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Texas Schoolhouse Serves a Community When you meet members of the CSAA someday, you'll find that we are all involved in some manner with a schoolhouse: enjoying, owning, preserving, curating, researching, repairing, fundraising, programming, teaching in them, or writing about them. We talk about schoolhouses like others talk about their grandchildren or their pets. What we have in common is that we're trying to save these quaint little buildings and their history. One of our previous posts talks about how it takes a village to care for them, and luckily, many of them are part of a historic village. Two of our CSAA board members, Richard and Catharin Lewis (TX) know all too well what it takes to save a schoolhouse, moving it 45 miles to League City, Texas in 1992. The website tells us that, "West Bay Common School Children’s Museum is a League City Historical Society project. This One Room Schoolhouse sits on the site of League City’s original school built in 1894 on land donated by JC League. The school provides a hands-on-history program where over 100,000 school aged children have experienced what a day was like in a one room school in the late 1800’s." When we speak of LCHS's village, the site also includes a fabulous Barn Museum, an Ice House and a Barber Shop, an original Outhouse and a Water Pump. And with all that history to share, it appears members of LCHS never rest. The community events they organize are varied and fascinating often drawing hundreds of people of all ages. Check out their website for ideas for your own society including: White Linen Night, National Night Out at the Museum, Punkin' Parade, Murder and Mayhem in League City, Music in the Historic District, Victorian Christmas Tea....etc. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When you meet Catharin and Richard at the annual conference in June 2026...they'll tell you about their decades of involvement with this wonderful village.
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 Finding the Long Sought For A-5 Speedball Pen Nib
If you've been reluctant to utilize an AI program thinking it might eliminate your NEED TO THINK, I can't predict the future or assuage your concerns. Believe me, I don't wish to dumb MYSELF down by over reliance on ChatGPT, but for sure, asking a question now and then has saved me a lot of time in my research on all things schoolhouse, health, history, etc. I must admit I haven't used any of the more creative applications of AI beyond generating a picture or getting an answer. I also haven't submitted this post to AI to correct grammatical errors or punctuation ...in case you noticed. Most recently I was searching the web high and low for A-5 Speedball Nibs for our writing lessons in our schoolhouse's living history program. They're pretty darn rugged, but our visitors often apply a bit too much enthusiasm in their cursive writing lesson. Hence replacement. My old vendors failed me and stopped selling them. They weren't easy to find until the lightbulb went on and I remembered AI! I asked a simple question: "Where can I purchase Speedball A-5 nibs in bulk, like 30...not in a set?" Wow! My search was over. AI provided me almost instantly with explanations and vendors I never knew existed beyond Amazon and Dick Blick! So, to save you time in your own pen nib search, I'm going to share the VENDORS suggested by my new best friend, ChatGPT. I'm not advertising for them and I'm not an influencer. Just trying to help. BTW, Amazon has very reasonably priced "Nib Pen Holders." Utrecht Art Supplies Paper and Ink Arts Wet Paint Art Blick Art Materials Speedball Art (Beautiful Digital Calligraphy Catalogue, but no online ordering)  One Dozen Good Reasons to Attend a CSAA Conference!
2026 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Lake Seneca No big explanation here, just a list to jump start your plans to attend the 2026 Annual CSAA Country School Conference in Geneva, New York on beautiful Lake Seneca. Everyone nation-wide is invited. See drop down menus as information unfolds. 1. Meet like-minded people with experience in schoolhouse preservation. 2. Make new friends. 3. Hear about schoolhouse topics, historical and current. 4. Discover programming ideas for schoolhouses. 5. Travel to a different state and college campus each year. 6. Enjoy a tour of area schoolhouses and heritage sites. 7. Share information about a historic your schoolhouse. 8. Engage in the local culture, museums, nature, history, architecture, scenery, and cuisine. 9. Look forward to dining and discussion with schoolhouse enthusiasts. 10. Become a presenter and offer a topic of interest. 11. Support the preservation of a national icon. 12. Revive personal energy in preservation and restoration. |
