Historic schoolhouse prepares for 150th anniversary – Pottsville Republican Herald
School is back in session at Pine Grove’s Stanhope One-Room Schoolhouse, as the historical site celebrates its 150th anniversary with a new book, educational programming and special Americana exhibits. The historic schoolhouse, located at 122 Camp Road, debuted as a museum in 2022 after nearly a decade of restoration efforts led by volunteers under the Pinegrove Historical Society. For the volunteers spearheading it all, the work is a means of preserving history while we still have access to it. “We’re the only one-room school in Schuylkill County,” said Linda Mills, chair of the Stanhope Schoolhouse Project. “That’s the key thing, it’s so that people can appreciate history, learn from history.” Restorative projects Long before 2022, local students in grades 1 through 8 learned at the Stanhope schoolhouse from 1876 to 1952. It was originally a brick building, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1923. It was then rebuilt with wood, which is the version that exists today. In 2014, when the structure was scheduled for demolition, the Pinegrove Historical Society obtained the property from the Girl Scouts Council of Berks County. What followed was a long series of renovations, including repairing the roof, replacing interior walls and adding a parking lot. The site opens up to the public multiple times a year, from May to September. This spring, volunteers have been preparing for that season by moving displays back into the building and freshening up the exterior. Admission to the schoolhouse is free, donations are accepted, and visiting times can be scheduled with private groups for a fee. The Stanhope Schoolhouse Project recently joined the Country School Association of America and continues to find projects to further enhance the educational environment. For example, volunteers are currently searching for a professional to reinstall the schoolhouse bell back to its tower. Documenting stories In honor of both the schoolhouse and the United States’ birthdays, the schoolhouse has some newly acquired artifacts on display, including a 48-star flag and a student’s looseleaf notebook. “We try to find something a little bit different each year to focus on with our exhibits,” Mills said. Over the years, Mills has also acquired many class photos and teachers’ attendance books from the past. These items and more helped inform a brand-new book written by volunteers, called “Inspiring Generations.” Created by Mills and Terry Winters, the schoolhouse’s librarian, the book chronicles what it was like to attend the Stanhope schoolhouse and what the local community was like a century ago. The pair interviewed seven people who attended the school back in its heyday, including John Zeigler, one of Stanhope’s final students. To this day, Ziegler still lives in Pine Grove and has been involved in the restoration efforts. “I started here in 1944,” Ziegler said. “At that time, we had no electricity. The only light was the windows.” With so much research done, Mills says she anticipates publishing a second volume in the future. “Two of those people we interviewed passed in 2025,” Mills said. “So this is why we’re working so desperately to collect everything we can firsthand.” “Inspiring Generations” will be available for purchase at each of the schoolhouse’s 2026 events or by emailing PGHS-StanhopeSchool@outlook.com. 2026 events The schoolhouse’s first event, on Saturday, May 9 from 1:30 to 2:30, will host Rob Reynolds, a history professor at Kutztown University, for a comparative look at one-room education. Reynolds will give a talk on the history of one-room schoolhouses alongside his daughter, who just recently student taught in one in Alaska. Amy Garber, an agriculture educator at Tulpehocken Area School District, will give a presentation on regional agricultural impact from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. July 18. Finally, Winters will host an event about books throughout history from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 12. The site will also be open to visitors on June 14 and August 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.
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