Altona Schoolhouse, 140 years old, nearly back in session

School will be back in session, all too soon for some youngsters’ tastes, and the only “new” public school that will open in Boulder County is also among its oldest — by a long shot.

The Altona Schoolhouse, built in about 1880 at what is now 834 Lefthand Canyon Drive, is a oneroom, sandstone construction where multiple generations of Boulder County children were drilled on the three R’s until about 1949.

That was the year the Heil family arrived in the area from Sugar City in southeast Colorado and purchased the land on which the Colorado School District 22 schoolhouse stood.

It remains there today, on the 210-acre parcel known as the Heil Valley Ranch 2, bought by Boulder County from the Heil Family in 2012 for $6 million. That acquisition abuts the pre-existing 5,020-acre Heil Valley Ranch open space, acquired by the county between 1994 and 1996.

But what visitors who will soon be welcomed to the schoolhouse will see is in far better shape than might be expected of a building that has endured roughly 140 years of baking sun, rough winters and periodic floods. That’s because it has been the recipient over the last several years of a loving and painstaking restoration overseen by Boulder County Parks and Open Space. Parks and Open Space Recreation and Facilities Manager Al Hardy put costs since the project’s inception in 2015 at $49,228, not counting staff time.

It was hoped it would be ready for tours by school groups, history buffs and others interested in a glimpse into Colorado frontier history by 2018, or even late 2017. That didn’t happen, but it’s about ready for its closeup.

“Like many, many projects, it got delayed,” said Carol Beam, cultural resource specialist for Boulder County Parks and Open Space. “Staff schedules are too full, they can’t do it all, and there have also been other, higher priorities.”

However, she said, “It was a great historic preservation project for the county. It takes a small village to do these, but everybody, I noticed, rose to the occasion. Everybody loves this project. It’s such a great resource. It’s probably a once-in-a-career opportunity for a lot of us, to have a role in restoring this.”

The schoolhouse and nearby two-seater outhouse were unanimously designated a Boulder County Historic Landmark in February 2013, the decision based in part by a historical narrative prepared by Beam.

“Trophy project”

There are about 20 period-authentic desks in the room, a larger teacher’s desk at the front of the room, George Washington’s framed portrait on one side wall and Abraham Lincoln’s on the other, a blackboard at the front of the room and a potbelly stove at the back.

As the sounds of cars rush past on Lefthand Canyon Drive, county trails volunteer coordinator Mike Rutter — who is still busy completing the Schoolhouse Loop connector trails linking the Heil Valley Ranch system to the schoolhouse and the road — said “There was less traffic noise in 1880.”

“It was a call to Boulder County people to see if they had any historic period desks, to see if they wanted to part with them,” Beam said.

“So it was a call to the community, community outreach, And the people certainly responded. I don’t know how many of the desks in here were donated, or sold, to the county. These are not the easiest things to come by, in the right period.”

Rutter said, surveying the room, “Looking at these right now, I haven’t seen a single pair match up, from the hardware,” something that very well could have also been the case in the earliest days of white settlers making do and getting by however they could, in the state’s earliest days.

Improvements have been made that would not be found in 1880, or 1920, or even 1940, including an ADA-accessible approach and entrance to the building and Lexan polycarbonate coverings to eightpaned windows.

The roof does feature cedar shingles, thanks to a historical preservation waiver that otherwise would not permit that in “new” construction, due to fire mitigation concerns

Beam said, since it was viewed by many in the county as a “trophy project,” the enthusiasm of skilled workers on the county staff afforded the luxury of not having to subcontract out the painstaking labor on the project.

“Certainly cool”

One fan of the project is Judy Dayhoff, who was born in Boulder and whose grandmother, Lena Moll, was photographed among students there in 1901. Dayhoff’s father, Frank Gould, attended in the 1920s.

Dayhoff, who lives with her husband in unincorporated Boulder County on North Foothills Highway, considers herself a “sidewalk superintendent” on the project. She drove past it numerous times to check on its progress and was inside just a few weeks ago. She plans to attend its grand opening.

“I think it’s important for the historical value, of course, but I think it will be a great thing for young people to know what school was like back in the day. It’s being used for educational purposes, I think, is very, very important.”

Also enthusiastic is Boulder Valley School District spokesman Randy Barber, who said historical records indicate Altona is predated by the Gold Hill School, and is a contemporary of the Jamestown school, both of which are still active.

“It’s certainly cool,” Barber said of the Altona school restoration. “I think it’s a great opportunity for our students to learn about the history of our county. We’re lucky enough in Boulder County to have some pretty old schools still in operation.

“When we think about our students and the context of their lives in Boulder County, it’s exciting and interesting for them to learn about early schools and who lived here before, and how they learned, and the differences between then and modern day.”

With volunteers already having been trained to serve as historical interpreters, the schoolhouse — whose revival has been overseen by county cultural history program coordinator Sheryl Kippen — will not see its full opening until later this year. But a “soft opening” for tours and other visitors by appointment is expected by September.