Tour all the one-room schoolhouses in Butler County in just one day
The Butler County Historical Society is opening all of the county’s one-room schoolhouses for people to look through on Sept. 6.
The Schoolhouse Driving Tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 6, and will feature six one-room schoolhouses: the Foltz School in Brady Township, Crocker School in Slippery Rock Township, Sample School in Cranberry Township, Six Points School House in Allegheny Township, Thompson School House in Slippery Rock and the recently renovated and reopened Little Red School House in Butler.
Mackenzie Herold, outreach coordinator for the historical society, said each location will have a different theme. The Little Red School House, where the historical society personnel will be throughout the day, will have the theme of curriculum, where people can learn about the education topics of the mid-1800s. The Foltz School, operated by Jennings Environmental Education Center, will focus on how the school was used in the community while it was a functioning school from 1828 to 1874.
“This is just like history but with a schoolhouse focus,” Herold said. “There will be people at each school; whether or not they will be from (the historical society), they are comfortable doing the work and speaking there.”
While only the Little Red School House is operated by the Butler County Historical Society, Herold said the staff of each of the other schools on the tour were happy to collaborate on this event. The Moraine, McConnells Mill and Jennings Commission is manning the Foltz School, and the Birdwatchers Store outside Slippery Rock will have staff explaining information on the Crocker School, which the building used to house.
The self-guided tour is free, and offers the opportunity for people to learn about the different aspects of school life with activities and talks. People can start wherever they want.
Attendees can also fill out a report card by visiting three different stops for a chance to win one of seven raffle baskets.
History Day, which the historical society similarly organizes to give people a survey of historical buildings in the county, has for years been a successful event, so Herold said she hopes this schoolhouse tour will also attract history lovers.
“We’re hoping if this has a good turnout that we may make it an annual event,” she said.
For more information on the event, visit butlerhistory.com/schoolhouse. The website has the address for each of the one-room school houses included in the tour.
