Travel Back In Time To These 7 Historic One Room Schoolhouses In West Virginia

Life has changed quite a bit in the last one hundred years, including academically. One-room schoolhouses used to be common; now they are a thing of the past. However, there are many scattered throughout the state that still stand tribute to an older, simpler time. Here are 7 of them:

Brian M Powell/Wikimedia

This schoolhouse in the countryside of Braxton County dates back to 1889 and is one of the best preserved of its kind in the state. An outdoor privy stands on the property behind the schoolhouse. The school closed in 1963; along with donated memorabilia, many original interior furnishings remain. The building is vacant but is used for community events and homecoming gatherings of former students.

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This schoolhouse, dating back to 1888, was moved to the campus of Marshall University from rural Cabell County, where it had been in use until 1955. It commemorates West Virginia's heritage of rural education and houses a museum where a typical schoolroom setting of the period has been recreated. The museum can be toured by appointment.

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Patricia J Harris/Wikimedia

Built in 1897, this schoolhouse served the village of St Clara in Doddridge County into the 1930s. With an amazingly preserved interior including original oak walls, floors, and ceilings, this little school provides a rare glimpse into American history and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

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A landmark on the campus of Fairmont State University, this building dates back to 1871 and was in use in its original location near Mannington until the 1950s. The building is now a museum and houses numerous antique artifacts, many donated by school districts from the surrounding area. It was relocated to the university campus in 1962 and has been recently renovated.

nyttend/Wikimedia

Preserved in its original condition on its original location, this one-room schoolhouse in Lewis County dates back to 1900. Functional until 1965, the school never had indoor plumbing; a hand water pump still stands outside the front door. A small building that stored the coal used to heat the school stands nearby and is also original. Students from the surrounding hollows would walk as far as 3 miles roundtrip to attend the school.

JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD/Wikimedia

This small stone-facade building near Gerrardstown operated as a school for African Americans from around 1897 until 1939, and simultaneously as a church building on Sundays. After the school ceased, the building has continued to be in sporadic use as Mt. Olive Methodist Church. The facade is of native limestone.

Heritage Farm Museum & Village/Facebook

On the grounds of this living history museum stands the Schoolhouse Museum, once the Lick Creek Elementary School. This one-room schoolhouse has been restored to its original condition from the early 1900s, and is open to the public daily. The farm museum celebrates rural Appalachian culture with a unique re-creation of an Appalachian community.

Have you visited any of these nostalgic schoolhouses? Did you ever attend a one-room school? If September always brings you back to your school days, try one of these great fall field trip destinations!