Monday, March 11, 2013

One-Room Schoolhouse -- Worthington TWP No. 5



Here's a great wood sided original one-room school house I found in Worthington Township in south-eastern Richland County, Ohio.  This schoolhouse is located on a rural road just off State Route 97 east of Butler, Ohio and I have passed it many times on my way to Mohican State Park.
  


I love walking around these old sites quietly contemplating the goings on that happened long ago. I imagine busy activity and the sound of children's laughter. Rivalries and fights; childhood romance and of course budding dreams and discoveries as the kids learned of the wide world outside the sphere of life on the farm.


Remarkably most of the original slate roof is intact and the school number and date of construction is still visible after all these years.  

No 5  1897

The three windows on the north side look to be original even though a few panes are broken out.  The north side of the building is relatively protected from the harshest weather that blows out of the west-southwest.  The windows on the south side and two on each side of the front door have been boarded up.  The west wall has no windows as that was the "head of the class" where the full length chalkboard hung.


On the south side of the structure I noticed these vines clinging tenaciously even burrowing their way under the siding only to reappear further up the wall.  I'm sure this vegetation is probably some kind of flowering vine or poison ivy and grows leaves during the warm months.  A lack of fresh paint and moist conditions under the leafy cover of the vines further hastens the decay of the wood.


7 comments:

  1. I bet it looks great when wrapped in green leaves. Nice suburban decay photos!

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  2. Nice post. The kids could all walk to school as well! We could do worse than return to local community schooling where the teachers got to know you.

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  3. I was only mildly impressed - until I saw the roof. That was awesome!

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  4. Slate roofs are incredibly durable.

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  5. What a great find! There are only few structures like this that are still capable of standing on its own. It's one treasure that's really worth appreciating. It is just sad to see that it's damaged. I hope the owner or someone with a good heart will repair this to help bring back its beauty and put it to good use at the same time. Thanks for sharing.

    Penelope Dingee

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  6. It's always fascinating to look at old establishments. Even though it didn't become part of your life, when you look at it, it's like you can see so many things. I like the fact that particular building have played a big part in the childhood memory of every kid who went to study there. That old schoolhouse looks like an art now, with all the cracked siding and dirty roof. I wish there is someone in-charge of taking care of it. After all, a lot of people benefited from it back in the days. Thank you for sharing these photos to us. They're lovely!


    Willi Roofing

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  7. I think the name of this school was "Dauntless"

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