On Saturday I enjoyed visiting the Locust Grove Schoolhouse in Pocopson Township, which was open for a fundraising rummage sale. The inside of the schoolhouse (located at Locust Grove and Corrine Roads) had gotten a fresh coat of white paint only a few days earlier, and the next project is to replace the wooden floor.
Pieces from the original chalkboard hang as they did in the front of the room, and the original windows let in a lot of light. Above the blackboard you can see the hole for the pot-bellied stove's vent pipe.
The schoolhouse operated from 1869 to 1932; an extension to house a boy's cloakroom and a girl's cloakroom was added in the 1890s. After the schools were consolidated, the building served as a funeral home and a residence.
The Pocopson Township Historical Committee has a fascinating website about the history of the school and the restoration project (www.locustgroveschoolhouse.org). They've even developed lesson plans so that today's schoolchildren can learn what it was like going to school 150 years ago.
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