School House

This one-room schoolhouse from Beloit, Kansas, built in 1879, was typical of schoolhouses of the 1800's. It housed eight classes at a time from first through eighth grades. Schools in those days rarely had more than two rooms because of the limited resources of the pioneers and the ease of heating. Mr. Knott bought the school, outhouse, and playground at auction, had them dismantled, and had them trucked here in 1952. To facilitate reconstruction, numerous drawings and photographs of the school's interior and exterior were made, enabling the plasterer to duplicate exactly the cracked and worn walls. The original building was changed from white to red, and a bell tower was added. Briefly used as a kindergarten for the Knott's grandchildren during the 1950's, it stands as an example of Americana and of the sound education of earlier generations.

Buena Park, California · United States