoolhouse Registry

2011- May 7th Dedication Ceremony

Thanks to all the people who have helped in the schoolhouse and museum preservation effort over the years!

 

 

 

Rural Development, the One-Room School Experience Topic of MU Extension Conference Sept. 16 - 17

 

SPRINGFIELD, MO. – Former students and teachers at one-room schools, along with current building owners and historical enthusiasts, are registering now for the first “Historic Schools Summit” being held Friday, September 16th and Saturday, September 17th, at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Avenue, Springfield, MO.

 

“The conference has received national attention so it looks like early registration is wise,” said David Burton, Civic Communication Specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “Our space is limited to the first 150 that register.”

 

The conference is organized by MU Extension in Greene County as part of a new community development program known as the Ozarks Country School Association.

 

Virginia Snyder, a former teacher who restored Little Moore School and moved it to Snyder Music Park in Lawrence County, will speak and sing her program “Legacy of the One-Room School.”

 

At noon, attendees will watch the 1956 movie, “A Desk for Billie” and then hear from the subject of the movie: Dr. Billie Davis. When the “Saturday Evening Post” published her story, “I was a Hobo Kid” in 1952, Dr. Davis became a highly sought after speaker for state and national teacher conferences.

 

Tiffany Paterson, National Register Coordinator at the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office, will lead a three-hour session in the afternoon entitled, “Taking the Mystery Out of Historic School Nominations.” Paterson writes historic nominations for the state of Missouri and is working on a multi-property nomination for one-room schools in the state.

 

The first day of the conference will conclude with the Missouri premier of the 75-minute documentary, “Country School: One Room, One Nation.” The movie has received rave reviews throughout the Midwest.

 

The second day will include presentations specific to one-room schools in southwest Missouri. Peter Maki, from Top of the Ozarks RC&D, will present a program on the “Texas County One-Room School Driving Tour” and another program entitled, “Finding Schools in Ozark, Douglas and Wright Counties.”

 

A group of volunteers led by Mike Collins will present a program about the restoration and maintenance work being done at Wooley Creek School near Cape Fair, Mo.

 

A complete event schedule and registration packet can be found at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene or picked up at the Greene County Extension Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo.

 

For more information about OCSA or becoming a member, contact Burton at (417) 881-8909 or via e-mail at burtond@missouri.edu.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos of the various rural schools can found and downloaded under the “Rural Schools of Greene County” tab at www.flickr.com/photos/MUExtension417.

Photos and article submitted by David Burton. (Top) Mt. Pleasant School, (Bottom) St. Elmo School.

 

 

 

2011 CSAA Annual Conference Highlights

Another Successful Conference for CSAA 

Participants from across the United States gathered at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ for the 2011 CSAA County School Conference. They chose from 22 dynamic presentations on all aspects of schoolhouse preservation and programming. For a list of the presentations and presenters, feel free to access the following program outline:

Download DailySchedule2011

For photo highlights of the 2011 conference and schoolhouse tour access the YouTube video below:

 

  Every year, unsung heroes step forward to take on the task of coordinating the annual CSAA Country Schoolhouse Conference, a daunting and time consuming job. From conception to schoolhouse tour, countless hours of planning, phone calls, e-mails, travel, paperwork, and worry go into the task of ensuring a rewarding and successful conference.

This year, we take this opportunity to thank Maureen O’Connor Leach, who offered to take on this task in a letter to the CSAA dated October 23, 2007! She never wavered in her bid to bring the conference to Burlington County, New Jersey as an opportunity to share their treasured schoolhouses. Maureen is a consultant to historic sites and cultural institutions and counts the Trenton Historical Society and the Colonial Dames of NJ among her clients. She is also a food historian and hearth cook as well as an interpreter of the 18th through early 20th centuries. Maureen is a frequent presenter at historic societies, professional organizations, and historic preservation programs.

We also thank her assistant, Sarah Bent, who is the Historic Site Supervisor for Historic Walnford Park, a mill village, presenting programs for school children at The Old Schoolhouse in Mt Holly. She is a talented artist and an amazing seamstress. She was the costume mistress for Longstreet Farm for many years.

Photos: Cross Keys School, Medford, NJ

(L) Sarah Bent  (R) Maureen O'Connor Leach

 

 

Updated Conference Program

2011 CSAA Conference Program Updated!

If you plan to attend the 2011 CSAA Conference June 13-15, at Rider University, you can access the updated conference program schedule NOW! There have been minor changes to the locations etc. but the attached program is the one going to press.

Note the time and place for registration check-in on Sunday June 12th is at the Bart Luedeke Center, Lawrenceville Campus from 1:00-6:00 p.m. See you there!

Download DailySchedule2011

Union Chapel School Saved!

A Second Chance for a Schoolhouse in Galena, KS 

It's another small victory for preservation: the saving of a historic 1878 country schoolhouse from the wrecking ball! The money has been raised and Union Chapel School, north of Galena, KS is being moved this week. See the article in the Joplin Globe:

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x928075390/Work-begins-to-move-rural-school

Carolyn McLean, who spearheaded the effort writes: “We are moving Union Chapel School this week  in large sections and to its new home...I am thrilled...I was wondering if you know of any school being torn down if they would donate redwood siding, window glass or windows, etc." She added that she sure hopes there are none being torn down though.

 The schoolhouse will be moved one-half mile west (on Union Chapel Road) and one-half mile north (105th) and around the corner to the west (Boston Mills Road).  

Carolyn would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who made it happen: 

 

1.  Doug Hayes, Commercial Artist, for the drawing of "Union Chapel School" and all the time he spent to support the cause..

2.  Kathy LaTurner Watkins and her husband for the generous donation to save the school. Many members of her family attended there and her Aunt Winnie was the cook for many years.

3.  Bob McLean for his generous donation to save the school.  We will also honor Greenwood School, Joplin, MO that the McLean's attended and all "Little Country Schools."

4.  Ron Jones, JMH Construction Mgmt., Inc. for the donation of his personal time and some of his equipment. He attended a "Little Country School" in Iowa.

 5. Orlena "Rosie" Thacker, age 81  (attended school there), Mildred Hayes Hart, The Leslie and McIntire families for their support and information about the school.

 

It is clear that these school moves are the ultimate in grassroots efforts, fostered by people like Carolyn and supporters on her Thank You List who could not watch the schoolhouse demolished. Union Chapel still needs donations and would prefer labor, materials and services, but will accept money too. Immediate needs include drive way gravel, foundation, flag pole and flag.

Union School, once restored, will be used as the historical center for  the Union Chapel community, a place for former students or families of students to come and share stories and pictures, and will be used for monthly community Pot Luck dinners. There is much to look forward to when renovations are complete.

Carolyn McLean can be contacted  via e-mail at grams123@wildblue.net

CSAA will monitor Union's progress for the future. Photo from Joplin Globe. Thank you.

 

Silent Auction to be Held at Conference

CSAA Conference Seeks Silent Auction Items

When you attend the upcoming conference at Rider University on June 13-15 in Lawrenceville, NJ, be sure to visit the silent auction and you may find some interesting schoolhouse items. In fact, if you have any extra schoolhouse memorabilia lying around that you find redundant or useful for someone else's time period, and you are willing to donate it, someone at the conference will surely consider it a treasure for their school!

Last year we sold numerous books, framed pictures, maps, DVD's, items with a schoolhouse theme, and actual schoolhouse artifacts. Attendees brought their items for donation and proceeds were used to help fund our CSAA awards and grants. Take a look around your collections and you'll probably come up with something you're willing to part with. Your donation will certainly be appreciated. The auction is also a fun addition to the festivities! Suzanne Daniel and Catharin Lewis have volunteered to run this year's auction.

Join the effort. Take a look around. Find something? Pack it in your bags. It will fly off the table!

To register for the conference refer to the next article below!

 

 

Register Now for 2011 Conference

On-Line Registration Available for 11th Annual       CSAA Conference:

                            "An Investment in Knowledge:                                Preserving and Presenting Schoolhouses"

The Country School Association of America’s annual conference will be held this year in the Mid-Atlantic states at Rider University in historic New Jersey.  As in the past, the two-day conference will include more than 20 presentations on Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14, and will offer the ever popular bus tour/workshop on Wednesday, June 15th.

 

We thank Maureen O'Connor Leach of Freehold, NJ, our conference coordinator for 2011.

Online (and paper) registration is now open at:  www.countryschoolassociation.org 

If you would like to see an UPDATED conference program outline please select this link: 

Download DailySchedule2011

This event draws a diverse group of participants from a broad spectrum of organizations, museums, academic institutions as well as cultural and heritage centers. Each year it provides museum personnel, teachers, staff, faculty and students, preservationists, historians and re-enactors from across the country, a valuable forum to exchange ideas, discuss their programs, and share preservation efforts with colleagues in the field.  

With such an energetic atmosphere, dynamic events, educational sessions, and networking opportunities, you do not want to miss this conference. Our attendees return home with countless ideas and renewed enthusiasm for their local schoolhouse programs.

Photo: Cross Keys School, Medford, NJ (schoolhouse on the tour)

 

Small Museum Big Venue

West Bay Common School to Exhibit at American Association of Museums Expo May 22-25, 2011

The American Association of Museums will hold their Annual Meeting and Expo in Houston this year returning only every 20-30 years. It is the largest conference of its kind in the country with over 5000 attendees from across the nation.  

CSAA member, West Bay Common School of League City, TX,  is one of only 6 small local museums offered the opportunity to host a booth in the foyer of the George R. Brown Convention Center to spotlight their museum.

The foyer exhibit was started last year in what is called the Discover Zone, and they are going now to do it every year.  This area focuses on hands-on or experiential history activities, which is why West Bay Common School fits so well. Visit the West Bay website to see the many activities that convinced the AMM of it's importance in the world of museums...of all sizes.

WEST BAY COMMON SCHOOL MUSEUM

Catharin Lewis is the director and curator of the West Bay Common School Museum and a very active member in the Country School Association of America. She is ably assisted by her husband, Richard Lewis, of the CSAA Board of Directors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The AAM conference will be held in Houston, TX from May 22-25th at the George R. Brown Convention Center. For more information access their website at:

AAM ANNUAL MEETING AND EXPO

Last Call for Presentations for Conference!!

CSAA Annual Conference: Rider University       Lawrenceville, NJ, June 13-15, 2011

This is the last call for your proposals to present at the Country School Association of America's Annual Conference to be held on the campus of Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ from June 13-June 15th. See prior information posted at:  CALL FOR PAPERS

Registration materials for the conference will be posted soon.

 

 

Ontario Conference and Workshop

Ontario Schoolhouse Focus of April 18th Conference

Our CSAA friends in North Buxton, Ontario have scheduled the 11th Annual S.L.A.T.E. (So Let's All Talk Education) Workshop & Conference on Monday, April 18, 2011 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of their Schoolhouse #13 Raleigh, built in 1861 and used until 1968. The schoolhouse was restored in 2002 and stands on the grounds of the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum. 

Read the fascinating history of the Elgin Settlement, known as Buxton, one of four organized black settlements to be developed in Canada. ELGIN SETTLEMENT-BUXTON

 

The S.L.A.T.E. Workshop & Conference provides sites with historic school houses an opportunity to share ideas, collaborate, and network with other sites who share the same challenges... The annual conference provides a forum for attendees from both the USA and Canada.  Organizers invite the membership of The Country School Association of America to reap the benefits of this opportunity.

 

The Buxton Historical Society is proud to host the 11th Annual S.L.A.T.E. Workshop & Conference. Attached please receive information regarding plans to offer an insightful conference, along with a heaping dose of Buxton hospitality!

 

Black History Month keeps both staff and volunteers busy and so, so they apologize for being a little behind our intended target date in sending out invitations! They are sending this initial "e" invitation, to get the word out quicker and in an effort to reduce waste.

 

For more information or to register online, please visit their website at: 

http://www.buxtonmuseum.com/news/ne-SLATE-info.html 

 

Submitted by Lori Gardner of Buxton, who will offer a workshop entitled: "Developing Interactive Programs"

 

Talk Radio and Country Schools

CSAA Focus of "Trundlebed Tales Radio"

One-room schools and The Country School Association of America will be the subjects of Sarah Uthoff's  next episode of "Trundelbed Tales Internet Radio Show" to air live on March 9th and available on her website thereafter.

Sarah, CSAA’s own Listserv mistress, has started a different kind of radio show. This show is broadcast via a website and can be heard all over the country. While the show is on live you can participate several ways. You can listen by 1) having your computer on the website, or 2) calling in and listening to the broadcast through via phone. You can become part of the show by 1) calling in and talking on air or  2) chatting live on the website during the show. After the live broadcast you can access the broadcast on the website or downloaded it from iTunes.

Sarah Uthoff has enjoyed a life-long interest in Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House series, and has become a speaker of note for the Iowa Humanities Speakers Bureau.

Sarah Uthoff received both her history education BA and her Masters of Library Science from the University of Iowa. An active Wilder researcher, Sarah is a regularly featured speaker at the annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Remembered Day at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch. She has also been featured at the Laura Ingalls Wilder: New Perspectives Conference and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Teacher Day, both sponsored by the Ingalls Homestead in De Smet, SD. Sarah's consulting work has included designing the Laura Ingalls Wilder Girl Scout Patch Day at Usher's Ferry Historic Village in Cedar Rapids and a training session for the staff at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa. Her unique programs can be customized for the type of group (adults, children, mixed), and the type of presentation desired, (scholarly or crafty). Sarah can speak as a modern day researcher or costumed as either a young or older Laura.

Episodes of her talk radio show to date have been dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder, but the March 9th episode will highlight one-room schools. It will include information on country schools and their history, plus a discussion of the CSAA. The episode will air Wednesday,  March 9, 2011 at 10 PM EST, 9 PM CST, 8 PM MST and 7 PM PST.

Call in 1-714-242-5253 or toll free 1-877-633-9389

Or Chat while you Stream Live Videos:

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/trundlebedtales/2011/03/10/trundlebed-tales-ep-7–one-room-schools-an-introduction

For more information about the show, see:

http://trundlebedtales.wordpress.com/blog-talk-radio

 Be sure to visit Sarah's website: TRUNDLEBED TALES

Sarah's Listserve, a discussion group on One-Room School Museums: ONE-ROOM SCHOOL MUSEUMS

Photos: (Top) Walnut Grove School/Church, (Middle) Sarah Uthoff, Bottom Right (Carrie, Laura & Mary Ingalls)

Reliving a Moment in Time at Tucker Mountain School

 1887 Photo Inspires Reenactment Film                              in East Andover, New Hampshire

A little red schoolhouse, a tree-lined lane, a young teacher watchful of her students, a batted ball in mid-flight. This captivating photograph of a moment in time in 1887 resurfaced in 2010 and piqued the interest of East Andover, NH native, Donna Baker-Hartwell, who lives a short distance from the Tucker Mountain School. In fact, Donna's mother purchased this schoolhouse in the 1960's and eventually donated it to the Andover Historical Society in 2004. In time, Donna would uncover her family's connection to the snapshot as well, and embark on a journey to bring the photo to life in a short film. Through Donna's own words, we will discover what she learned of its history and how she envisioned her project.

Enjoy her film at the end of this article!

Submitted by Donna Baker-Hartwell

"I've always loved the old photo of the students playing outside the school. And I often thought that it would be fun to reenact that very moment.

 

It was more than a year ago that I began to plan for the reenactment at the Tucker Mountain School. I had just met Ethney McMahon (videographer) while she and friend Larry Chase were creating the video, "This Old Town." I showed her the old photo and told her what I wanted to do. She volunteered her time and talent to help. There could not have been anyone better to work with.

The Schoolhouse Work  

 

Work to restore the outside of the schoolhouse had recently been done, putting wooden shingles on the roof and the installing a replica of the original chimney. However, inside the classroom, the ceiling needed to be restored to its original plaster surface.  I called contractor Ken Reid to ask him if he thought it was possible to get it done before cold weather (which meant about 3 weeks). He said that he didn't see why not!  His encouragement, enthusiasm and willingness to help get this done kept the reenactment project moving forward.

 

The Cast, the Crew, and the Script

I wanted Andover children to take part in the film and I was thrilled when four of the members of the cast were Tucker Mountain residents. Adult actors would be Andover residents as well. It was rather magical when things started to fall into place. Heather Makechnie was the best person for overseeing the making of the costumes. She had a good eye for detail. The costumes were made by volunteers and paid for by private donations. 

 

I wrote the script with the help of town and school reports and our two town history publications- the Eastman and Chaffee. Then I began collecting school books, slates and other artifacts which would be needed for authenticity.

 

We held an organizational meeting with cast members and parents and set the dates for the filming. All of the interior scenes were to be filmed on April 18th of 2010 and all of the exterior scenes were to be filmed on June 5th. There were no rehearsals and we had one day for filming.

The Revelation and Change of Plans!

 

Two nights before the filming began, I was working on creating a "record book" for the classroom attendance. I went back through town and school reports. I had been focusing on the reports of 1889 and 1890 as these were the years history books had labeled this photo as having been taken. I happened to pick up the 1888 report and discovered that Issa Tuttle (my great-grandmother's sister) taught at the school in 1887.  I knew I had one good photo of Issa in family genealogy files and soon I had it in my hands and could match it with the figure of the teacher in the photo. This lead to the discovery that the central figure in the photo was Issa's younger sister, my great-grandmother, Stella Tuttle!

 

I had two days to correct the history, rewrite the script, give some of the cast new identities and add more students. I wanted the reenactment to be historically correct. It was both exciting and nerve wracking to say the least. The end result is a video clip of under ten minutes which I hope will be a useful teaching tool for understanding what rural education was like in New England in the late1800's. Musician, Kathy Lowe of New London volunteered her talent as a dulcimer player to provide music of the period."

Take a step back into 1887 and spend a day at Tucker Mountain School!

 

Additional information from Donna Baker-Hartwell's research....

• The teacher in the photo was Miss Issa May Tuttle.
• She lived in East Andover Village.
• She was 17 years old when the photo was taken.
• She earned $4.75 a week and $2.00 was paid for her room and board.
• Miss Tuttle later married Walter Harley Todd and moved to Melrose, MA. She has three children.
• The six students in the photo are: Grace Tucker, Ned Flanders, Stella Tuttle, Eva Greeley, May Hersey, and Edith Hersey.
• The photo, slog with the original record book of the school, was forwarded to the William Adams Bachelder Library in 1964 by Edith Hersey, who at the time was living in Altadena, CA. 
• Frank Poblenz reproduced the original photograph and was recorded as having been taken in 1889-90. The error was discovered in 2010, when Donna Baker-Hartwell, Stella Tuttle Thompson's great granddaughter identified the teacher as Issa Tuttle and the central figure as Stella.
• The school remained open for six years after the photo was taken. It served the mountain folks for 56 years.
• Miss May Josephine Hersey (in the photo) was the last teacher at the school when it closed in 1893. There were only three scholars remaining.
• The school was built for $100 in 1837 by Benjamin Tucker on land donated by his brother William Tucker.
• The school is 16 feet wide and 18 feet long and has a "porch" (woodshed) 8 feet by 10 feet.
• The interior remains today with it's "two holer", crude wooden desks, and sloping floors.

 

Early Teacher Training Texts On-Line

The School-Master's (Electronic) Bookshelf

by Mike Day, Clippership Publications

The concept of teacher education (at least here in America) dates to the early 1840's with the establishment of the first "Normal Schools", a term derived from the French "Ecole Normal." As applied to a school for teachers the word "normal" meant an institution where correct standards or "norms" were taught, and where the art of teaching was demonstrated in correct practice. Massachusetts established first Normal School at Lexington with three students on July 3, 1839. New York established one in 1844 and Connecticut followed in May 1850. 

In addition to formal academic preparation, there was a strong movement towards Teachers Conventions at which the newer approaches were introduced and discussed. But such formal training tended to be limited to teachers in the settled and urbanized areas. For those in more isolated situations, self-education was often the only option.

A number of periodicals for teachers also appeared, most being published by the various State Departments of Education. These provided support and encouragement, instruction in specific aspects of teaching, and recommendations regarding professional books that teachers should read. The books could be ordered by mail, so that even in the most out-of-the-way settlements, dedicated teachers could keep up with the developments in their field.

The bookshelf of a committed teacher would contain some or all of the following titles:

School Architecture: or Contributions to the Improvement of School-houses, Henry Barnard, New York, 1848

Confessions of a School Master, William A. Alcott, New York, 1839 

The Teacher's Manual, Thomas H. Palmer, Boston, 1840

Lectures on School-Keeping, Samuel Hall, Boston, 1832

The Teacher Taught; or The Principals and Modes of Teaching, Emerson Davis,1839

Lectures to Female Teachers on School-Keeping, Samuel Hall, Boston, 1832

The School-Master's Friend, With the Committee-Man's Guide, Theodore Dwight, Jr., New York, 1835

Essay on the Construction of School-Houses, William Alcott, Boston 1832

Slate And Black Board Exercises, William Alcott, New York, 1843

The Teacher Taught, Emerson Davis, Boston, 1839

The Teacher's Manual, Thomas H. Palmer, Boston, 1840

The School And School-Master, Alonzo Potter, New York, 1842

How Shall I Govern My School ?, E. C. Wines, Philadelphia, 1838

Lectures On Education, Horace Mann, Boston, 1845

Many more could be listed. These books contain much that is relevant to good teaching even today. Museum people who peruse them get to share in the thinking that motivated 19th century teachers, and secure a first hand look into the day-to-day workings of their schools. It’s worth your time to take a look.

Accessing An Electronic Treasure

While you could scour the country's research libraries in search of original copies, a much easier approach is available to you through your computer. All of the books listed above are available to you at no cost through Google books. Clear images of the original publications can be downloaded to your computer or other electronic reader whenever you want them.

To gain access, first go to the site: GOOGLE BOOKS . When the main page opens, there will be the question: “Researching a topic?” with a window under it. In this window type the name of the book you want, and hit “enter”. A list of sites will be presented that offers access to that book. The listing will usually indicate where and when it was published. Look for the notation “Free Google eBook – Read” under the title.

You can browse through the book, print a copy or save it for later.It’s a modern electronic version of the school-master’s bookshelf. And just as the originals helped frontier teachers do a better job in their one room school-houses, the electronic versions can help you to be a more informed interpreter in your restored school-house.

Mike Day is a regular contributor to the CSAA newsletter and owner of Clippership Publications. Visit their website to learn how Clippership Publications specializes in the development and production of materials that relate to the traditional one room schoolhouse. Materials are appropriate for use in a restored historic schoolhouse; as "primary documents" for a history class, or as items for sale in a museum shop. Clippership maintains the size, color and overall appearance of the originals in all of their products.

Clippership Publications

Is a Schoolhouse Worth Saving?

by

Bill Sherman & Richard Lewis

CSAA Board of Directors

Before restoring any historic building, in this case a schoolhouse, you should determine the condition of the building by thoroughly inspecting it and determining whether it is “worth it." That is an interesting combination of words “worth it." Let us explore “value” and “worth."

 

If you look at the National Historic Register and/or National Trust guidelines, they concentrate on determining whether the historic character of a building is preserved during the restoration process.  Not too much information is provided on determining  “is it worth restoring” or the quality of the building now.  

 

We have to think of these little school buildings as artifacts like you find  in a museum or you unearth during an archeological dig.  Our artifacts are just found above ground and are a little larger than most. 

In the normal real estate process, they basically try to determine the “quality of a building” based on its “resale” value.  Is it worth investing money in for resale?  This value does not take into account its provenance and intrinsic value, just what it would “sell” for.  In other words, what is the intangible value to a community and its people.  Historic value is usually well above the calculated real estate value.

   

Whether a schoolhouse can be saved somewhat depends on the degree of local support that can be mustered to save it.  Some school buildings in terrible condition, that are thought not worth saving, have been restored because local leaders determined it was important to save them and got enough people involved to make it happened. 

There is no one standard to define "is it worth it?" Also, if you think about the nuts and bolts, there are no more “old growth” trees, to cut lumber from, no more real Cypress, or Redwood to build with today.  Today they are “farm grown”trees with nowhere near the structural strength or bug and weather resistance of an original tree.  Thus the original structure has added value.

If you accept schoolhouses as artifacts, their historic importance, the intrinsic value of a school, the resilience of original building materials, and you can garner community support...our schoolhouses ARE worth saving....even if the restoration costs more than building it from scratch.

Like any artifact, we are not restoring a schoolhouse for resale, we are restoring it to save it for future generations.     

 

CSAA Seeks Service Awards Nominees

CSAA Offers Service Awards for Deserving Volunteers

Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their exhaustive efforts on behalf of the preservation of a schoolhouse? A volunteer? A schoolmarm? A fundraiser? A handyman? A community organizer?

The Country School Association of America is proud to offer two new awards to honor such individuals for their dedicated service to our schoolhouses. Two $300 CSAA Service Awards will be presented at our 12th Annual Country School Association Conference to be held June 13-15, 2011 at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. Attendance at the conference is welcome, but not mandatory. Each year, one recipient will be chosen from within 100 miles of the annual conference, and the second will be chosen from 101 miles away from the conference. 

The application deadline has been extended to March 1, 2011, as we are just beginning our outreach for submissions to honor your ultimate schoolhouse supporter. Here is your chance to recognize and thank the unsung heroes of preservation who offer their time and effort so selflessly.

Attached, you will find full details and an application form in PDF format. You can also apply on-line through the link provided below.

Download CSAAServiceAwardform (This is your PDF form for mailing)

On-Line Application (Apply on-line, be patient in loading)

We continue to offer two Historic Preservation Grants and the Award for Scholarship and Artistry. Please access information for these awards at:

Download CSAAPreservationGrant   Download CSAAPreservationGrantapplication

Download ArtistryPrize

A Call for Papers

Be a Presenter at the 2011 Annual Conference of the Country School Association of America

Theme: An Investment in Knowledge: Preserving and Presenting Historic Schoolhouses

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest “. CSAA welcomes proposals exploring the “investment in knowledge” represented by historic schoolhouses --from the social and economic impact of these schools at their outset, to the present investment in preservation, restoration and interpretation, to the need to face the economic realities of 2011.

Conference Dates: June 13-15, 2011

Venue: Rider University Lawrenceville NJ

Deadline for Submissions: March 18, 2011          

 

The 11th Annual Country School Association of America Conference will take place on the campus of Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey on June 13 & 14, 2011 with an optional bus tour to several one-room schools in the historic Burlington County area on Wednesday, June 15, 2011.

Hosted this year by Maureen O’Connor Leach, a member of the Board of Directors of the Country School Association of America and Program Director of the Colonial Dames of New Jersey.

The conference theme is intended to explore the “investment in knowledge” accumulated in sharing the importance of our Historic Schoolhouses through preservation, restoration, adaptation and interpretation.  The use of the term investments is not limited to monetary expenditures. Proposals are being accepting for presentations, panel discussion, research papers, workshops, dramatic programs or plays, or demonstration on country/one-room schooling. Poster sessions and films/videos are also sought.

All Electronic Submissions to Maureen O’Connor Leach at steepedinhistory.leach@gmail.com 

Presentations should explore issues related to the economic, social, and educational costs of these schools at their inception, the current investment in historic preservation, research, interpretation and programming as well as the need to develop strategies to continue in the face of the economic realities of 2011.

Submit abstracts of no more than one double-spaced, printed page. Include a cover sheet with title of the 
proposal, names and affiliations (if any) of participants, participants resumes (no longer than 2 pages) including the address, email address, and phone number of each participant.

The following possible topics areas are suggested to spark creativity and are not to be considered as exclusive.

Preservation: Envisioning the preservation/restoration of our historic schools including funding, staffing and media promotion of project

Curatorial Management: Care and collecting of appropriate artifacts, developing a collection policy, storage and exhibition.

Research: One-room educational pedagogy, teacher training; unearthing site history, the architectural significance of one-room schools, the consolidation movement, and educational manipulatives in historic setting.

Programming: Meeting needs of changing audiences, school, scout & camp group programs, holiday celebrations, music & arts in historic schools, artifact based programming, living history presentations.

Administration: Recruiting and managing staff and volunteers, income streams, grant writing, site maintenance and disaster preparedness. 

Guidelines and Requirements for Conference Presenters

 Chairpersons:  Certain session formats have a chairperson.  This person is responsible for coordinating logistics for their session/activity.  The chairperson is the main contact between CSAA and any panelists.   

 AV and room arrangements:  Speakers and chairpersons (if applicable) will need to submit AV and room arrangement requests to CSAA by June 1st, 2010.  CSAA cannot provide any AV equipment for MACs.   AV equipment and projectors that will be provided may not be compatible with MACs.  Please provide your own in this case.

Time:  All sessions are from one-hour to one-hour and a half (60-90 minutes).  This should include time for questions and answers.

Registration Fees & Cost: Chairpersons, speakers and panelists should register for the annual meeting (at least for the day on which they speak).  CSAA generally does not pay travel costs or honoraria for any session chairs or panelists. 

 Scheduling Your Session: CSAA staff schedules all session times, rooms and dates.  You may request for a specific date or time; however we cannot guarantee that we can honor all requests. 

For additional information on the Country School Association of America, please visit our website at www.countryschoolassociation.org or our newsletter at www.csaa.typepad.com

For additional information on the conference or to send US mail submissions:

Maureen O’Connor Leach, 64 Bernice Drive, Freehold, NJ 07728   steepedinhistory.leach@gmail.com  Telephone # 732-462-0703

 

 

Words of Encouragement for Saving Our Schoolhouses

Why We Should Preserve a Country School

by Lucy F. Townsend, Ph.D., Executive Director, Country School Association of America

Saving Milan Township District #83 

Restoring a country school and programming it for the public can be both expensive and labor-intensive. Take, for example, the reconstruction of the Milan Township District #83 country school on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Most of the $125,000 needed to complete the project came from cash and in-kind donations, but the work was only beginning when the school opened in 1999. We quickly learned that we needed a curriculum that met Illinois learning standards for public school students, volunteers or staff to serve as docents, and more funds for the upkeep of the building.

Was the Project Worth It?

After more than a decade since the school opened its doors, it is time for reflection. Was the project worth the investment of so much money and time?  As the curator of the school, I would say emphatically, YES! The country school has contributed significantly to the learning experiences of thousands of public and private schoolchildren, college and university students, as well as members of local clubs, families, and church groups. Thus, I believe it is a valuable asset to our community. Following are three of the most obvious benefits.

Learning Through Historical Investigation

Students who visit a one-room school are often motivated to begin their own study of the educational experiences of their families and friends. Typically, these students raise a number of questions about life in a country school. Teachers can use such questions to help students learn how to explore the schooling experiences of earlier generations and express new knowledge in creative forms, for example, stories, poetry, songs, and plays. They can also use the knowledge to make presentations. Such activities can be used to meet a number of important state learning standards:  to ask meaningful questions, collect information, organize it, communicate it in writing and present it orally to larger groups. What distinguishes such learning activities from many others is their relevance to the students’ personal lives. Students of all ages engaged in discovering new knowledge about the education of family members, friends and neighbors from earlier generations often comment that these exploratory tasks are both meaningful and rewarding. 

Education in a Democracy 

A second reason is that country school visits can be used to help students understand why they go to school. Few of today’s children realize that America has led the world in attempting to provide public education for all its children. Many American children take schooling for granted. They are amazed to learn that millions of children around the world have no access to schooling at all. According to UNESCO, 1 billion (26%) of the world’s adult population is illiterate.  For most of our nation’s history, American children received 8 years of schooling in simple structures built and managed by elected adults from the local community. Over 200,000 of these schools once provided millions of American children with the opportunity to acquire the basic skills for gainful employment and the knowledge to participate in a democratic form of government.

America's Commitment to Free Public Education

It is important to discuss with each generation of children our nation’s commitment to universal education, but it is a more powerful learning experience for them to enter a country school building and sit in the seats once occupied by children from an earlier generation. Visitors who role play life in a country school are stimulated by the schoolhouse itself to ask questions about the school’s purposes, the ages of the children who attended, the kinds of activities they were likely to have, and what we might have learned from their experiences. Students who compare and contrast a country school with their own schools are encouraged to think more deeply about what and why they are going to school, what they may gain from what they are learning there, and whether current local schools are effective sites for learning. 

Sharing Experiences Across the Generations

Third, country schools can foster meaningful dialogue across the generations. A criticism often lodged against today’s public schools is that they are so large and diverse that they lack shared commitments and ties to the community. Participation in a local country school can be used to foster dialogue among people in families and others in the school’s community. Community members who attended a country school can be invited to share their experiences, and students can be encouraged to research the educational activities of their parents, grandparents, and/or neighbors.

A Sound Investment for Today's Children! 

Is a public school district’s investment in the reconstruction of a country school worth the time and money? I believe it can be. The reconstructed Milan Township Distrcit #83 school has contributed significantly to the education of thousands of students in the public schools of northern Illinois, as well as numerous university students taking classes in educational history, museum education, outdoor education, and theatre arts. Our country school is a symbol of NIU’s commitment to the history of the local community and its early schools. It has contributed to meeting state standards, has fostered meaningful dialogue about the purposes of American schools, and has contributed to cross-generational understanding.

Team Up to Save a Schoolhouse

Yet a public school district that is struggling to keep all its programs in operation due to declines in local and state funding may wonder if it has the necessary resources to preserve a country school. If so, it is suggested that the district form partnerships with local historical societies and park districts. One institution may lack the resources to carry the burden, but two or more may manage the challenge very well. Working together, they can broaden and deepen the entire community’s commitment to American education for all children.

For more information on the Milan Schoolhouse and the Blackwell History of Education Museum visit MILAN and BLACKWELL today!

 

 

Country School Film Debut

“Country School: One Room – One Nation” Film Premieres Nov. 19
 

Written and produced by award-winning filmmakers Tammy and Kelly Rundle

Submitted by the State Historical Society of Iowa

DES MOINES – A documentary film about one-room country schools and how they transformed rough-hewn pioneers and multilingual immigrants into a literate and patriotic new nation makes its world premiere this month in Des Moines.

“Country School: One Room – One Nation,” written and produced by award-winning filmmakers Tammy and Kelly Rundle (“Villisca: Living with a Mystery” and “Lost Nation: The Ioway”), will be screened Nov. 19-21, 2010, at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. (Click on poster to enlarge.)

 “One-room country schools played a significant and prominent role in Iowa’s past and they remain a source of interest today,” Department of Cultural Affairs Director Cyndi Pederson said. “Many Iowans either attended a country school or had a relative who did. This film will bring back cherished memories for everyone whose lives were touched by a part of rural Midwestern education that simply doesn’t exist anymore.”

From the first schools in new states to the demise of their widespread use in the 1950s and 1960s, “Country School” takes viewers “back to school” for a dramatic new look at the lasting impact of America's one-room schools.

The visually stunning film features a unique country school designed by Frank Lloyd Wright along with dozens of more traditional structures of brick, stone or wood – in all stages of restoration or decay – in picturesque rural areas of Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, Missouri and Nebraska.

“In creating this film, we also wanted to focus on stories that were handed down from one generation to another,” Kelly Rundle said. “What we found was a treasure trove of memories that are full of nostalgia, drama, humor and often heart-wrenching situations.”

Shot in the midst of all four seasons, the film features interviews with a who’s who of one-room school scholars, including authors Bill Samuelson, Jerry Apps, Dorothy Schwieder, Mark Dewalt, Vera Hurst, Frank Yoder and Bill Sherman, as well as former country school teachers and students. The running time of the film is approximately 80 minutes.

Please view the film trailer below! Be sure to order your own copy at ONE ROOM-ONE NATION

University of Missouri Extension Announces New Schoolhouse Organization!

Schoolhouse Preservation Group Forms in the Ozarks

Submitted by David L. Burton

To Schoolhouse Enthusiasts or School Owners:

I’m proud to announce the formation of a new organization comprised of people who are interested in preserving one-room schools in the Ozarks. The Ozarks Country School Association is a community development effort under the direction of University of Missouri Extension and is coordinated out of the MU Extension office in Greene County, Springfield, Mo. The mission of the OCSA is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the one-room school experience in Ozarks. The goals of the organization are to work with historical and community groups, as well as interested individuals and building owners, to raise funds and awareness, to maintain historic one-room school buildings left in southwest Missouri and to develop them as community centers.

I also want to let you know that we are moving forward with the 1st Annual Conference of the Ozarks Country School Association. I’m working on some sponsors and it looks like it will be a Friday and Saturday event sometime in the summer, perhaps in June. If you would like to be on the mailing list for that event please send me your conventional/snail mail address.

You will find the OCSA’s first chapter newsletter along with a membership form and an order form for the first OCSA fundraising calendar. Please read all of these materials and decide how you can support the start of this organization.

Membership in OCSA will have its privileges. For example, members will have opportunities to interact with a national organization (CSAA), only members will receive the newsletter, members will get an enrollment discount for our annual conference, members will be able to serve on the OCSA board, vote on chapter issues and only members will be eligible to receive grants or funding from OCSA.

Be sure to visit our site at Ozarks Country School Association. Here you will find a number of additional YouTube Videos that relate to our schoolhouses!

 

I also want to point out some dates for upcoming programs mentioned on page one of the newsletter. If you want to learn more about this organization and see an overview presentation about the rural schools of Greene County, I would invite you to attend one of these upcoming meetings. I look forward to working with many of you after you join and become members of the new Ozarks Country School Association.

Sincerely,

David L. Burton, Civic Communication Specialist University of Missouri Extension

Effective Oct. 4, the Greene County Extension Center will move to the new Botanical Center in Nathanael Greene Park. Our phone number and address will change to 2400 S. Scenic, Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807, telephone: (417) 881-8909; but our website remains the same.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND MEETINGS: “Rural Schools Presentation,” 4 p.m., Nov 18 at the public library in Republic, Mo. · “Rural Schools Presentation,” 2 p.m., Nov. 21—Lawrence County Historical Society Jones Memorial in Mt. Vernon

Bowne Center School Receives CSAA Recognition

National Registry Status Awarded to Michigan Schoolhouse

From the BTHS Website

On Saturday, August 21, 2010, 60+ visitors traveled to Bowne Center to help celebrate the honor bestowed on the Bowne Center School as it was placed on the CSAA National Country School Registry. Bowne Center School which opened in 1849 and closed in 1953, was awarded a certificate from the Country School Association of America, and  the official CSAA plaque has been placed in the school entry denoting this honor.

Chris Wenger, Township Supervisor and Sally Johnson of the Bowne Township Historical Society officiated as the certificate and plaque were displayed for the first time.

Among those attending was Suzanne Daniel, a member of the Michigan One Room School Association and board member of the CSAA. Suzanne informed us that we were only the second school in MIchigan to receive this recognition.

 Many of those visiting were former teachers who had taught in area country schools and those who had attended the schools as students. There was much reminiscing among the visitors, and tales of fond memories of those days were shared by those who came for the special event.

BTHS also opened their new venue, the Carriage Shed, for the first time. In addition, there were several new displays in the museum. Bowne Center, a "ghost town", was a thriving community in the mid to late 1800's, but they feel lucky to have four buildings still standing that represent those bygone days.

Photos: Bowne Center School front and side, CSAA plaque, Chris Wenger and Sally Johnson, and visitors attend open house and plaque dedication.

 

For more information on the BTHS visit their website at:Bowne Center School

Thanks to Suzanne Daniel for the photos in this posting!

Save the Date for the 2011 Conference!

2011 CSAA Conference to be Held in New Jersey

You are cordially invited to attend the 11th Annual Country School Association of America Conference to be held on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey from June 13 - June 15, 2011.

Monday and Tuesday, June 13 & 14, 2011 will include programming and presentations.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 we will offer the popular Bus Tour of the Historic Schoolhouses of Burlington County. Registration forms and pricing will be available by January 1^st, 2011

Our keynote speaker will be John H. Pollack from the University of Pennsylvania, editor of "The Good Education of Youth" Worlds of Learning in the Age of Franklin.

Rider University is in Lawrenceville, Mercer County, NJ (www.rider.edu) 60 miles south of New York City and 35 miles north of Philadelphia.

Dorm rooms will be available for $32 per person/per night including linens, but numerous hotels dot the area. Details will follow.

Philadelphia International or Newark Liberty International are best for air travel, as Philadelphia is 50 miles from Rider. It is smaller & easy to navigate. Delta, United, Southwest, and US Air all fly there.

Newark Liberty is 45 miles north of Rider & a Continental hub, as well as United, American, Midwest, and Frontier.

Rider is about 60 miles from JFK or Laguardia but the traffic from there to Rider is usually an issue unless you plan to tour New York City.

Details on area attractions will also follow. New Jersey is the "Crossroads of the American Revolution.” For military historians -- you will be 5 miles south of Princeton and 3 miles north of Trenton (Battleground tours available). Monmouth Battlefield is 25 five miles away.

It is less than an hour to Ocean Grove, the largest assemblage of authentic Victorian architecture in the nation. The town is on the National Register & the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places. Quaint shops good restaurants & the beach is fabulous

Hosted this year by Maureen O’Connor Leach of the Colonial Dames of New Jersey and a member of the Board of Directors of the Country School Association of America.

To access updated information as it appears on our website visit: www.countryschoolassociation.org

Or revisit our newsletter: www.csaa.typepad.com

Iowa One-Room Schoolhouse Conference, October 8-9

A Program for Your Schoolhouse Museum 

Sarah S. Uthoff

The theme for the 11th Annual Iowa Country School House Conference is Interpreting Your School Museum. It will be held in Maquoketa at the Jackson County Historical Society complex October 8-9, 2010.  Day two of the conference will offer the popular bus tour of restored country schools and lunch at Sabula, Iowa's only island community. 

You can obtain a copy of the program brochure and registration form by contacting Bill Sherman at wsherman41@gmail.com or by calling 1-800-434-2039. Deadline for registration is October 1, 2010.

Other schoolhouse conferences for the future: 

The Country School Association of America Conference will be in New Jersey , June 13-15, 2011 and then in Ames,Iowa in 2012. Details will be posted on this site soon.

The 2011 Iowa workshop is planned in Creston at the Community College Oct. 7-8. 

 

Write Right on Slate

Soapstone is Better for Your Museum Slates

Submitted by Catharin and Richard Lewis

If your scholars use real slate pencils or chalk when writing on their slates in your schoolhouse, we have a recommendation.

We found that slate pencils made from natural slate scratch the small slate boards and are not the best to use. We also found that chalk causes a lot of dust to gather in your schoolhouse, and the writing is so large that scholars can't fit as much on their slates as with other pencils. 

Our research found that the teacher was often the only one who used chalk, and many schools used soapstone pencils for their students. Soapstone does not create the dust and writes with a finer line than chalk. Soapstone doesn't scratch the surface of the slates since it's a softer stone. 

Soapstone pencils are still sold today for welding and sewing purposes. Like other mechanical pencils that hold lead, metal holders for soapstone are also available. At the West Bay Common School Museum in League City, Texas, we only order the soapstone inserts, not the holders. The insert is 5" long and 1/4" in diameter. We break them in half and sharpen both ends to make them even more useful.

You can find these pencils for your schoolhouse by searching "Anchor RD-5 Round Soapstone" on the internet, and you can order any quantity from a single pencil to a box of 144. Prices vary from 12-25 cents per pencil, a bargain. Note: Rectangular soapstone pencils are more popular than round, so be sure of the shape you're ordering.

Here's a quick link to compare prices and locate dealers. 

The Find: Anchor RD-5 Round Soapstone

Visit the website of the West Bay Common School!

West Bay Common School

Blue Beaver School #61

Schoolhouse Tales from Layton, Oklahoma

by Gloria Hawkins

"Sure, you're welcome to come to the school--the museum isn't open until 10:00 tomorrow morning, but I'll open the padlock on the gate so you can get in," was Tim Poteete's genuine response to a request for our unscheduled visit to Blue Beaver School. 

"Just drive through the parking lot and around behind the museum, you'll see the schoolhouse," he instructed. As we carefully maneuvered our way through the construction sites, we encountered a crew of workers restoring an old train depot, and then Brian Smith, the carpenter for the village. Chatting with him about the school, we discovered that the original iron and wooden desks were no longer used in Blue Beaver's programming. "The desks, part of the museum's collection, were getting too much wear and tear from the student use. We replaced them with tables and benches that I built," he told us. Later in our visit Tim Poteete confided that, "Brian can build just about anything. He copied our tables and benches from an old photo."

As we continued into the village on this very warm day, we were greeted by Tim coming out of the fort. He was dressed in full period costume consisting of felt hat, long sleeved shirt, herringbone wool vest, heavy pants and boots--with wire-rimmed glasses completing his transformation back in time. Despite the heavy attire and the Oklahoma heat, Tim's enthusiasm for sharing the school's history didn't seem to be dampened.

"Blue Beaver School #61 opened October 13, 1902 and was used as a school until 1938. Later it was used as a community center. When the school closed the land reverted back to the farmer, the original land owner. The farmer's family called us and asked if we wanted it. Yep, sure did! So, in January of 2000, Blue Beaver #61 moved to the museum." Tim continued with his the story. "After we refurbished and refitted the school, exactly 100 years to the day of its original first class, we opened as a living history museum with our first class."

Tim's personal involvement with programming was obvious as he talked about Blue Beaver's Christmas on the Prairie program. "Children not only decorate a Christmas tree, but they also have the opportunity to choose it and actually cut it down."

In early December, Tim goes out to his brother-in-law's farm and cuts down 10 or 15 cedar trees. When he returns to the village, he trims the trees, then shims each one up in a short piece of pipe that has been previously concreted in the ground. Leaves are used to hide the trunk and pipe. 

"The tree is chosen by vote, each child casting his vote by standing next to the tree they like the best. The tree with the most kids next to it gets cut. Nearly always you have some of them who want to cut down the biggest tree, but you have to remind them that they are doing the cutting and carrying and that they have to get a tree hat will go through the schoolhouse door." Tim explained.

"We show them how to hold and use a bow saw safely. Chores that the farm children would have been responsible for at home are also explained. The older boys in a farm family would have done all the chopping of the wood. We then allow the older student to cut the tree for our school," he continued.

When questioned about safety, Tim assured me, "Safety has never been a problem. We have never had an accident or lost any fingers. I always ask the students, 'Do you know why we need our fingers? (to call attention to the dangers of the saw)...and I get all sorts of answers." One visitor answered, "If we didn't have fingers we couldn't write or play the piano!" Then much to the dismay of the schoolmarm, Tim's sense of humor emerges and he tells them, "No, we need fingers for scratching and picking!" He says the boys love it and the girls cringe, but they always remember to be careful!

The program includes activities that vary by age. The younger students uses a piece of tin foil and a walnut to make a tree ornament--and Tim tells them that foil would have come from liners of tobacco cans or candy bars. The older students string popcorn and Tim added that, "No one has been stuck yet!" They also make paper chains and cut snowflakes from construction paper. They pass around oranges and cloves to smell and then use them to make pomanders. 

"We discuss how candles were used on Christmas trees, show them old candle clips and talk about how the candles represent stars,"  Tim added. While candles were eventually replaced by electric lights, he teaches the visitors the dangers of live flames and tells them the sad story of the Babb Switch School. 

Babb Switch School was about a mile from Blue Beaver School, a one-room school destroyed by a tragic fire on the night of the school's Christmas program. Someone brushed the Christmas tree knocking over a candle on the tree. The students and families rushed to put out the fire and knocked the entire tree over. In a panic to get out, people rushed against the inward opening doors and were trapped inside. Thirty-six people perished.

"We use lots of modern materials in our program," Tim said, "but we always tell students when we do and why. The whole program is intended to compare Christmas and its decorations, then and now. It is hands-on and very popular. It's funded by businesses in Layton, so the materials are free, and the free admission helps its popularity, I'm sure." 

At this point, Tim's unending supply of information was interrupted by a costumed re-enactor dressed as a Native American. Questions needed to be answered and we needed to be on our way, so we said our good-byes.

Tim's extensive historical knowledge of Oklahoma and the Blue Beaver School was enlightening and entertaining. His sense of humor and animated storytelling captivated my husband and me, and certainly all the students who visit the Blue Beaver School at the Museum of the Great Plains.

* Tim Poteete is an Oklahoma historian and living history interpreter at the Museum of the Great Plains in Layton, OK. For more information on the museum, access the link below.

MUSEUM OF THE GREAT PLAINS

Photos: Top to Bottom: Tim Poteete at the Blue Beaver School; Carpenter, Brian Smith; Interior schoolhouse and Brian's hand-made desks; Interior and Brian's handiwork; vintage photo of a Blue Beaver class; Historian, Tim Poteete.

For more information on the Babb Switch School Fire of 1924:

BABB SWITCH SCHOOL FIRE 1924

BABB SWITCH FIRE

Gloria Hawkins is a member of the Board of Directors of the Country School Association of America and a professional photographer. She has photographed hundreds of one-room schools across the United States. We appreciate tales from her extensive travels!

Conference in Oklahoma: Education Among the Earliest Americans

2010 CSAA Conference Offers the Best in "Sooner" History

The accolades keep coming! A beautiful state, friendly people, compelling presentations, a host of restored schoolhouses, and a wealth of history...what more could we ask of the 2010 CSAA conference held recently at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha? Thirty states were represented at the conference that offered 26 individual presentations and the opportunity to visit six restored schoolhouses during the three-day event. Oklahoma greeted us with near 100 degree days, but attendees kept their cool on the meticulous campus, while being treated to excellence in programming and fabulous cuisine!

Loretta Jackson, African American historian and founder of the Loretta Y. Jackson Historical Society, promoted the conference in Grady County to share the historical importance of the Verden Separate School, the one-room schoolhouse she saved from demolition and helped to preserve. Jackson also led the commemoration of the 100th Year Anniversary of the school that was attended by over 100 schoolhouse supporters. 

The Verden School received their CSAA Landmark Schoolhouse plaque acknowledging their acceptance into the Country School Association of America schoolhouse registry of significant historic schools. 

Throughout the conference Jackson exhibited a special contagious enthusiasm, the kind that garners the interest and financial resources necessary to the success of such a preservation. Loretta and her friends were the driving force that brought about the moving, preservation and restoration of the Verden School. Built in 1910 by African American farmer Allen Toles on land he acquired in 1909 under the Homestead Act of 1862, the little schoolhouse and its history have survived the ravages of time and neglect.

Richard and Catharin Lewis of the West Bay Common School in League City, Texas orchestrated the two days of programming, registration process, and scheduling, as well as the all-day motor coach tour of five restored Oklahoma schoolhouses! Thanks to their dedication to detail and creative programming, the 10th annual conference exceeded CSAA's tradition of excellence! The Lewis team has been active in promoting the CSAA since 2005, when they attended the 5th conference in Barbourville, Kentucky and worked thereafter to help the group become a national organization. They both serve on the board of directors of the Country School Association of America, while curating the West Bay Common School that hosts thousands of visitors annually.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Ernest Holloway, President Emeritus of Langston University who attended a one-room school as a boy. He shared many experiences of his school days and made observations about where education has moved since then. His sage advice included, "Start over with what you gave up," and "Go forward by reaching back." He is an advocate of holding parents and students accountable for attaining a quality education and emphasized the need for more student responsibility. He was affable and entertaining while delivering a serious message of getting back to the basics in teaching and learning.

Oklahoma History

In addition to schoolhouse history, the group traced a wealth of Oklahoma history, hearing stories of the Oklahoma Land Rushes, Native American history, African American history, the Trail of Tears, the "sooners", the Chisholm Trail, oil, and the Dustbowl. 

Bus Tour

The ever-popular bus tour took the group to Harn Homestead, the Cherokee Strip Museum, the Chisholm Trail Museum visiting five beautifully preserved schoolhouse museums: Stoney Point Schoolhouse, Rose Hill School, Possum Holler School, Gant School and the 1889 Territorial School. See photos below in IMAGES OF OKLAHOMA. 

Tim Poteete, an Oklahoma historian, regaled the bus tourists with vignettes on the grit of Oklahoma settlers, mules, weather, adding entertaining stories of bravery, tragedy, outlaws, heroes, local characters, politicians, and geography. This was a show in itself!

Entertainment

A live performance highlighted Tuesday evening's dinner, with the moving presentation of A Room with Vision. This original story of the Verden Separate School as told through the eyes of various characters was written by W. Jerome Stevenson and performed dramatically and flawlessly by DeLanie Brewer.

Program Information and Photos

For a look at the complete program guide for the 2010 CSAA Country Schoolhouse Conference click on the following link. This guide details information on presentations, presenters, and schoolhouse tour. You may wish to keep this in mind for next year's conference to be held at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. It offers a look at the content and range of topics in our program.

Download 2010 CSAA PROGRAM

Photos Above: Top: Verden School, Middle: Loretta Jackson receives Landmark School plaque from Richard Lewis of CSAA; Group: (L-R) Oklahoma State Senator Ron Justice, USAO President John Feaver, Loretta Jackson, Dr. Ernest Holloway, Chickasha Mayor Henry Ross; Bottom: Eleanor Ent and Dr. Veronica Ent demonstrate and construct stereographs used in early schools.

2010 Country School Conference Photos....Acccess YouTube below:

Group Seeks Information on School Collections

Add to the History of Education Compendium!

We need your help!  We are looking for archival collections that would be of interest to historians of education (including non-U.S. collections). Please send any information you have on archives and collections (i.e. title, description, location) to Mary Ann Dzuback,madzubac@wustl.edu.  This could include public school archives, private collections of materials (open to researchers), a collection of material at a historical society, museum or even an archive that was found by chance or investigation.  

We would also like a list of any collection, archive or documents that should be preserved and may not currently be in archival form.  This could include materials in private collections, artifact collections, digital collections, local and state materials, etc.

As information about the material is being compiled, we are developing a page on the HES web site: www.historyofeducation.org. We will be continually updating the information, but would like to start with a robust list by state and country.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Dzuback  

HES Archives Committee:  Bob Hampel, Kate Rousmaniere, Darwin Stapleton, Scott Walter, and Wayne Urban.

Meet Bill Sherman

Country School Association Co-Founder Highlighted by University of Iowa

If you know Bill Sherman, you understand his passion for the preservation of country schools across the nation, but it all began in his home state of Iowa. The University of Iowa College of Education recently caught up with Bill, an alumnus with a long history of researching one-room schools, and published his story in their quarterly bulletin. 

Bill is humble about his achievements, but he has written a book entitled: "Iowa's Country Schools: Landmarks of Learning," was instrumental in getting the Grant Wood schoolhouse on the back of the 2003 Iowa quarter, and co-founded the Country School Association of America with Dr. Lucy Townsend of Northern Illinois University. 

In addition, Bill Sherman helps to coordinate the annual Iowa Schoolhouse Conference for the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance and various Iowa county historical societies. The 2010 will be held in Maquoketa, IA on October 8th and 9th, 2010 with the theme: "Interpreting Your Country School Museum."

    For the entire article with links to information on Bill and his upcoming conference, go to:

BILL SHERMAN: PRESERVATIONIST

Photo: Bill Sherman of the CSAA and Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance 

Note: Bill is much happier than his photo appears in the U of I College of Education bulletin!

Salzer School Project Needs Your Vote!

Cast Your Vote for Centralia, Washington Schoolhouse Restoration

Submitted by Carla Osterby

Nestled among hay fields, and flanked by evergreen forests, resides the historic Salzer Valley Schoolhouse in Centralia, Washington. For generations, the confines of its simple, white walls have been the center of social activity for the valley. The schoolhouse, was established in 1894 as a one room school to serve the needs of local children.One of the first teachers at the school was Rena Cooness, the daughter-in-law of George Washington, founder of Centralia, Washington. 

In 1944 the Centralia school district consolidated and the school dismissed its students for the last time. The school has become home for the Salzer Valley Community Club, a non profit club dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the historic Salzer Valley School. 

In 2008, upon hearing of the plans to disband and burn the historic school the younger members of the community stepped forward and assumed stewardship of the historic schoolhouse. 

We are seeking help from the community at large and readers of the CSAA newsletter. The Salzer Valley Schoolhouse is in the running for a $25,000 grant from Pepsi. This would be a tremendous help towards restoration of the schoolhouse. Voting for this round ends April 30, 2010.

Photo: Rena Cooness stands with students at Salzer Valley Schoolhouse in Centralia, Washington. Cooness was one of the state's first African-American teachers when she taught at the school from 1903-1911.

Vote for Salzer School

For more information and a photo gallery, visit the Salzer Valley Community website!

Salzer Valley Community Club 

Thank-you,
Carla Osterby, Secretary

Register Now for 2010 CSAA Conference

10th Annual CSAA Conference Invites You to Chickasha, Oklahoma!

 

On-line registration is now available for schoolhouse enthusiasts across the nation who wish to attend the annual conference of the Country School Association of America. The 2010 program will be held on the campus of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma from June 21-23, 2010 with the optional Schoolhouse Tour and Workshop on the third day. 

Go to our CSAA Website and click on Annual Conference. Access complete program information and on-line registration forms, and we'll see you there!

Country School Association of America

Join schoolhouse friends, writers, teachers,historians, and preservationists for two days of programming, highlighting their efforts to save and promote our nation's remaining one-room schools. On the optional full-day workshop and tour, visit restored schoolhouse museums to witness the work done by local preservationists. 

 
Verden Separate School, Verden, OK, before and after preservation.

  

Mt. Sterling Schoolhouse Reunion

Missouri Schoolhouse Holds Open House

Submitted by Jane L. Ragan

The following article appeared in the Oct. 21st edition of The
Gasconade County Republican as written by Mark Schaeperkoetter who is
also a graduate of our Mt. Sterling, Missouri schoolhouse.

Mt. Sterling Schoolhouse

It was a Monday just like any other Monday over the past forty-six
years, the school bell in the old one-room country school was silent, no
children were scattered across the playground, the carom board was
against the wall in its box, a squirrel scurried around gathering
walnuts where "fox and the geese" was played, no coats hung on their
hooks, no lunch buckets or pokes awaited lunch time, the school desks
were empty, the organ sat in silence with its songbook open to the Star
Spangled Banner and the doors to the bookshelf were shut.

The noise of a humming vacuum cleaner was the only sound as Terry and
Jane Ragan swept the floors after a weekend school reunion and open
house at the Mt. Sterling School.

Graduates and former students came from Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Ohio,
Arkansas and all over Missouri, rekindled old acquaintances and
memories, tried to guess who some of the people were and were startled
at what they witnessed when they rounded the slight curve in Mt.
Sterling Road.
 
An old county songwriter who attended a one-room school should write a
song about the experience. The lyricist could talk about school when the
hot lunch program was bringing soup in your thermos, a bathroom that
worked because of gravity not water pressure, lunches shared and traded
with other students without the threat of a lawsuit, "Teacher" not being
afraid to use a hickory stick with the full support of the parents,
drinking water from a collapsible cup not a fountain, eight years of
grade school with boiling water and phosphorous when exposed to air
being the extent of a science experiment.

Graduates and attendees, some who had not returned for a high school
reunion, proudly brought their children and grandchildren to show them
where "I went to school".

The songwriter would write about how generations of families that from
1896 through 1963 within a three mile radius of Mt. Sterling received
their education at a typical white frame building that was similar to
ones that sprouted up within four to six miles of each other in rural
counties all over Missouri.  Gasconade County had more than seventy.

In an era when attending school was more often than not learning only
the basics of the 3 Rs, probably less than half graduated from the
eighth grade over the span of years mentioned above.

Teachers in their annual report to the local school board often repeated
a line from the previous year's teacher, "Adequate building, learning
materials, library, textbooks and grounds but something needs to be done
to encourage the students to attend school on a regular basis".

It wasn't until Ray Schaeperkoetter, who is the oldest living graduate,
and Alvera Schneider entered school in 1925 that students at Mt.
Sterling began the traditional path in education of being promoted to
the next grade in a sequential pattern.


Above: Bronze Statues at the front of Mt. Sterling 

Prior to this time, sporadic attendance often precluded completion of
academic classes in an adequate manner to progress to the next grade.

It was not unusual in the 1920's and 30's for a school year attendance
book to show enrollments in the upper 30s.  It would be difficult to
imagine that many students inside such a small building but students
eighty to ninety years ago where sort of like C&E (Christmas and Easter)
churchgoers today, they attended only the important days!

The biggest drop in attendance was spurred on by the Depression.  Of the
seven students at Mt. Sterling in 1946, three were siblings. No one was
in grades 1, 2 or 7 and three were in the sixth grade.

After World War II, attendance increased slightly as the Possumtown and
Pin Oak Schools were shuttered, expanding the school bus route to Osage
County and Horseshoe Bend.

Attendance never did grow sufficiently to warrant a new school but the
patrons of the Mt. Sterling E2 (Expanded) School District voted twice,
failing both times (both received a majority but not the 5/7 super
majority required at the time), to levy an increased tax on themselves
to build a new school on ground donated by a former graduate.

After two stormy days which dumped seven inches of rain, reunion day
dawned foggy on the school grounds but a big sun up on the hill shown
bright and greeted over two hundred fifty visitors to the event.

Students from the Owensville FFA provided parking and general
assistance, heard stories from graduates and watched a group picture of
those that attended being taken.

In an era when teachers taught only a few years, female teachers could
teach if they were single or married, but must resign if they began to
"show".  There were a number of (several) male teachers but none of them
taught as long as "Teacher" did.

Basil Leach known only as Teacher-taught from 1946 to 1963 and came to
Owensville after the Mt. Sterling School closed-the last one room
country school with all eight grades in Gasconade County.

The old school bell peeled loudly again on that afternoon but the
excitement of seeing the building and the events of the afternoon began
to turn throats lumpy as the schoolmates with whom we spent our
formative years began to pull away.  Reunions are that way, always
filled with the question. Will I see them again?

If you would like to see 192 images of the Mt. Sterling Schoolhouse Reunion you may visit the link below:

Thanks to GRathertImages for the additional photo gallery! Simply Open the Site and click on Gallery (upper left) and select Mt. Sterling Schoolhouse.

Mt. Sterling Reunion Photos

The CSAA thanks Mark and Jane for their interest in our schoolhouse blog and for their generous submission!

Schoolhouse Renovation Links

Pictures and Progress in Caldwell, Kansas: Belleview District # 68

If you've been involved in a schoolhouse renovation, you know exactly what it takes to bring an old schoolhouse back to life! You'll certainly enjoy this link submitted by new CSAA members Mike and Valerie Brunhoeber who are personally knee deep into restoring the Belleview District #68 in Caldwell, Kansas. To publicize the yeoman's work they've already accomplished on their schoolhouse, they've created a website that speaks for itself, complete with photos, newspaper article links, comments, and some history of their schoolhouse. Be sure to access the link to the article in the Wellington Daily News by Nate Jones that you'll find on their site.

Our congratulations and praise to the Brunhoebers, donors, and any volunteers undertaking this long term project so local children can visit in the future for a look back into schoolhouse history!

BELLEVIEW PICTURES AND PROGRESS

Dunkle Schoolhouse in the Hocking Hills Now Historic Host Lodging

If you're planning a visit to scenic Vinton County, Ohio, you may not just want to visit a one-room school, but how about lodging in one? The Dunkle School located just north of the village of McArthur, Ohio is a place you can call home...for a time. According to the website it has been renovated and furnished to help preserve the history of this Appalachian area and to help the building function as "sustainable preservation." This means that the rental helps maintain the building while rescuing and restoring at-risk historic structures for guests to enjoy.

 
 
  
 
Thanks to Sue Maxwell of Historic Host "Vacation with History" lodgings for her submission. We wish her luck in this creative venture! For detailed information visit the links below:

DUNKLE SCHOOLHOUSE LODGING  then click on the Dunkle Schoolhouse.

Download News release new school

 

 

CSAA Country School Conference 2010

Schoolhouse Conference Heads to Oklahoma

June 21-23, 2010

 The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

"Blazing the Trail: Education Among 

the Earliest Americans." 

Museum professionals, professors, students, preservationists, teachers, staff members and country school "buffs” should reserve the date June 21-23, 2010. Be sure to put this on your calendar, as this conference draws participants from across North America.

The 2010 Country School Association of America Conference will take place on the campus of The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on June 21st and 22nd with an optional bus tour to several one-room schools in the Oklahoma City area on June 23rd . We will hold the three-day conference on a college campus that is on the National Register of Historic Places and near the site of a restored one-room schoolhouse considered "the most significant African-American artifact in the state of Oklahoma" .

CSAA board members Dr. Lucy Townsend of DeKalb, Illinois and Richard Lewis of League City, Texas will assist Loretta Jackson of Chickasha, Oklahoma in planning the details for the 2-day conference, as well as the ever-popular (optional) 3rd day bus tour of local one-room schools. Fly into Oklahoma City and drive just 35 miles to Chickasha.

Your Invitation to Present and Participate!

You are cordially invited to participate in and/or offer a presentation on a schoolhouse topic of your interest, lead a panel discussion, present a research paper, conduct a workshop, present a play, organize a symposium, or give a demonstration on country schooling. 

The following ideas may spark your creativity: 

Preservation: Envisioning the restored country school, raising money, recruiting and managing volunteers, promoting the project, collecting artifacts, preserving a restored school, preparing for and/or recovering from a natural disaster, etc. 

Research: Native American and African American one-room schooling, teachers and the rural community, the process of digging up the history of a school, oral history-making, the architectural significance of one-room schools, the supervision of one-room schools, teacher training for one-room schoolteachers, the consolidation movement, educational methods (maps, music education, nature study, reading charts), etc. 

Programs: Stories, camp, holiday celebrations, music schools, musical instruments, dramatic reenactment or living history programs, etc. Videotapes and other resources are welcome. 

Memory Makers: Come and share your memories, photographs, artifacts, books, facts and fiction related to country schooling, etc. 

Proposal Formats: Proposals should not exceed three double-spaced, printed pages. Add a cover sheet with title of the proposal, names and affiliations (if any) of participants, and the address, email address, and phone number of each participant. 

If you want to discuss your topic before submitting a proposal, contact CSAA Executive Director Lucy Townsend (815-753-1236 or ltownsend@niu.edu ). Proposals are due March 1, 2010. 

E-mail your cover sheet & proposal to: Loretta Jackson at lyjackson1@suddenlink.net  and Richard Lewis at richard.lewis@nasa.gov  or send 2 copies of your proposal and two self-addressed, stamped envelopes to Loretta Jackson, P.O. Box 2044, Chickasha, OK 73023.

View a Presentation from 2009!

If you'd like to view a video presentation from the 2009 conference at St. Vincent College, access the link below and choose from the list of those available.

2009 Presentations  

For more information, visit our website by clicking the CSAA logo on this home page or the 2010 CSAA Conference link.

Registration information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

A Schoolhouse Book List

Adding to Your Schoolhouse Compendium

     
 
If you happen to be seeking books relating to the country school experience, this is your lucky day. Dr. Mary Outlaw of Berry College in Georgia, and a member of the CSAA Board of Directors, would like to share the list she compiled for her 2009 CSAA Conference presentation. Some are picture books for children, while others are chapter books. All are unique to their treatment of one-room and small schools across the nation. Simply access the list through the link below. Thanks to Mary for sharing!

Download Booklist for newsletter-1

Additional Notes:

We will add these books to our BOOK SUGGESTIONS list as time permits.

If any of the books you find on our BOOK SUGGESTIONS list are out of print, you can often find them USED on the www.Amazon.com, www.Alibris.com, or the www.Abebooks.com websites.

We also welcome suggestions from our readers who wish to add their favorites to our book list. Please cross check your suggestion with BOOK SUGGESTIONS on our newsletter/BLOG. Send them to the address below.

scfineman@aol.com

A Unique Renovation for an Old School

Schoolhouse Guesthouse in Rural Pennsylvania

    

The mission of the Country School Association is clearly the preservation and restoration of the remaining schoolhouses of nearly 219,000 existent at the turn of the 20th century. Many of our members are involved in the restoration and use of schoolhouses for historical interpretation while others study, document, and write about them for their educational and historical significance. Members may have attended one-room schools, taught in them, or simply enjoy photographing them. 

    

Wherever they are, our schoolhouses beckon us to enjoy what others have achieved in maintaining them for posterity. Here is the story of a unique ORS preservation effort for personal use. CSAA contacted a family of schoolhouse enthusiasts in Pennsylvania who have renovated the 1851 Amity Schoolhouse.

Owner Donna Genova has kindly shared her family's personal story below:

Amity School Takes on a New Role

The Genova Family's Story....

Thank you for your interest in featuring an article on our schoolhouse for the CSAA Newsletter. I’m really excited about it. Our school is located in the Hamlet of Amity which is in the Village of Pleasant Valley in Springfield Township, Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We now own three of five structures comprising the small Hamlet of Amity, including a stone house, a large stone barn, and the brick schoolhouse.     

We purchased a 3-acre farm in 2005 which included an almost 200 year old stone farmhouse and bank barn.  Next to the bank barn is the 1851 Amity Schoolhouse which we bought in March of 2008.  One of the main reasons we purchased the schoolhouse was that the property which the schoolhouse is on was originally part of the land that our farmhouse is on. A document regarding our farm’s history, which was performed by the Heritage Conservancy, indicates that in 1851 Levi Kulp (owner at the time) sold 12 and 2/3 perches of land from his 50 acres to the Directors of the Commons Schools of the Township of Springfield for $5.93.  The township then built the Amity School.  We were able to obtain the “original” Deed and have it hanging in the schoolhouse. 

We restored the Amity School in approximately nine months and were pleased to find the original wainscoting on the walls, trim and moldings, the original ceiling, 4 hanging school lights, window framing, and original floors. Unfortunately we don’t have any interior photos when the school was in operation.

The prior owners who bought the school in 1955 installed a kitchen, bathroom, living room and two bedrooms.  They put in a drop ceiling and made the windows smaller. We gutted it and put it back to one large room.  We added a tiny kitchen and bathroom on the level where the teacher’s desk would’ve been (one step up from the main floor) and made bookcases and cabinets in front of them to keep the schoolhouse feel.  The original blackboard wasn’t there so we made one using blackboard paint.  The kitchen cabinets and pocket doors on the kitchen and bathroom are made to look like slate boards with the chalkboard paint in them. The kitchen even has a hidden 2-burner cooktop. We had windows made by a local craftsman, shutters and hardware, put on a new slate roof, new porch, and heating/air-conditioning systems, and a new floor and attic.

A neighbor told us where they had seen the original Amity school bell.  We were able to get it back and put it back in the steeple!  We installed windows in the steeple instead of the louvers so now we can see the bell in the steeple and even have it lit up at night.  We attached a long cord so that you can ring the bell from either the vestibule or the attic.

We primarily use the school as a guest house, making the attic into a bedroom and sitting area.  We  installed a home theater entertainment system as you can see on the main floor.  Besides having the large screen to watch television and movies, we installed WII, Playstation, audio/IPOD dock, and even have Karaoke.  We have three children ages 27, 25 and 23 and they love to come whenever they can and with friends.  They’d rather stay at the schoolhouse instead of the farmhouse because they have their privacy and many a nights stay up late using the home theater entertainment system.  My husband and I wake up early and go to sleep early so having the school is wonderful for all of us.

Other than using the school as a home theater, my husband will bring work home from his office and work from there at the old desk.  We also bought a 1917 Lester Piano which was made in Pennsylvania and had that restored.  The acoustics are wonderful in the school.  My son-in-law is a music teacher and musician and loves to play the piano and saxophone accompanied by my husband on a guitar.

The Springfield Township Historical Society has asked us if they could use our schoolhouse  once in a while for their presentations and we are looking forward to it.  They are also housed in a one-room schoolhouse.

When the school was finally restored, we invited neighbors and told them to bring someone they knew who went to the school to  our “Open House.”  About 60 people came.  There were actually people who went to the school and/or their relatives.  Someone’s grandmother went to the Amity school in 1904 and she even gave us a the Souvenir with the teacher’s photo in it that her family had saved all these years.  
Many people told wonderful stories about when they went to the Amity School.  i.e. – where they sat, where their first boyfriend sat, had their first kiss, where the pot belly stove was, playing games outside, putting coal in the stove, getting water up the hill.  Many of our neighbors have lived here for generations. They were extremely happy we restored the school because so many one room schoolhouses have been torn down or neglected.  There were several tears the night of the Open House.  When everyone left I gave them a brown lunch bag tied with twine to take with them (like a goodie bag).  I had made 60 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (not easy to do with fresh Wonder Bread) and put them in the bags along with an apple, MaryJane candies, caramel candies, a napkin, and a souvenir pencil.  

We tried to keep the school theme throughout.  I even framed our family’s school photos and placed them on the shelves.  It was a lot of work and money involved in restoring it but it was definitely worth it – a labor of love!

I’m glad to share with CSAA newsletter readers.  If you need any information or have any questions, please contact me through the newsletter editor.  Thank you!

  Sincerely,

  Donna A. Genova

Iowa Loves Schoolhouses!

Iowa Remains in the Forefront of Schoolhouse Preservation

You read a great deal about Iowa's one-room country schools in the CSAA newsletter with good reason. The Iowa Historical Preservation Alliance continues to sponsor its annual Country School Conference highlighting the counties that value their one-room schoolhouse heritage. Spearheaded by CSAA's Bill Sherman of Des Moines, the conference continues to draw attendees from across the US, and this year Norway! The 2009 conference, "Celebrating 10 Years of Country School Preservation" was held October 2-3 at the Heartland Acres Agribition Center in Independence. 60 participants enjoyed a full day of presentations and tours and a second-day bus tour of local schoolhouses and historical sites. 

Presentations included: County School Preservation in Norway, by Leidulf Mydland from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research; Creating a Country School Curriculum and Generating Visitors, by Dale Williams, Reed School Director, Wisconsin Historical Society; How Networking Can Help Your County School by Caroline Bredenkamp, Jackson Country Preservationist; What's for Lunch at the Country School, by Sarah Uthoff, Country School Researcher;Tourism and Implications for Country Schools by Carrie Koelker, Eastern Iowa Tourism Director and Candy Streed, Program Coordinator Silos and Smokestacks; Amish Schools Today by Mark Dewalt of Winthrop University, SC; Planting Around a Country School by Sheralyn Hazen, Buchanan County Roadside Manager; and Creating the Agribition Center and Tour by Mike McGill, Events Manager and Leanne Harrison,President of the Buchanan County Historical Society.

Tours included the Summit School, the Wapsipinicon Mill and Little Red Schoolhouse Antique Shop in Independence, an Amish schoolhouse, and the schoolhouse museum in Fredericksburg. The Farm House Bed and Breakfast and Winery hosted the group for lunch.

For additional coverage of the event visit the Courier's  link below:

Conference Pushes for Preservation of Schools

Congratulations to Bill Sherman, and the volunteers and presenters who created another successful schoolhouse program.

Photos: Top right: Amish school, Charity Flats, in Buchanan County; Bottom: Restored public school museum in Hazelton.

    

Five Grades in One

NH Schoolhouse Strives for Authenticity 

The Center School in Canterbury, NH may be the last remaining schoolhouse in town, but it is first in the hearts of those who have lovingly restored it! The schoolhouse, built in 1844, and the only one made of brick, stands steadfast on the village green as a testament to the hearty villagers who built her.

Both the history and the programming at this schoolhouse are unique for a number of reasons. According to the Canterbury Historical Society’s brochure, “Lyman Fellows built the Center School at the age of 19! Fellows was a resident of Canterbury and lived in the center. While in his teens, he left town for Altoona, Pennsylvania to apprentice as a mason. There he met Max Gross and Henry Houser who both wished to learn the mason’s trade and serve as his apprentices. They all returned from Altoona to build the schoolhouse. Mr. Houser’s daughter, Elizabeth, later became one of the most beloved teachers at the Center School from 1926-1939.” The Center School remained open until 1956 and in 1971 the schoolhouse, under the auspices of the Canterbury Historical Society, was dedicated as the Houser Museum in memory of this dedicated teacher.

After serving as a school, a museum, and the home of the local historical society, it has been reinvented as a school and a “living example of what education in a one-room schoolhouse was like in the early part of the 20^th century.” Beginning in 2005, and following three years of renovations, cleanup, painting, planning, and collection of furnishings, the school was rededicated at a Grand Opening Celebration on November 18, 2007.

Today the Center School hosts a re-living history program that could prove the envy of reenactments across the country. Because of the proximity of the town’s Canterbury Elementary School, the creativity of historical society members, and the flexibility and support of teachers, 125 students in five classes attend as mixed grades 1-5 for five days per school year. This is as close as it gets to the multi-age classroom experience of the one-room school of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Older children help out with the younger children while they experience the complexity of all grades, all ages and all levels under the care of one teacher.

Yet another unique aspect of Canterbury programming is that they have currently chosen to play to the 1940’s WWII years, drawing on the first-hand knowledge and experience of locals to tell their stories to the young visitors. Students listen to schoolhouse tales of former students, Pledge Allegiance without “under God” as it was originally written, recite the Lord’s Prayer, sing patriotic songs, undertake proper penmanship, work on graded spelling and sentence construction, and play indoor and outdoor games for recess. For reading, scholars may be found enjoying a story from a popular book of the time, Singing Wheels.  Following a visit from the music teacher and lunch, students share drawings, and recite definitions and sentences from their seatwork. Throughout the day students experience the water crock, “chores,” older students helping younger, and the spirit of cooperation.

Plans are in the works to prepare lessons that cover many eras during the lifetime of the schoolhouse reaching back to the 1800’s. Judging from the contagious enthusiasm of the organizers and the delight of the “scholars,” we’ll be hearing more from Canterbury in the future regarding creative programming! 

Editor’s Note: The people who undertake the restoration of our schoolhouses are notoriously humble, indefatigable individuals! I must mention some of the tireless promoters who made the Center School reenactment possible. Most notably, Joan Leggett who was handed the job of Chairperson for restoring the schoolhouse! She saw the future and it was rooted in the Center School’s past. She is apparently tireless. I met Joan at the CSAA Annual Country School Conference in Nashua, NH in 2007 and eventually visited with her at the Center School.

Thanks also to the diligent planners, speakers, and teacher/docents: Mary Ellen Fifield, Anne Emerson, Dale Caswell, Kitty Rodgers, Jan Briggs, Karen Gingrich, Kathy Southworth, Anne Theroux, Peter Scripture, Catherine Dickson, and Mark Stevens.

Further Information: If you wish to read more about the Center School project you'll enjoy a recent article by Kevin Sperl, Publisher of the Lakes Region Spirit, entitled, "One Room...Five Grades." Kevin has graciously provided us with the link to this full-color coverage of a day in the one-room school. Here you will find photos, interviews with planners and teachers, reflections of former students, and the reactions of visiting children. Thanks, Kevin!

"One Room...Five Grades, " by Kevin Sperl

The entire restoration committee is listed on the inside cover of the Canterbury NH 2007 Annual Report, reproduced here as PDF files below. For more information on the Center School please refer to these files.

Download CanterburyText 

Download BrochurePhoto

Iowa Country School Conference October 2-3

Iowa Conference Registration Through September 24th!

The Heartland Acres Agribition Center in Independence, Iowa will host the 2009 Country School Preservation Conference October 2nd and 3rd, while celebrating 10 years of this state-wide annual event. There is still time to register for a day of presentations, a tour of Summit School, a visit to Wapsipinicon Mill and Little Red Schoolhouse Antique Shop. Day two includes a tour of a private Amish school, a country school museum in Fredericksburg, topped off by lunch at the Farm House Bed and Breakfast/Winery next to the school. 

For a complete agenda and registration form, click on the link below. Deadline for registration is September 24, 2009.

Download Country School Preservation (color)

For questions or more information contact:

Bill Sherman of the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance at 1-800-434-2309 or wsherman41@gmail.com  or  Amy (Heartland Acres) 1-319-332-0123. 

Photos: (Above) Heartland Acres Agribition Center Barn Entrance; (Below) Summit School.

2009 CSAA Conference Slide Show

CSAA Country School Conference Memories

Slide Show and Group Photo by Emilie Ent McGinnis and Jim The Computer Guy

For a slide show tour of the 2009 conference held at St.Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, click the link below. For complete information on the conference, scroll down to the July 23rd posting "Reflections on the 2009 Country School Conference.

2009 Conference Slide Show

Participants gathered at the Concord Schoolhouse during the schoolhouse tour at the 2009 CSAA National Country School Conference in June. Rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of 65 bus tourists who visited 11 schools in either a half or full day tour.

Reflections on the 2009 CSAA Country School Conference

Schoolhouse Preservationists from Across the USA Gather in Latrobe, PA

The Benedictines historically offer a welcome to strangers and hospitality to all who pass their way. So it was for the 70 attendees of CSAA's 9^th Annual Country School Conference held in June on the picturesque campus of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. With the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica and the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains as a backdrop, the group was honored to be among the first conferees to enjoy the newly dedicated Fred Rogers Conference Center for three days of presentations and tours. In addition to schoolhouse-related programming, visitors toured the basilica, the seminary gristmill, the Winnie Palmer Nature Preserve and the Lochry Blockhouse, all conveniently located on campus.

Dr. Veronica Ent, Chair of the St. Vincent Education Department and this year’s Conference Coordinator, organized an outstanding and varied program that attracted members and schoolhouse devotees from across the country. Participants attended over 30 presentations highlighting life in  country schools for students and teachers, educational materials, schoolhouse programming and reenactment, and community restoration of schoolhouses.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman, author of Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory. The animated Dr. Zimmer discussed how,“the little red schoolhouse has disappeared in the United States, but its importance in national memory remains unshakable.” He shared examples of from his book that “examines the history of the one-room school and how successive generations of Americans have remembered -- and just as often misremembered -- this powerful national icon.”  

Dr. Zimmerman was one of five authors who shared their books for sale and signing at the conference. Authors Bob Frenz, Historic Country Schools of McHenry County, IL; P.J. HarteNaus, Belden Boy: The Adventures of Peter McDugal; Dr. Mark Dewalt, Amish Education in the United States and Canada; and Bill Sherman, Iowa's Country Schools; Landmarks of Learning. The Traveling Schoolmarm Susan Webb offered the latest edition of her Country School Copybook, a compilation of lessons spanning many schoolhouse eras. 

Presentations included: Rewards of Merit, Catholics and the Common School, 19^th C. Juvenile Periodicals, Octagonal Schoolhouses, Children’s Country School-related Literature, Lincoln’s Education, Disaster Preparedness for the Schoolhouse Museum, Games and Dolls for ORS, Schoolteachers of DeKalb County, Restoration of the Mashpee Wampanoag 1831 Schoolhouse, Indiana Normal Schools 1878-1946, Learning to Write, Golden Book of  Favorite Songs, School and Grading Journal Records, Children in Literature 1900-1950, The Story of Belden School (Galena,IL), Moving the Central School (Mt. Prospect, IL), Peterson Directed Handwriting, Little Schoolhouse in the Desert (Scottsdale, AZ), Schoolhouse-Themed Kitsch, 19^th Century Arithmetic, and Who’s Attending a ORS Today.

Special display posters included: Country School Teachers 19^th-Early 20^th Century, Pittsboro One-Room School (Pittsboro, IN), Glade Schoolhouse: A Restoration Story (Berlin, PA), and Schoolhouses of Laurel Highlands and Ligonier, PA.

Video presentations were offered in the evenings: “Days of the One-Room School,” this year’s CSAA Award Winner for Scholarship and Artistry, produced and directed by Tom Zapiecki (see related newsletter article), and “Iowa’s Country Schools,” produced and edited by Jon E. Heitland.

On day three of the conference participants opted for a half day or full day tour of Pennsylvania one-room schools which included: Concord Schoolhouse, New Alexandria; Atlantic 40 School, Derry; Old Concord School, Belle Vernon; Harold School #8, Greensburg; Amos Hutchinson Schoolhouse, Greensburg; Little Red Schoolhouse, Butler; Six Points Schoolhouse, Eau Clair; Caldwell Schoolhouse, Mercer; Zuver School, Lyle & New Wilmington; Hickory Corners Schoolhouse, Slippery Rock; and the Sample Schoolhouse,Cranberry Township.

Returning home from an intense three-day schedule offers more than reflection on just how much information you’ve gained. It is a chance to recharge your schoolhouse batteries, to plan improvements in preservation and programming, to add to a photo collection, to redirect energies and ideas, or simply appreciate people who enriched your days enjoying schoolhouses. It was gratifying to see old friends and to make new ones.

This year we thank Dr. Veronica Ent for her tireless efforts on behalf of our 2009 conference. She raised the standards once again to offer us the finest in programming and accommodations. She is a true professional and we appreciate her continued participation on the CSAA Board of Directors!

The 2010 CSAA Conference will be held in Oklahoma. For further details visit the CSAA website at:

2010 CSAA Conference Information

Photos: St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, educational materials-Six Points Schoolhouse, "Small Wonder," Frank Lord (Schoolmaster, Mashpee Wampanoag School), Caldwell Schoolhouse, Mercer,PA, visitors enjoying schoolhouse artifacts on tour.

Ephemera for Your Schoolhouse

Paper Treasures at a Show Near You?

by Mike Day

Although no one mentioned the word, many of the presentations at the just concluded CSAA Conference focused on ephemera. Old school records; penmanship materials; children’s literature; Rewards of Merit; old arithmetic books: it’s all ephemera. I was surprised to learn in the conversations following the presentations that few people know the word, and fewer still are aware that ephemera shows are an extremely rich source of materials from or about early schools.

The word ephemera comes from the adjective ephemeral, meaning short lived, and in the world of antiques it refers to those materials that were intended to be used for a very short period of time. Much of the paper that regularly flows through society – newspapers, advertisements, letters, calendars, etc – is considered ephemera. Similar materials from the past, along with report cards, old school books, teacher contracts and other school-related materials are also ephemera, and there are antique dealers who specialize in this broad field. As with the more traditional antique dealers, many ephemera dealers participate in large regional shows that may be advertised either as an “Ephemera Show” or as a “Paper Show”. Such shows provide a wonderful opportunity to secure a wide range of materials to complement a restored schoolhouse or enrich an education-related collection. But you have to dig for your treasures.

Ephemera shows are the ultimate expressions of the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Much of what is offered for sale at these shows will leave you shaking your head and asking, “Why would anyone want that?”, but apparently there are people out there who collect decades old TV Guides, matchbook covers and advertisements. Many dealers also have thick folders of miscellaneous papers filed under a number of general headings. Under “Schools” you are apt to find business letters on school letterhead; college diplomas, penmanship exercises or catalogs of school supplies. Under “Teachers” you may well find contracts, grade books, class pictures and teaching certificates. “Rewards of Merit” are usually in a category of their own, and I’ve seen dozens of them offered for sale at from three to ten dollars each. Books may not seem to be ephemeral but books dealers are commonly included in these paper shows. Whether a book is “rare” or simply “used” is a matter of opinion, but dealers in both kinds often display books that were designed for school use. Late 19th century primers, readers, music books and arithmetic books are commonly sold for between $10 and $20 and a great variety of them is usually available. Early school books with wooden covers and leather bindings are also available, but at significantly higher prices. The tiny “chap books” that children once read and that teachers often gave away as gifts are another category, and these are usually available at prices ranging from $5 to $25 apiece. Photographs are ephemera and you can expect to see boxes and boxes of these, some dating back to the first years of photography. Most are of someone’s birthday party or summer vacation, but large early photographs of school buildings, class groups and the community in general are also available. Unfortunately it is often the case that these are not identified either as to time or place. There is no telling what will be available. Just about anything that has ever been printed on paper is apt to show up. The best approach is to simply ask the dealer what he has that relates to the topic and time period you are interested in. Prices seem to be arbitrarily determined and haggling is acceptable.

Here in New England, the premier ephemera show is “Papermania” -  www.papermaniaplus.com which is held twice a year in Hartford (the next ones are August 22-23, 2009 and January 9-10, 2010), but there are other ephemera shows throughout the country and throughout the year. The web site of the Ephemera Society of America www.ephemerasociety.org a list of currently scheduled shows, but an antique dealer in your community may know of other shows closer to where you live. An ephemera show is a great opportunity for you to find the books, materials and miscellaneous papers needed to complete a restored one room schoolhouse.

Visit Mike Day's website:Clippership Publications-Books for a One-Room Schoolhouse

Note: Dunstable School District #1 ledger page, courtesy of Nashua Historical Society, Nashua,NH.

"Days of the One-Room Schoolhouse" DVD

Documentary Film Wins 2009 CSAA Artistry Award

The Country School Association of America has selected the WBGU-PBS’s documentary Days of the One Room Schoolhouse as the recipient of the annual 2009 CSAA Scholarship and Artistry Award for the best essay, thesis/dissertation, book, website, or video on any aspect of country schooling.                                

The film aired at the 2009 Country School Conference held June 15-17 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Participants, all schoolhouse enthusiasts, offered their highest praise for the thorough and touching treatment of our nation's beloved icons of education. Most impressive were rare photographs and film clips never seen before by members of the audience.

Days of the One Room Schoolhouse tells the story of Northwest and West Central Ohio schools that once peppered the Midwestern states. This documentary relates their history, how they changed over time and what a typical school day was like through interviews with those who remember life in the one room schools. Veteran Toledo news anchor Jim Blue is the narrator.

“One room schools played an important part in our local history,” says WBGU-PBS Producer/Director Tom Zapiecki, who wrote and edited the documentary. “But they were also a model for public education in areas settled after Ohio.”

Re-enactments inside one room schools at Sauder Village in Archbold, with additional footage of the Zimmerman School in Bowling Green, provided by the Wood County Park District bring history to life.

The documentary includes tours of a variety of Ohio one room schools, including a home that was originally a one room school.

“One room schools are something nearly everyone can relate to because they frequently see the remnants of one room schoolhouses as they drive throughout the region,” Zapiecki adds. “Schools were built about two miles apart so no one had to walk too far for school.”

Zapiecki produced the documentary with the hope that this program would encourage people to learn more about the one room schoolhouses in their area and what they can do to protect and preserve them so their legacy lives on.

TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF "DAYS OF THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE" DVD- CLICK ON THE DVD PICTURE ABOVE!

Questions?
Tom Zapiecki's e-mail:
zapiecki@wbgu.bgsu.edu

Submitted by Dr. Lucy Townsend

10 Schools Inducted into National Schoolhouse Register

Preservation Efforts Signified by CSAA Marker

By Richard Lewis

The National Schoolhouse Register is a listing of schools determined to be significant and contribute in some positive way to the appreciation and understanding of the country school experience and their unique architectural and historical heritage. We are pleased to recognize preservation efforts for this part of American educational history and hope that this recognition will, in some way, continue to help their efforts.  

Markers are awarded to school buildings that are at least 50 years old, that have been restored, renovated or reconstructed to retain the integrity of their original design, and are well maintained. It is the hope of the Country School Association of America that this registry and the subsequent marker will not only serve to identify school buildings of historical and/or architectural significance, but will also recognize preservation achievements and encourage the continuing care and preservation of each individual school.

 

Applications for the registry and a marker are reviewed and researched by a committee that meet at least once a year, and may include architects, historians and preservationists. At this meeting applications are reviewed, and decisions are made with regard to the National Schoolhouse Registry and awarding the specially fabricated marker. 

Although there is no application fee, applicants must be members of the CSAA in order to be considered for the registry. Once recommended by the committee and approved by the Board of Directors, the fee for marker fabrication and shipping is $150. Visit the CSAA website for application and guidelines.

Country School Association of America

 

The Country School Association of America encourages applicants to hold a public dedication ceremony for the presentation of the CSAA Recognized Schoolhouse historical marker. Generally this is done after it has been installed so the community can celebrate or commemorate the installation of the marker. 

The schoolhouses inducted recently include:

Pleasant View School, District 81 Lincoln, Nebraska 1906

Weber-Blaess School, District 13 Saline, Michigan 1869 

Wellman School Oskaloosa, Kansas 1887

Concord Schoolhouse New Alexander, Pennsylvania 1848 

Longrie School Stephenson, Michigan 1930

 

Milan Township District #83 Dekalb, Illinois 1900 / 1999

Island Center School Bainbridge Island, Washington 1908

 

Stone Arabia School Cicero, New York 1854 

Reed School Neillsville, Wisconsin 1915

 

West Bay Common School #13 League City, Texas 1898

Wisconsin School is 128 Years Young!

Hazel Dell School Wins ‘Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin’ Award

MADISON—State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster recognized 10 programs for enriching rural schools, libraries, and communities during a ceremony at the state Capitol recently. “Everyone here knows the joys of our rural schools and communities,” Burmaster said. “The sense of unity and the values of hard work, collaboration, and innovation inspire thoughtful, committed citizens to work for the public good. Rural residents know that the future of their towns and villages is inextricably linked to the health and vitality of their public schools and libraries. Their communities are what they make them.” This was the fourth time that Burmaster presented Standing Up for Rural Schools, Libraries, and Communities awards.

Through community effort, Hazel Dell School in Livingston,Wisconsin, one of this year's recipients, is a restored and historically accurate one-room schoolhouse. It serves as a hands-on learning experience for area students as well as a museum and repository for historical documents and artifacts. Owned by the Iowa-Grant School District, Hazel Dell School is the last of the area’s one-room schools. The 128-year-old facility is located on its original site. Mary Sue Divine accepted the award. 

Burmaster concluded the program congratulating the honorees. “Your efforts—the efforts of your schools, libraries, and communities—provide a strong, solid foundation for the work of educating our children and for the enrichment of rural Wisconsin. Thank you for the tremendous contributions you have made to our state’s rural communities,” she said.

Photos: Restored schoolhouse exterior and interior.(from website)

For more information on the Hazel Dell School Restoration Project, visit their website at:

Hazel Dell Schoolhouse

Big Arm Awarded 2009 CSAA Grant

$500 For Schoolhouse Preservation

April 1, 2009--The Country School Association of America (CSAA), headquartered at the Blackwell History of Education Museum of Northern Illinois University, has awarded a $500 preservation grant to the Big Arm Association to restore a historic one-room country school located near Big Arm, Montana. Country

The Big Arm School began operating in 1910. It was one of the first to teach Native American and homesteader's children together in the same classroom. The building was used as a school until 1952 when reorganization with the Polson school district took place. For the next 43 years the school served as a community building. Then it was boarded up and abandoned. 

In 2008 a community group called the Big Arm Association signed a five-year renewable lease with Polson School District #23 to restore and preserve the school. The group was successful in getting the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The BAA has raised more than $2500 locally for the restoration effort. It has also gained support from the Montana Preservation Alliance , the National Trust for Historic Preservation (Denver office), the Lake County Commissioners and the Lake County school superintendent. 

The CSAA funds will be used to upgrade the school's electrical system, enabling volunteers to help with the interior renovations of the building. When restoration is completed, the school will be used as a living history museum and a senior citizen center. Efforts are also underway to reestablish the school as a polling place. 

The CSAA was formed in 2006 at Northern Illinois University in response to a growing interest in one-room country schools. The purpose of the group is to promote the preservation of the programs, buildings and histories of country schools. Currently, CSAA members represent 24 states, Canada and Norway. It began awarding annual preservation grants in 2008 and hopes to continue the practice for many years to come.

“A grant from a national organization like the CSAA provides tangible evidence that a country school restoration project is worth supporting,” said Lucy Townsend, executive director of the CSAA and curator of NIU’s Blackwell History of Education Museum. “The CSAA hopes its preservation grants will to be used to spur other people and organizations to give larger gifts to the project.” 

Each June the CSAA holds a national conference focusing on country school preservation and history. The 2009 conference will be held June 15-17 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit: Country School Association

Contact: Alison Meslin email: jandameslin@centurytel.net

Phone 406-849-6628

Photo: Staff from the National Trust Mountains/Plains Office and Montana Preservation Alliance with Big Arm Association members at the Big Arm School in Montana (Photo: Chere Jiusto)

Schoolhouse Documentary Film in Progress

And Starring....Your Midwestern Schoolhouse?

Fourth Wall Films in Moline, Illinois is pleased to announce a new historical documentary film project titled Country School: One Room - One Nation. Country schools took rough-hewn pioneers and multilingual immigrants and transformed them into a literate and patriotic new nation. Whether personally, or through a parent or grandparent, the country school as an American architectural icon is as imprinted on our perception of the nation’s early history as the log cabin and the general store. 

From the first schools in new states to the demise of their widespread use in the 1950s and 1960s, Country School: One Room - One Nation tells the dramatic true story of Midwestern country schools and their impact yesterday and today. Production will take place in several Midwestern states including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. 

We need your help to bring Country School: One Room - One Nation to the screen. Your generous contributions will be acknowledged in the finished film's onscreen credits and on the web. We are seeking former students and teachers with stories, period photographs, and financial contributions. 

Visit the link below for more information: 

Country School: One Room - One Nation

Thank you for your support for this important historical documentary film.

Kelly & Tammy Rundle, Producers, P.O. Box 702, Moline IL 61265.  

Photo: Grant Wood, Arbor Day, 1932, Oil on Masonite panel, 24 x 30in. William Koch Collection. Courtesy the Cedar Rapids School District. (art credit details)

Other film work by Kelly & Tammy Rundle:

Lost Nation: The Ioway  

Villisca: Living with a Mystery