N.S. schoolhouse opening for public tours
Get an inside look at historic Forestdale Schoolhouse this Thursday or Saturday
NORTH SMITHFIELD — The North Smithfield Heritage Association is offering the public an up-close and personal look at the Forestdale Schoolhouse, one of the last of the old style one-room schoolhouses in town.
Known by locals as the Little Red Schoolhouse, the historic building on School Street will be open for visitors Thursday, Aug. 24, and Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This is a great opportunity to take a look inside, talk with a former student who can share what it was like going to a one-room schoolhouse, and learn a little history of our town,” says NSHA member Donna Kaehler. “While they are there, visitors can also view the “Pickets of Memories” fence and see a variety of historical gifts the association has available.”
The NSHA maintains two historically significant buildings in town – the Forestdale Schoolhouse and the renovated Heritage Hall on Green Street in
Slatersville, which was previously used as a grange hall, says NSHA volunteer Louise Vanhouwe.
Vanhouwe, a lifelong resident who lives across the street from the Forestdale Schoolhouse, was a student there from 1935 to 1939. She will be talking about her experiences as a student there at the two upcoming open houses.
“We used to bring a stick of wood to school to put in the wood box for the potbelly stove,” says Vanhouwe, the school’s official caretaker
The land for the school was deeded to school district on Dec. 12, 1876, by the Forestdale Manufacturing Company. The school was originally built in 1877 as a wood clapboard-sided building with Victorian style gingerbread trim and a cupola. The school used to provide education for the village children, whose parents were mostly employed by the company.
On June 19, 1974, the school closed to pupils for the last time. From July 14, 1975 to now, the building has been leased to the NSHA by the town. On Oct. 21, 2013, the town recognized the schoolhouse as a local historic district, and as such it now falls under the jurisdiction of the North Smithfield Historic District Commission.
Since 1975, the NSHA has spent considerable time and money restoring, renovating and maintaining the schoolhouse as an educational museum. However, Vanhouwe says, more work needs to be done, including making the building ADA accessible, replacement of the cupola with bell that was blown off in the hurricane of 1938, replacement of all entrance steps, and repairing or replacing the painted wood clapboard siding.
“The building was built in 1877, but it’s solid,” Vanhouwe says. “But there are a lot of problems. There are bees’ nests and big holes in the front and back of the building. We need to do more if we want to preserve it for the future.”
A few years ago, the Town Council awarded the NSHA $6,500 to procure the master plan, and $19,000 to help fund new stairs in front of the building, as well as a new staircase.
The Heritage Association collaborated with the North Smithfield Historic District Commission to hire an architectural firm to draft a comprehensive study and master plan, which has been completed.
The plan assesses the current condition of the school building and grounds and defines and prioritizes a strategy for the future. The association is currently seeking grant assistance to implement the recommendations in the plan.