ButtercreamCakeArtist

In the chat room this morning, I told everyone I was going on a fied trip with the Kindergarten and First grade today. I promised some pics, and here they are.

This is the Windy Run School house near Tesla, WV. The school was built in 1889. It is 118 years old for those of us that cannot do math anymore. They had to tell me it is 118 years old.
This school is the only one-room school house in the state of WV that is registered with the historic registry (SP?). The reason being that all the other old schoolhouses left have been turned into barns with either animals or hay in them, or they have been moved from their original location, or something of that sort.
There is no running water. They had a well drilled with an old hand pump on it in 1940? 1950?? I didn't write anything down, now I've forgotten some dates. The did get electricity put in in 1940? 1930? You should see the old wires the big bulbs hang from. I took pictures of these. The old oil lamps are still in place on the walls from before they had the electricity and for when the electric was off. The school was shut down in 1961, when they got buses and all the kids went to Sutton schools. The school is now just like it was left in 1961 by the Braxton County Board of Education.
There was a new roof put on a few years ago. Money was raised by donations from the apple butter that was made there and sold at that time. Work was done by a volunteer, I think.
There are two outhouses, and YES, they still are in use. The girls' outhouse is across a small creek (more like a large ditch) that only in the more recent years got a little bridge made. The lady that talked to us today told us she went there for 8 years, from first to eight grade--the only years that were taught there. She said someone managed to fall in the creek about once a week. The other toilet is on the other end of the school for the boys.
We were shown lots of dolls and many other toys that children in the "old days" played with. Most were homemade. Some were the buttons on a string and a corn cob with a hole drilled in it and feathers in the end. A whirlygig. We got the button and the whirly gig to keep. I thought that was really nice.
The kids got to sit in the desks. THe desks are the old kind with the desk for the person behind you made on the back of your chair. Your desk is attached to the person in front of you's chair. (and that looks like I need to go back to school for more than a field trip. How on earth do you write that? The person's in front of you chair? NO. Anyway, you get the idea?)
At the desks the kids got to use a quill or feather dipped in ink to write and draw with. They really enjoyed that!
The Kindergarten class colored pictures that the teacher took with us. She gave them to the lady we talked to, and she put them all up in the windows for us to see as we drive by if we wish.
I cannot remember the woman's name! I should've took my notebook!
I hope you all enjoy these pics. I know we had a lot of fun today! It was a beautiful fall day!

Celeste

These things are so much fun to see! I think I would have really enjoyed that field trip myself. It's hard to imagine kids (and at least one adult), really used the places like this. After having electric heating, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, pencils, etc., it's tough to imagine that atmosphere being normal.

I love really old buildings too because I love to try to "feel" the past if that makes sense.

And toys? Dolls made out of corn cobs, buttons and whirlygigs. It's hard to imagine a kid being entertained for long stretches of time by one of these.

Well, I'm not too good with words, so...

Celeste

P.S. Thank you for sharing these with us, Miranda.

ButtercreamCakeArtist

Hi, Celeste. It was really a lot of fun for me!!! I remember going to this school when I was a kid. I cannot remember what grade, but I am thinking 2nd or 3rd.

They also had fabric there! They had some quilt blocks, too! I was getting all excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL!!!!!

ButtercreamCakeArtist

OMGosh! I am so thrilled to see this post came through! My computer messed up while I was uploading the original post, and I was so upset after all that typing!!!!!!!!!! I was just going to post the pics next time! I didn't think it had worked!! YAY! so happy!

live2teach

That is soo cool! I love stuff like this. Your DH was telling me about the trip and where it is located, I had no idea that there was even an old school there. How neat!

mimisharon

MIRANDA, thank you, thank you!! I love those pictures, now I know of another place I want to visit when I go to see mom again. Some of our family has always lived in Braxton County, Clay County, Ritchie County, and of course, Wood County!

This made my day! Thank you! ( :cry: with joy)

West by God hillbilly,
Sharon

nanabirdmo

thank you so much for sharing. i'll bet the kids really enjoyed their adventure. must seem like ancient history to them. guess it is :lol:
my brother went to a school that looked very much like this one outside of joplin, mo. the yr before i started it was "consolidated" so the only time i got to go to the 1 room school was for community activities. one was a christmas party. i must have been about 4. there was a drawing for a quilt and my best girl friend and neighbor,(she is a yr younger than me) won that sucker out from under me!!! we still laugh about her winning that quilt. she still has it and i kid her about it every time we get together.

ButtercreamCakeArtist

We went there again today, Me, hubby and kids. We didn't get out, just a little drive-by to see the pics the kids colored that are in the windows. I want to see who owns it bc they have a grill for charcoal, a picnic shelter and tables. I thought it would be a good place to have a bday party or something of the sort if we were allowed.

quiltmaker101

Thanks for sharing that, Miranda.

I think it is funny that they didn't get electricity til the 40s or 50s since the place it is in is named after Tesla, who was real competition for Thomas Edison.

There is an old school house like that at Knott's Berry Farm (amusement park) in So Cal. I liked visiting that part of the park better than the newer sections. (You can still pan for gold there!)

Its really nice that you get to go along on field trips with your kids too.