Country School Association of America

Send Us Your Book Suggestions

One of the purposes of the CSAA Conference each year is to allow participants to share information and meet people who are passionate about their one-room schools. Our e-newsletter is another resource that will help accomplish that goal. Since books form the core of much of our research into the preservation and history of country schools, on this site we can share the titles of those we find valuable. Once again, this will be through your suggestions. Sending this information to our readers shows we value the authors for their hard work and that we believe these titles have a direct bearing on the country school experience. Be sure your suggested titles include all pertinent information and sources for purchase or contact.

A book recommended to the CSAA editor by  Bill Sherman of Iowa is  Under One Roof...a Traveler's Guide to America's One-Room Schoolhouse Museums, Edited by Grace S. Shoerner with a forward by Michael F. Anderson. We offer you the information below that was taken from a press release announcing this book in 2000.

"The only known compilation of more than 300 of America's historic schoolhouses open to the public. The book is divided into four geographic sections, and focuses on more than 80 of the schoolhouses - former one-room schools that have been restored - and today contain typical historic schoolhouse furnishings: children's desks, teacher's desk, pot-bellied stove, and other artifacts of the past. The historical backgrounds of these schools are related in one- or two-page stories, including when the schools were built, how long they served as educational facilities, what became of them after school districts began to consolidate, and when and by whom they were renovated and restored. Many also contain a photograph of the schoolhouse. The remaining schools are documented at the end of each section. These buildings may contain schoolhouse furnishings, may serve as local history museums, or may be open to the public in other capacities. They may contain more than one room or even more than one floor, but all at one time early in our country's history served their communities as schoolhouses.

Included in Under One Roof are entries from each of the 50 states, including a two-page history of the Southermost School, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, built in 1725 and perhaps our nation's oldest schoolhouse; and Arizona's oldest standing schoolhouse, the Strawberry Schoolhouse in Strawberry.

Grace S. Schoerner, managing editor of this compilation, is a former columnist with The Plainfield Sun, A Copley Newspaper, in Plainfield, IL. She currently resides in northern Arizona. Michael F. Anderson, Ph.D., is a noted historian and author, who has lived in northern Arizona for 20 years. He is the author of Living at the Edge: Explorers, Exploiters and Settlers of the Grand Canyon Region, and A Place in the Land: the Settlement of Pine, Arizona.

Under One Roof is made possible in part by grants from the Arizona Humanities Council, Phoenix, AZ. The findings therein do not necessarily represent the view of AHC or National Endowment for the Humanities. The book is available at the Strawberry Schoolhouse, Strawberry, AZ, at other participating locations, or directly from the publisher. For additional information contact the managing editor at P.O. Box 1162, Pine, AZ85544; or the publisher at PSAHS, Schoolhouse Directory, P.O. Box 564, Pine, AZ 85544, by e-mail at pinestrawhs@yahoo.com, or by phone at 928-476-3547." 

Strawberry Schoolhouse

Share Your Schoolhouse Expertise

If you would like to share your schoolhouse knowledge, highlight your living history program, offer your scholarly research, or suggest resources or readings, this is the place to do it! Because we can update on a regular basis as articles are submitted, we welcome your input at any time. One primary resource would appear to be the people who presented at the national conferences of the past.

There were 62 presenters at the CSAA Conference in DeKalb,IL in 2006 with multiple tracks of presentations. That means that attendees were able to hear a number of valuable presentations, but would enjoy reading about the ones they missed. Imagine then, how many of those presentations or excerpts of those presentations could be posted on this site for our readers to visit. And, since those presentations are most likely saved in computer files, it would be a simple electronic transmission to this site. Here then, is your invitation to submit them.

To name just a few of the presentations: The Power of Schoolboards in Eary 20th Century Rural Iowa, Then and Now: Developing Highly Qualified Teachers, Playing Out Your School's History, Discovering Local History, Recess and Learning Games in the Country School, Work and Play in Amish Schools in the U.S., An Analysis of McGuffey's Readers, One-Room Schoolhouses and the Law, Nature Study Outdoors, Newspaper Research on Country Schools, Building a Museum Collection, Starting the Day in a Country School, Recently Published Books on the Country School, Schoolhouse Gardens, Discipline in Our Country Schools...and so many more. Other topics presented included: running a schoolhouse museum, Indian and African American schooling, researching and interviewing, authors and their schoolhouse books, re-enactments in numerous ORS, special need and the ORS, personal remembrances, storytelling in ORS....and the list goes on.

So, here is our forum. Send those presentations to our e-newsletter. Portions or excerpts will be posted individually and can be accessed on the site by title. Photos enhance any submission.

FYI: Presenters in 2006 came from Illinois, Kansas, Georgia, Wisconsin, So. Carolina, California, Maine, New Hampshire, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kansas, and Alabama. If you haven't presented at a conference and have information to share, the invitation certainly extends to you.

The e-mail address for submissions is found in the right banner.

DOE Uses Schoolhouse Image in Facades

Department of Education Uses Schoolhouse Image

If you've been by the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC. you can't help but notice the bright red one-room schoolhouses built into the entrances of the department's headquarters. The schoolhouses were originally built at each entrance in 2002 because of impending renovations to the building's facade and to remind employees and passersby of the important work the department carries on on behalf of America's children.
In April of that year, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige unveiled the new look at the department as he introduced the No Child Left Behind Act saying, "These protective shelters have been painted as a reminder- a reminder that we do not serve a faceless bureaucracy or an unchangeable system. We serve an ideal. We serve the ideal of the little red schoolhouse."
   Paige added that, "It is one of the greatest symbols of America- a symbol that every child must be taught and every child must learn, that every community was involved and every parent's input valued. Those little red schoolhouses were built to serve a need: to equip children for the future as citizens and workers." According to a DOE spokesman, the facades will remain at the entrances indefinitely.

Enjoy a Good Schoolhouse Discussion? Try a Listserv!

By Orianna Haman

If you are interested in contacting people with similar interests in country schools, you may want to participate in an innovative discussion group called a listserv. The one-room school listserv operated on Yahoo Groups was adopted soon after the formation of the Country School Association of America We recently talked with listmaster, Sarah S. Uthoff about how a listserv operates.

Q: When did you decide to start a listserv on one-room schools?

A: I’ve thought for a long time that people interested in one-room schools, particularly those working with one-room school museums, needed a good way to communicate. I actually thought a short hardcopy newsletter would be preferable because I know some of the local people I work with on one-room schools won’t touch a computer, cost was always a factor. I decided that it would be better to have a listserv for those people willing to take part rather than wait for funding. I tried to get someone based at one-room school museum to get a listserv started, and when that effort failed I decided to start one myself. On May 12, 2005 we went live on Yahoo, and after asking a few friends from the Laura Ingalls Wilder listserv to try to sign up as a trial run, I started actively promoting the list.

Q: Why did you choose Yahoo groups?

A: I was already familiar with it from another list I was on and it’s free. [Laughs] Also, the Yahoo list homepage allows you to do extras beyond the listserv.

Q: What do you see as the focus of the group?

A: As it says on our homepage, “This group will focus on one-room or country schools. It is aimed at one-room school museums, researchers, and people who are interested in the history of one-room schools. People involved with active one-room schools or the small school movement are also welcome.”

Q: Is it a very active list? Are there a lot of members?

A: It tends to be fairly quiet. We average between 5-15 messages a month, but occasionally some topic or call for opinions on a resource or a nugget of information will come up and there will be a burst of discussion. But, normally the list is quiet enough so even somebody easily overwhelmed by e-mail shouldn’t be bothered by it. As of now (September 2006) we have 63 list members, but we’re always looking for more. So, let's pass the word!

Q: Do you do anything to encourage more active participation on the list?

A: A listserv counts on the exchange of information and opinion, so it’s always great when somebody posts. I tend to post announcements about articles on one-room schools, announcements about conferences or events that I come across, that sort of thing. Sometimes one of my posts will remind somebody to post or to respond to my posts when the one-room tag shows up in their e-mail. I don’t really try to start discussions though. I have tried a couple of times in the past, but usually anytime you get really good discussion it comes from something somebody starts that just naturally takes off. Besides, e-mail seems to be best suited for short comments, rather than detailed discussions, because it’s very easy for things to be written quickly and taken the wrong way. Most of the lists I’m on seem to be short exchanges of information or comments.

Q: You mentioned before that you got extras beside the listserv from using Yahoo Groups, what are they?

A: Once you get a Yahoo ID and password you can sign in to the list homepage. Not only can you directly e-mail the group or individual group members from this page, but you can get into the extras as well. You can access old messages. You can view files shared by group members, handouts, curriculum guides, etc, including the CSAA brochure. You can view photos shared by group members of different one-room schools and you can get into the links section which I have worked on quite a bit, loading it with links to information and resources.

Q: How can people sign-up if they are interested?

A: The easiest way is to e-mail me directly at Uthoff@infionline.net I’ll then send you an invitation through Yahoo Groups and you can follow it step by step from there. You can preview current messages, but not the added benefits without signing up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oneroom/ 

I hope to hear from a lot of you soon.

Howard School: A New Lease on Life

If you attended the 5th Annual Country Schoolhouse Conference in Barbourville, Kentucky in June of 2005, you probably met Bill Coan and Jack Belcher representing the Howard School Restoration Group, Inc. in Boone County, Indiana. Like the other conference participants, they  were there to gather information on restoration, historical research, and methods and materials for living history programs. Their efforts continue, but progress on the old Howard since that conference has been monumental.
     When landowners Ken Washburn and his sister Kay Seymore challenged Boone Country, Indiana residents to restore and preserve the last available 19th century school building in the county, Coan, Belcher, Elaine Dickerson and Bonnie Kincaid mobilized concerned citizens. They helped form the Howard School Restoration Group to manage the project after Washburn and Seymore offered the one-room brick school and an acre of land to the community members.
     According to Coan, in a rather complicated series of events, the group's first order of business was to form a charitable corporation and open a bank account for tax exempt donations through the Boone County Community Foundation. Following this, HSRG received grant funds of $1,750 from the Indiana Historic Landmarks Foundation toward a $2,500 feasibility study conducted by a historic preservation architect.

     The study, completed in December of 2004, estimated that the restoration of the building would significantly exceed $200,000. The roof required complete replacement. Another major expense would be the construction of modern restroom facilities in a separate building that would not detract from the historical nature of the school building. The task of public relations became clear to HSRG founders who immediately began making presentations to civic organizations and manning booths at community events. And the offers of help poured in.

     Coan said that much has been accomplished far below the estimated cost thanks to the work of volunteers and generous donations of material and labor from individuals and businesses. With all state and county permits and releases in hand and architectural drawings complete, the actual restoration began.
     With tasks mounting, volunteers rolled up their sleeves. HSRG members obtained bricks from another local one-room school building, constructed about the same time as Howard, but in a condition not permitting restoration. These were donated simply for their removal. Contractor Carl Crane donated the use of his cherry picker for demolition of the Howard School roof and Indy Bobcat donated use of its machinery to clear and dig out the school building*s interior. Donation of the use of a backhoe led to the excavation of the restroom foundation. Hamilton Brothers provided a well with good quality water at less than half the estimated cost, while Lebanon Concrete donated all the cement. To expedite the building of a parking lot, country commissioners donated a culvert which two of the three commissioners and the HSRG crew installed. The HSRG has purchased all of the roofing and flooring materials for both buildings which they hope to use yet this year.

     Much of the restroom construction will be completed with the help of Boy Scout Eagle Candidate Tyler Everett, who obtained a $1,200 Youth as Resources Grant for material after he organized friends and family members to help with the building effort.
     Currently, the restroom building roof joists and rafters, with most sheathing and cedar shake shingles are done. The below ground plumbing is complete, but electrical lines have to be installed.Construction of the roof and the interior  will follow masonry and brick work being done on the exterior of the school. 
     As for furnishings and fundraising, students at Western Boone County High School designed and established a web page to promote the project, while furniture, artifacts and school related items were donated by individuals, the Boone County Historical Society and the Zionsville estate of Louis Wiley.

     To date, over $46,000 in funds and $39,000 in-kind donations have been received including the $1,750 from Indiana Landmarks Foundation, $10,000 from the Central Indiana Community Foundation Efroymson Fund, $1,000 from Brownsburg Wal-Mart, $10,000 from Boone County Community Foundation, $1,500 from Lincoln Banks of Hendricks County Foundation, $2,000 from Boone County REMC, and $500 from Indiana Power and Light. Over $18,400 has been donated by citizens and earned through fundraisers, including two community dinners, and the sale of tee shirts and souvenir coffee mugs.
     The HSRG owes its success to numerous individuals and organizations, but admits that board members never anticipated the time and effort that would be required for the restoration. They also never anticipated all that volunteers have learned and the high level of personal satisfaction they have felt.
     The group's plans for the future include: the gathering of historical information on the old Howard School and people connected with it, completion of the application for the National Register of Historic Places, and the implementation of additional grant applications and fundraisers. Donations can be sent to: Community Foundation of Boone County, 60 East Cedar Street, P.O. Box 92, Zionsville, IN 46077 and should be marked for Howard School.
     Thanks to Bill Coan for information and photos contained in this article. CSAA will update the readership on the Howard School restoration.

Photos: Top: The Howard School, condition upon donation; Second left: The Howard School, roof removed; Right: Tyler Everett and crew raise wall of exterior restroom; Bottom left: Boone County Commissioners pitch in to work on installation of cluvert.

The Little Red Schoolhouse...Why Red?

You find countless references to the Little Red Schoolhouse in history, literature and lore, as well as a 1922 song by Billy Jones and Ernest Hare and a 1935 film starring Frank Coghlan, Jr. The reference is vivid, conjuring our image of the typical one-room school, although country schools were often built of logs or brick, or of clapboard siding painted red, white, yellow, or even blue in the case of the Blue School of  Landaff, NH! The question may be asked....why red? One interesting take on the question comes from a book entitled, Requiem for the Little Red Schoolhouse, by Gerald J. Stout. I quote the passages below in the hope that you scout out an edition of his 1987 paperback that is rich in information about the country schoolhouse experience. The book was published by Athol Press.
     Why red? The original pioneer schools, those which were built of hewn logs with cracks plastered with clay, were not painted at all...It was not until men began building houses, barns and schoolhouses of sawed boards, most commonly placed vertically and the joints covered with battens, that they began painting them to give color and protect wood from the ravages of time...Most old-timers of northeastern United States remember from their grandfathers that little red schoolhouses were as common as red barns, at least wherever they chose to paint them at all. Yet by my time, our Evans School was painted white as was the nearby school, White Dove, where my mother went to school back in the 1880's. The red schoolhouse era must go back to about Civil War time or shortly after log buildings were phased out and sawed weatherboard siding came into vogue.
     We have no direct evidence about the red color other than what took place with respect to farm barns, especially in eastern Pennsylvania. In that region the red barn is still common, even on modern farms where board fences and homes, unless made of brick are almost always painted white. In early days there was no scarcity of iron ore even in quite early days and relics of old iron furnaces are preserved in many places of Pennsylvania....When iron ore- or iron oxide- was ground fine, it could be used as pigment generally called venetian red. This was the inexpensive red coloring used in barn paint. One "vehicle" (liquid) into which iron oxide pigment was mixed was none other than buttermilk. The casein served in the same way it does in so-called water based paints of today.
     Eventually the United States obtained its own lead supply (rather than importing it) and the price dropped accordingly so white led (lead oxide) could be used for painting the Cape Cod cottages of New England and farmhouses elsewhere. The most logical reason to explain why in later years schoolhouses came to be painted white rather than red after white paint became cheap is the idea that a schoolhouse should be painted like a house- it didn't seem quite right to paint a school like a barn."

Photo Above: The Redstone School, built 1798, Longfellow's Wayside Inn, Sudbury, MA

Photo Right: The Town House School, 1900, Kennebunkport, ME

CSAA Goes National

by Bill Sherman
The creation of a national organization devoted to the preservation of the one/two-room country school experience was a dream come true for this writer and a band of believers who had attended informal conferences over the past six summers. With the growing success of the annual conference, we knew it was time to act. When Dr. Lucy Townsend, who teaches in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University, found support among her superiors, formation of a national organization became a possibility. She agreed to serve as the director of such a group, formed a committee, and helped to develop proposed articles of incorporation and by-laws. The group chose Country School Association of America as its name and developed a membership brochure in time for distribution at the conclusion of the national meeting in DeKalb.
     The CSAA in currently in the process of being incorporated as a non-profit organization and the board of directors is working to advance the benefits of such an organization to ORS enthusiasts. Those who helped create the CSAA feel it is important to form a national organization devoted to the preservation of the country school experience-the buildings, the teaching, the programs and the memories. The CSAA will bring together people who wish to preserve schools, create or maintain museums, promote living history programs, and allow children to experience schooling of the past. It will also allow seniors a chance at reliving their fondest memories. Additionally, such an organization will encourage research on country schooling and provide a forum for those who undertake research and those who would simply like to learn more about it. The CSAA annual conference will grow as a forum for exchange between academics, preservationists, re-enactors, programmers and history buffs.
     The fledgling CSAA is a new venture, needs care and attention, seeks members and plans future growth. Readers are encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions, articles and interesting vignettes. Most importantly, your membership is greatly appreciated. A brochure and a membership form appear as a link in the posting entitled-"Become a Member."
Note from the editor:
Dr. Townsend, who is also the curator of the Blackwell History of Education Museum at Northern Illinois University, and Schoolhouse Preservationist Bill Sherman of Iowa spearheaded the efforts to create this national organization dedicated to saving and promoting country schoolhouses as working multi-age schools and living history museums.  Both have coordinated schoolhouse conferences nationally and regionally and saw the need to bring together people in an association that could share news, resources and enthusiasm. We owe our thanks to Lucy and Bill.