 Ward Township School #5 Readers Seek Hands-on Lessons for Living History I love it when CSAA receives emails like the one below...Why? Because we know we can help! "I am a board member of a one room school in Randolph County Indiana. We redid most of our school. We are now looking for school programs that we can use in our school. Our school is Ward Township School #5 . It's a beautiful school and we look forward to educating kids on how it was in the past. Thank you, Brant Jones While thinking of what a wonderful article this restoration would be on "The Report Card," I immediately sent Mr. Jones the last publication created by our own, Susan Webb, designed with loving attention and detailed instructions for use in one-room school museums. How timely someone wrote for such help. This little booklet is a gift to all us from Susan before she passed away in 2023. In this hand-made lesson book Susan thought of everything you need to create a successful program for visitors including activities for BEFORE, DURING & AFTER a country school field trip. It can be adapted to any grade level with its clear instructions and hands-on activities. I needn't list the delightful ideas she researched and shared freely, since you will be able to access her manual here. "LOOK WHAT WE CREATED IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE TODAY." by Susan Webb, The Traveling Schoolmarm The booklet is offered here in two pdf's, Part I and Part II for copying and emailing. Some pdf files are too large to email and not all people have Drop Box etc. (I have been successful in emailing both parts at the same time though.) Please share this to help other schoolhouse programs in need of fresh ideas! Each picture leads to half the booklet. PART I BELOW PART II BELOW  BTW...I will follow up on the enviable restoration of the Ward Township #5 Schoolhouse in Randolph County, Indiana in a future post. It is spectacular.
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 ELEANOR ENT- NATIONAL REGISTRY RECIPIENT It was a dream come true for one of our dearest CSAA members in Pennsylvania having her schoolhouse listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Ellie Ent's historical Concord Schoolhouse is an authentically restored “learning-living” school museum located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In 1848, local families of the surrounding area built this independent school to educate their children. Today, this school museum exemplifies early rural American education, while it offers visitors the unique feeling of being in an actual one-room school. The Concord School was completely restored through the efforts of the late Mrs. Ent who privately preserved this school upon purchasing the farm where her schoolhouse is located. The restoration took several years and many local craftsmen and family members returned the school to its original condition. In 2014 the the Concord School was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. A local celebration hosted by the family that year brought out scores of friends and CSAA members to honor Ellie and her achievement. Mrs. Ent's daughter, Dr. Veronica Ent, opens the school and museum to private groups and organizations. Sadly, E.C. Ent passed away in 2023, but we remember her laughter, her enthusiasm for our annual conferences, her devotion to the Concord School, and her endearing personality. For more information, visit the Concord School website below. Veronica shared a video slide show on the Concord School as part of our 2021 CSAA Annual Conference, held virtually during the pandemic. You can now enjoy this video here!  One of the perks of attending an annual CSAA conference, besides the obvious camaraderie, is coming away with fascinating schoolhouse history. Held in a different state each year we gather information we may never have considered or even heard of. In June of 2018 we met in Beatrice, Nebraska at Southeast Community College and were hosted by National Park Rangers at the Homestead National Monument. The monument is spectacular and the museum exhibits are models of excellence. In Nebraska we examined the rich history of hearty pioneers who were granted parcels of land for very little money under the Homestead Act on the condition that they farm it and improve it. Thousands took advantage and the settlement of the Great Plains is the rest of the story. Building and maintaining country schools would serve as an anchor to these communities, but pride in educating their children would turn to tragedy for many families in the unexpected arrival of a snow storm on January 12, 1888. Not just a mid-west snow storm... Amidst the stories of struggles and survival this fascinating tale was offered by one of our keynote speakers, David Laskin, author of one of two definitive histories of the monstrous multi-state blizzard in his book, "The Children's Blizzard." According to Laskin, "This epic prairie snowstorm killed hundreds of newly arrived settlers and cast a shadow on the promise of the American frontier....many of the dead were schoolchildren who had perished on their way home from country schools." Historians rank the so-called Children's Blizzard of 1888 as the most severe to ever hit Nebraska. It has been labeled a meteorological catastrophe and is ingrained in the story of the Great Plains. Stories of survival... Of greatest interest to our attendees were the stories of how the teachers, children, and parents played out their roles to survive the unprecedented conditions that befell them in a matter of minutes...and then hours. We learned of children getting lost three feet from each other in blinding conditions, holing up in dug out haystacks, lashed together by ropes to follow fence lines home...or burning school furniture to survive the night while huddling in their schoolhouse. Rescues either succeeded or failed. It goes without saying that if this post has piqued your interest, we certainly recommend Laskin's book (published in 2004) so detailed in its storytelling. The limited science of meteorology at the time, the anatomy of the blizzard itself, the life of the homesteader, the decisions made and regretted, the heroism by those most unlikely, the sad losses of life, and the miraculous rescues are all woven into the chapters. As the nation came together to mourn the dead and offer assistance, lessons were learned, memories were shared, and the resilient pioneers would persevere, but never forget. Laskin's summary of the aftermath is as riveting as the unfolding. This a must read for schoolhouse enthusiasts. Another definitive compilation of blizzard stories (available as a used book) was published in 1947. The book entitled, "In All Its Fury: The Great Blizzard of 1888," is described on its back cover: "Some years after the storm, W.H. O'Hare of Laurel Nebraska (one time speaker of the Nebraska House of Representatives) formed with others the January 12, 1888 Blizzard Club. In 1945 members of the club began collecting stories of the blizzard from all over the midwest. These accounts of heroism and courage on the Great Plains were first published in 1947. They are reprinted here to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the great storm and the final meeting of the Blizzard Club on April 9th, 1988." If you'd like some quick articles on the story, try these for good summaries. Also two links to the best blizzard books. Discipline in Early One-Room Schools: From Cruel to Creative When working with “scholars” in a living history program, oftentimes some of the most animated and specific questions from the students center around one topic—discipline. Students are intrigued by the relics of corporal punishment and they zero right in on the "hickory stick" and the paddles of various sizes we may display as artifacts. They are shocked at the public embarrassments they learn were inflicted on scholars in the early district schools of America, yet find some others laughable. The ability to maintain discipline was always viewed as the key to successful teaching and teachers were regularly evaluated by their ability to maintain control and administer corporal punishment as necessary. Early district school teachers were often feared or revered depending on their reputations as brutal or benevolent disciplinarians. Over time, reformers promoted a kinder and gentler approach to modifying classroom behavior, but some practices lingered into the 20th century. Here we offer an article by our CSAA friend Mike Day that is reprinted here from our former CSAA newsletter. The article is telling and still very useful as we research the practices of how old time country schools maintained order. Thanks again to Mike Day! Proud of Our Privies: Need Some Reading Material?
It is interesting to note how proud country school preservationists are when they say their schoolhouse still has the "original privies." Sometime back, a visitor to our website asked if we had any information on how to build a "two-holer." Our members came up with some very interesting answers proving they have some particular knowledge of these rustic "throne rooms." Richard Lewis of West Bay Common School Museum wrote: “If you want better quality and better choices of plans, you may want a book entitled - The Vanishing American Outhouse: Privy Plans, Photographs, Poems, and Folklore, by Ronald Barlow. Mike Day wrote, "There is a delightful little book that I would recommend to anyone thinking about privies; it's called "The Specialist," by Charles (Chic) Sale, copyright 1929, renewed 1956. It appears to be a speech by a man who is quite proud of the special skills he has developed in his particular line of work, the design and construction of outhouses. I'm not sure just how seriously to take it, but it does cover many of the fine points that us modern types would not know to consider when building an outhouse. It's a cute little book - 27 pages - and a number of copies are available from Amazon. Not really a schoolhouse book, but fun anyway. Fay Stone of the Pioneer Sholes Schoolhouse wrote: "Privies were usually a simple tall box with no windows but a design (often a new moon) cut high in the door for light. The roof was slanted to allow snow and rain to run off. The important thing was the two holes. A considerate builder would make one side lower than the other, for smaller people, and the hole smaller for obvious reasons. Sometimes they had a lid, but rarely. I doubt there was ever a written plan. If I were making one for use today, I'd include a simple hinged lid, as it cuts down on odor. We dug in a large metal barrel split into half under the holes, and they were pumped out often by the caretaker or garbage crew. We built a fence between boys and girls and planted a vine along it." Recollections about school privies abound, but a recent post in the Washington County, WI Outsider (March 25, 2024) by Dave Bohn of West Bend, Wisconsin was also instructive. "There was an outhouse behind the school near the woodshed. We would have to bundle up in the winter to go out and use it. In cold weather, not too much time was spent in the outhouse. The toilet was a two-holer without any partition in between. It was just a plank seat and the area between the two holes was maybe a foot. I don’t ever remember using the outhouse with another kid in there, but maybe the second hole was a slightly smaller size for the little kids. I don’t really remember though. The toilet paper was yesterday’s newspaper. Lime was used to keep the smell under control. The lime was poured down the hole every few days. This helped absorb the odor and helped compost the contents of the outhouse. Using lime was common for all outhouses at the time. Lime is a stone crushed really fine and the stone was very easy to come by, as there was a lot of limestone in the area." Research has been done by others already, so enjoy your journey through the story of buildings that have always been "necessary." Here are some suggestions found on Amazon, Abe Books or Alibris: Passing of the Outhouse, by Tom G. Murray The All-American Outhouse: Stories, Design & Construction, by Bob Cary Nature Calls: The History, Lore and Charm of Outhouses, by Dottie Booth (Very Funny!) Outhouses by Any Other Name, by Tom Harding Ode to the Outhouse: A Tribute to a Vanishing American Icon by Roger Welsch Outhouses, by Roger Welsch Flushed with Pride, The Story of Thomas Crapper by Wallace Reyburn Outhouse Humor, by Billy Edd Wheeler In researching the books, we found that outhouses have many other supporters out there, as evidenced by a calendar, a shower curtain, a rustic sign with outhouse rules, and hand towels with an outhouse motif. Good luck in your research!  Betsy Ross for Your Opening Exercises Our living history museums are places where we can still offer a lesson in patriotism cloaked in the rich tradition of all of our country schools of the past. The Pledge of Allegiance was a staple among our country schools and continues today as the go to statement of love of country. If your schoolhouse pre-dates the Pledge of Allegiance, opening exercises would have been different than those post-1892. Why? The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States was first published in the juvenile periodical The Youth’s Companion on September 8, 1892, in the following form: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and Justice for all.” Presenters at CSAA conferences have schooled us in the history of the pledge noting controversies over authorship and the various changes made over the years. These CSAA presenters, including Maureen O'Connor Leach and Susan Webb offered us the background for how we might use the proper rendition of the pledge for our re-enactments. Their programs were longer and more fascinating than space allows on this post but we could convince Maureen to share her research here one day on The Report Card. (Note: Attend a CSAA conference and find many intriguing presentations each year!) Earlier schoolhouses may or may not have had a flag displayed since the big push for visibility in schools came after the 1892 pledge was introduced. For opening exercises, schoolmarms and schoolmasters often relied on short history vignettes of bravery, loyalty, or patriotic duty designed to raise the consciousness and virtues of our future voting citizens. For example, often invoked were Washington crossing the Delaware, Lexington and Concord, Patrick Henry's, "Give me Liberty or give me death!" Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, or "Remember the Alamo!" Another more common theme related the traditional story of our first American flag, the so-called Betsy Ross flag....and its notable creator, Betsy Ross. Our First Flag: The Story of Betsy Ross If this sounds like something you might like to include in your living history program, here you'll find a synopsis of the accepted story of how Betsy was chosen by George Washington himself for the job of creating our first American flag. Fact or fiction has been debated, but it's mostly accepted that Betsy Griscum Ross Ashburn Claypoole played a significant role in the design of our first American flag prior to its evolution from stars in the round to rows of five-pointed stars on a canton of blue. (The background story of her marriages is also interesting!) 1. Our First Flag- The Story of Betsy Ross - CLICK ON THE BETSY ROSS FLAG. 2. Cut a 5-Pointed Star-CLICK ON THE TAN PICTURE. 3. YouTube Video -CUT AN ORIGAMI STAR...easier. CLICK ON THE BLACK BUTTON. Also included is a recommendation for a definitive history book of the event in question that offers a volume of evidence (CLICK ON THE BOOK PICTURE). It is a fascinating look at Betsy and other notables who directed the design that would serve as a symbol of an emerging United States.  CLICK ON THE FLAG FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
Does Your Schoolhouse Have a Virtual Visit Video? In 2021, when our CSAA members were homebound and fighting off COVID 19, we opted to hold an on-line conference in lieu of our annual in-person event. The 22 presentations proved to be a huge success, and in place of the annual "COACH TOUR OF AREA SCHOOLS" we were treated to an "EASY CHAIR TOUR" of some our participants' schoolhouses. By way of these virtual video tours, we were able to hear the stories of their history, preservation, restoration and programming. It was a way of stepping inside the very schools we might never get to experience. Our videos might be homespun or created professionally, but all are informative and entertaining. As different as they are, they will spark ideas about how to make your own one-room school virtual visit, promotional video, or slide show. Taylor #4, Marshalltown, Iowa This month we will highlight Taylor #4 in Marshalltown, Iowa produced and narrated by CSAA member Julie Lontz Lang. Julie was an early savior of the schoolhouse and has successfully re-created the year 1913 in this wonderful museum school. Turn your clocks back to 1913 and spend a day with your schoolmarm at Taylor #4. The school is furnished with fixtures and equipment from Marshall County schools and depicts a typical Iowa educational experience of the era. Beautifully restored and maintained, this is an authentic school day where students experience all subjects taught straight from the 1913 Taylor register. To their great delight every child in Marshall County, Iowa has experienced this free program for the past 17 years. You will no doubt use many of these ideas for your own living history program. Enjoy your tour! Video production by Julie Jontz Lang and Rita Smith. Taylor #4, 60 N. Second Ave., Marshalltown, IA Our Email: [email protected] Our Website:www.marshallhistory.org Julie Lang loved teaching fourth grade, in Marshalltown, IA, for 34 years (BA and MA in Education). For 28 years, she's been a volunteer housewife at the 1900 farm at Living History Farms in Des Moines and has been active in her local historical society for many years. In 2005-2006, Julie became the volunteer director of Taylor #4, a 1913 one-room school, and restored it back to its original appearance. After much research, Julie wrote the reenactment curriculum and started the free, full-day, authentic 1913 living history program. Rita Smith, who also leads re-enactments, and Julie Lang are proud to have had every fourth grader in their county (plus home-schoolers) participate at the schoolhouse for the last fourteen years. Unfortunately, year fifteen was pre-empted by tornado damage repairs and COVID 19. Rita Smith, after 18 years of teaching second and fifth grade and many years of subbing, was happy to teach the Taylor #4 re-enactments (BA and MA in Education). Loving history and teaching children makes this a perfect fit for Julie and Rita who truly make schoolhouse history come alive. Their program proves it!  Happy Easter...Antique Cards Digitized!
Many of us collect Reward of Merit Cards, those quaint little gift cards teachers awarded to students for their fine schoolwork. We often find them tucked among the ephemera in antique stores and marvel at the Spencerian script of the teachers who spent their own pennies to acknowledge the dedication of their scholars with hand-written praise. Thumbing through postcards and old photos you may also come across a collection of early 2oth century Easter cards, more prevalent than you might think. Even then people related Easter with bunnies, flowers, chicks, candy, and eggs as the artwork shows. So when and why did these symbols of Easter emerge? Some surprising information below! Not to reinvent the wheel here, it's better if I can point you to two fascinating resources that are both visual and informational. Digital Easter Cards 1. The first link is a set of 270 digital scans of early Easter cards, some with rhyme, from the New York Public Library Digital Collections. Click on the gray image above to access card collection. Scroll down to where you see the image above and click on: "View as book.." Use the forward arrows in the right lower corner to view all 270 cards. Have fun! Symbols and Traditions of Easter 2. An article from the History Channel March 19, 2024 (second printing) that explains the where, when, and why these Easter symbols and traditions emerged. They encourage SHARING! Here's the direct link: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols BTW...Happy Easter! Samuel Griswold Goodrich, 19th Century Author Information from: Boston Public Library, Rare Books & Manuscripts, University of Washington Digital Collections In Ridgefield, CT stands the classic Little Red Schoolhouse known as the Peter Parley Schoolhouse, named in honor of its most famous student Samuel Griswold Goodrich. How is that you might ask? Samuel was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the 6th of ten children, the son of a minister, in 1793. He would attend this “Lane Street School” from 1799-1803. You may already be familiar with Pater Parley's tales. But it was Samuel Goodrich who entered the world of book publishing in 1816 at the young age of 23. In the early 1820s Goodrich came to the conclusion that children as well as adults preferred to read truth rather than fancy and that it would be possible to present truth--history, geography, science, etc.-- in such a way that it would be more interesting to children than fairies, giants and monsters. So, he became a publisher and writer of children’s books. In 1827, Samuel Goodrich introduced his pen name character, Peter Parley, an elderly, quirky, but also lovable old Bostonian who enjoys telling stories to children. With his gouty foot and crooked hat, Parley introduced his first book for children entitled Peter Parley’s Tales About America. He became so popular that other children’s writers attempted to copy his likeness all over the world, but he could not fight the frauds. Goodrich is self-credited with writing over 170 books that sold over 7,000,000 copies and numerous periodicals, though he was clearly not the sole author. His 170 volumes told stories of history, geography, science, nature, animals, and people of the world. He wrote in short paragraphs while featuring black line engravings that captured the biographies of the famous and the little known. Many of Parley's "facts" were of questionable accuracy (Laplanders ask the advice of black cats, and Peter the Great once worked as a carpenter to learn how to build ships.) Interspersed with these "facts" is a liberal sprinkling of moral preaching. There were also evidences of Goodrich's prejudices and biases (These people are ignorant and superstitious.) The frontispieces of most of the books are portraits of the author in varying states of health. Although he is depicted as an older man he was in fact a young man in the 1820s and 1830s. He steered clear of fairy tales saying, “Common sense tells us not to take children into scenes of crime and bloodshed, unless we wish to debase them.” Goodrich was a fascinating character and the members of the Ridgefield Historical Society have created marvelous videos that tell the story in great detail. The Peter Parley Schoolhouse is curated by the Ridgefield Historical Society where docents tell stories about the charming schoolhouse and Peter Parley himself. For extensive information on the history of the school, Samual Goodrich (a.k.a Peter Parley), his works, and the preservation of the Peter Parley Schoolhouse, visit the link below and the wonderful RHS videos. (2 parts)  Things We Probably Never Knew! If you curate a schoolhouse you’ve undoubtedly worked to piece together its history beyond the date it was built or closed. In your search you’ve most likely relied on scant existing records, superintendent’s annual reports, personal narratives, lists of students and teachers, and whatever photos you are fortunate to locate. We all take pride in locating information that will bring our schoolhouse to life. But here’s a resource that can bring the actual era of your schoolhouse to life through the language and customs of the time! Available for short money as new or used books on Amazon these, “Writer’s Guides To Everyday Life in…,” are fun, informative, and fascinating trips through 18th, 19th and 20th century daily life. (Be sure to check out “used” editions on Amazon, Alibris, or Abebooks.) Use them to enhance your schoolhouse stories, make your audiences laugh, surprise your listeners, and fact check society during your school’s existence. These books are not expansive histories like high school textbooks or scholarly tomes. Instead, they offer hundreds of pages of surprising definitions, engaging explanations, and delightful vignettes about the times they cover. As a bonus, the chronologies and source references in the index are priceless! As an example, check out the photo below to explore the many topics covered in The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800’s….and have some fun! Just a suggestion.  Help! What do we need to get started?  CLICK ON THE COLLAGE ABOVE FOR THE STARTER KIT LIST Recently, I was contacted by two New England towns who are restoring their schoolhouses and would like to open them eventually for young visitors, 3rd or 4th grades. Their dilemma was finding out what artifacts and materials they would need to stage a schoolhouse for atmosphere and what lessons would be taught during chosen time periods. Having visited hundreds of schoolhouses during CSAA conferences, personal searches, and surprise encounters along the road, the list of possibilities got mighty long. We enthusiasts have seen beautifully preserved collections that probably took years to amass. Many of these restored and staged country schools turn us green with envy or send us out on a mission of self-improvement in our own schools. The artifacts like slates, original school desks, teacher bells, period toys, and pencil boxes, etc. are becoming more scarce as the new preservationists join the search. It also depends on what era you intend to re-live during the years your schoolhouse was open. Fortunately, both preservationists I spoke with were restoring schools from the 1840's and I had been collecting for many years 1800's appropriate items. Sometimes I have to settle and "get as close as I can," to what is authentic or time sensitive, not always with success. To help out initially, I drew up a list of antiques, reproductions, or sources that could get them up and running toward programming, and shared with them a simple two-hour lesson plan. (NOTE: I'd also like to collect your daily schedules for a special sharing resources page on the CSAA website.) These are the times that CSAA can help the most. New schoolmarms/masters think we're all geniuses at the CSAA and that we have all the answers. Not all, but we have a LOT of them! Collectively, we have endless ideas that we could share with those adrift in their programming. In The Report Card editions ahead, I will post programming ideas from the 2021 Virtual CSAA Conference (virtual because of COVID). Our presenters created video slide shows of their schools, many of which have descriptions of their programs. We thank them in advance! For this post, I will share a list of items I suggested to my two new friends to help them on their way to staging their 1840's schoolhouses with affordable and useful supplies. STARTER KIT LIST: CLICK ON THE PICTURE COLLAGE AT THE TOP OF THIS POST! Your suggestions would be MOST WELCOME to add to this list especially if your school post-dates the 1840's. (Big Chief tablets, dictionaries, pencil sharpeners, flash cards, crayons, water color paints, paste jars, etc.). Make your own list and submit it here! s[email protected] The Report Card welcomes your input and we're always looking for interesting articles, by YOU.... Thank you, Susan Fineman The Ideals of Patriotism by William Backus Guitteau, Toledo, OH Native, Historian, & Author. (1917) Patriotism, the greatest of our national ideals, comprehends all the rest. Love of country is a sentiment common to all people and ages; but no land has ever been dearer to its people than our own America. No nation has a history more inspiring, no country has institutions more deserving of patriots love. Turning the pages of our nation's history, the young citizen sees Columbus, serene in the faith of his dream; the Mayflower, bearing the lofty soul of the Puritan; Washington girding on his holy sword; Lincoln, striking the shackles from the helpless slave; the Constitution, organizing the farthest west with north and south and east into one great Republic; the tremendous energy of free life trained in free schools; utilizing our immense natural resources, increasing the nation's wealth with the aid of advancing science, multiplying fertile fields and noble workshops, and busy schools and happy homes. This is the history for which our flag stands; and when the young citizen salutes the flag, he should think of the great ideals which it represents. The flag stands for democracy, for liberty under the law; it stands for heroic courage and self-reliance, and the cause of humanity; it stands for free public education, and for peace among all nations. When you salute the flag, you should resolve that your own life will be dedicated to these ideals. You should remember that the truest American patriot understands the meaning of our nation's ideals, and pledges his/her own life to their realization. From the Patriotic Reader, Houghton Mifflin Company (1917) Note: As a schoolmarm in a country school museum for the past 18 years I am thrilled when students demonstrate great enthusiasm for patriotism and love of country. It reminds me of my public school teaching days when enjoying patriotic songs and stories was a regular exercise. Here I pay tribute to visitors to our schoolhouse from the Trinity Christian School in Concord, New Hampshire who sang proudly of our great flag and country. Enjoy their rendition of "America." I appreciate their enthusiasm even more as I find my own city's 4th grade visitors are unfamiliar with this classic..I see it. I feel it. Eighteen years ago they all knew it. Tell me about your current experience...comment below.   The Little Red Schoolhouse: Why?
You find countless references to the Little Red Schoolhouse as preserved museums, in history, literature and lore. A web search of Little Red Schoolhouse yields hundreds of photos of little red schoolhouses. The reference is vivid, conjuring our image of what people imagine as the typical one-room school. However, we know that country schools were built of logs, brick, stone, wooden clapboard, adobe and sod, painted white, yellow, green, blue or often left unpainted. The question may be asked....why were so many painted red? One interesting explanation came to us as a reply to our YouTube video, "One-Room Schools of the Past." The writer commented: "A lot of schools were red in color for the same reason a lot of barns were red: because the railway companies would carry their own red paint to paint the cars, signs and cabooses of the trains on the rails across North America. The trains would carry so much of this "Red Lead" (lead oxide) paint that it was not only cheap, but readily available all along the railways (other paints were not so cheap or available). In the 1800s, "white paint" was mostly lime, chalk and water (whitewash), that would last a year at best on exterior surfaces. The other alternative was white paint made from white lead (lead carbonate) and boiled linseed oil, which was more expensive and less available than the railroad's red lead paint. From-Ronray.com ( site no longer available) Another informative answer to 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 lead (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." .....Gerald Stout NOTE: This article is a reprint from our original CSAA newsletter, but with added commentary. Stout's book is nearly impossible to find on-line anymore. Let us know if you get lucky!
Back from the Brink in Boxford, Massachusetts The Palmer School, also known as the District No. 2 Schoolhouse, is a historic 19th-century one-room schoolhouse is in recovery! Knowing that it takes a village, schoolhouse enthusiast Laurie Rowen saw beyond the sad little relic and envisioned a community project to resurrect a once proud "Citadel of Learning." That project has been underway since right before COVID hit. The schoolhouse in Boxford, Massachusetts is a single-story wood frame structure with a gabled roof. District #2 has very minimal Greek Revival styling reflective of its construction date in 1845. It was used until 1967 as a schoolhouse. Since then it had been left to the elements and cried out for restoration. CSAA member, Laurie Rowen, was determined to save the school for the children of Boxford where they would learn about the early history from 1845 - 1931. Like most of us restoring or maintaining country schools, she was perplexed as to where to begin, but that did not deter her. Laurie and friends created the Friends of the Boxford Little Red Schoolhouse and they dove right in to the long commitment ahead to save District #2. They did their homework contacting town officials and locals who could volunteer their expertise and their elbow grease to make a dream come true. Laurie explains: When I retired from teaching, a committee of like-minded individuals was formed and we have been making progress!! We were so fortunate to have the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School agree to accept the little red schoolhouse as one of its Community Projects. Through their Construction Academy, the restoration of the Palmer Schoolhouse provided the students with authentic work experiences. Under the supervision of a teacher/licensed tradesperson, they have performed the carpentry, electrical, masonry and demolition work required to restore the building with the town providing the materials. Humbly, the FBLRS gives much credit to others and downplays their hours of dreaming, planning, contacting, coordinating, fund-raising, grant writing, and searching for artifacts! That IS the story of preservationists across the country. The proof is in the unveiling, the day the dreamers invite the community for the grand re-opening of a historic schoolhouse, sharing the history of our first public schools. You can witness the progress to date and visit the FBLRS website to learn how the Town of Boxford, Massachusetts voted unanimously to allocate funds for a design of the restoration. From there the support grew and the results are astounding! The photos help tell the story....a story of collaboration and support. There is nothing more contagious than enthusiasm! CSAA lauds the efforts of Boxford, Massachusetts and the Friends of the Boxford Little Red Schoolhouse! Click on the pictures to enlarge... Your Guide to a Potential U.S. Schoolhouse Postage Stamp! Here's a thought. Don't you think it's about time we apply to honor our nation's first public schools, our very schoolhouses, on a United States Postage Stamp? Last year I visited the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in Weston, Massachusetts situated on the campus of Regis College. It's one of only two museums in the country dedicated to U.S. postage stamps and collecting. The other and larger museum is The National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. I asked the very knowledgable docent if he ever remembered a stamp dedicated to "one-room" or "country schools." He was stumped! He had been collecting stamps or curating the museum for decades and has handled millions of stamps. He thought NOT. The existence of such stamps can be researched, but I got sidetracked since my visit and it sits on my To Do list. Thought for the day....CSAA will be the perfect organization to initiate the process and it's not that complicated! We touched on the subject back in 2019 and then COVID hit (always COVID!). Attached you'll find the CREATING U.S. POSTAGE STAMPS digital guide while we generate interest in such a project with renewed vigor. The process can take almost three years from approval to issuance, so we will exercise patience. Criteria: America or American related subjects. Subject has significant positive impact on American history, society, culture, or environment. (WOW! That's us!) Widespread national appeal.(Everyone goes to school!) Interested parties must submit the idea and the narrative on why, but the Postal Service commissions the artists. Applicants are allowed to submit"samples" in print form, but cannot submit artwork or photos for SPECIFIC consideration as a stamp. CSAA could solicit the best schoolhouse photos of our CSAA members as "samples." A wonderful honor! Quite an interesting process. Check out the guide below. Kansas City Museum an 1856 Treasure Trove of Schoolhouse Artifacts by Susan Fineman Must See Arabia! Sounds like an odd title, doesn't it? I'll explain. In schoolhouse preservation we are always seeking useful relics of education to lend authenticity to our restored schools. Books, slates, lunch pails, inkwells...we search out these items in antique shops, on eBay, and through thoughtful donors. We often spy a treasure and think how lucky we are to find that schoolhouse artifact held by small hands of the past. Such items are also fun to see in museums, preserved for the ages. The Arabia Museum in Kansas City, MO houses countless schoolhouse treasures that "fortunately" never made it their intended destinations, trading posts and mercantiles of the emerging west. They were lost for generations after the packboat on which they were loaded sank, the victim of a snag (tree trunks floating at high speeds like missiles). The Arabia submerged into the Missouri River for 132 years while silt piled up covering the boat with the changing riverbank. The Arabia faded into history. It was later discovered by thoughtful treasure hunters who excavated the boat and thankfully preserved its contents to amaze 21st century visitors. Having been there twice, I can attest to the fascinating and magnetic displays that capture the imagination and keep us coming back. Tens of thousands of items from daily life in 1856 are on display including schoolhouse artifacts we quietly covet. Prepare to spend hours at The Arabia Museum...but, there is more to come. These treasure hunters have presumably located another river boat, The Malta (1841), and now dream of a National Steamboat Museum for the future. Please do not miss this museum if you have travel plans near Kansas City. But for now, enjoy the photos below of schoolhouse artifacts resurrected from the Arabia. Let me quote the website for brevity: THE ARABIA STEAMBOAT MUSEUM A popular Kansas City attraction for more than 25 years When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. Lost for 132 years, its recovery in 1988 was like finding the King Tut’s Tomb of the Missouri River. The discovery was truly a modern day treasure-hunting story at its best. The artifacts are preserved and displayed at the Arabia Steamboat Museum, located in the historic City Market. From clothing, fine china and carpentry tools to guns, dishes and children’s toys to the world’s oldest pickles—the collection captivates visitors of all ages. Whether it’s your first visit to this favorite Kansas City attraction or you come every year, the treasures of the Steamboat Arabia will connect you to American history in a new and exciting way. Access the website for everything you need to know below! Watch the promo video.... "I Love the World" Valentine Card and Letter Campaign
CSAA Board Member Mary Outlaw and Senior Lecturer Emerita at Berry College in Rome, Georgia received a sweet request (below) from one of her graduates. You could join the fun and make these special students very happy! I'll wager Mary will give The Report Card an update on the results of this social media blitz. Let's help out. My classroom is doing a project called “I Love the World”. We would love it if we could receive a Valentine from each state, which could be in the form of a Valentine, postcard or letter. This is a big goal but with your help and social media we know it is possible. We have a digital US map that we will be adding a heart to each state as we receive Valentines. The students have their own map that they will color in the corresponding state as we receive the Valentines. We will be keeping count of which states we get the most Valentines from, as well as learning new vocabulary about Valentine’s Day. Please send your mail to the address below: Mrs. Fields’ and Mrs. Romero’s Class East Central Elementary 1502 Dean Avenue Rome, GA 30161 We will be eagerly awaiting the mail delivery each day. Thank you for all your help!! National Handwriting Day is January 23, 2024 When we study our schoolhouse documents of the past we are in awe of the beautiful and flowing scripts exhibited in their handwriting and wish we could duplicate those efforts. Do you bemoan the loss of penmanship skills? Have your local schools abandoned the practice of cursive writing? National Handwriting Day was established to raise awareness of the many benefits of handwriting, a.k.a. cursive writing and may even succeed in returning this skill to the classroom. The many upsides of handwriting have been published in countless articles and books, but one infographic can state the case very clearly and visually. Pens.com has invited their patrons to share this infographic with readers who might be interested in those bullet points. Sounds reasonable to me! Note: This infographic is longer than usual, but keep scrolling down.  |
