When visitors arrive at the open house on Sunday, they will find a lovely one-room school faithfully reproduced to the 1880 -1900 time period.
The Advance School has been a labor of love for Clark County Retired Teachers Association since 1999, when these teachers decided to return the school to its former glory with the help of the Turner Foundation and Springfield Foundation.
Classes had not been held in the old brick school house since 1921, when it was replaced by a newer school. But the old building was too solid to tear down.
These one-room schools were built so solidly that they took on new lives as homes and even as storage buildings on farms. This particular school, Advance School, had been used to store farm equipment. A big garage door-sized hole was knocked out of the west side of the school, and a ramp was built for equipment.
(One thing needs to be clarified before going any further in this story. The school was named Advance because it was located in a portion of Bethel Twp. known as Advance. There never was a “d” on the end of the name. It was simply the home of grades one through eight in Advance. )
Lots of work had to be done after replacing the wall where the garage door had been built. Windows and roof were replaced. Luckily, the slate chalk board was intact, which was a big plus. The call went out for old wooden school desks, and many desks of different sizes were donated. The inkwells were replaced, books fill the cubby space, and sharpened pencils rested on the groove at the top of the desk.
When we walked into the school last week, it genuinely felt like we had walked back in time. It was so peaceful. Every detail had been carefully restored.
The 38-star flag hanging at the front next to the print of President Rutherford B Hayes is correct. And there is even a dunce cap sitting on a stool in one of the corners. A huge black wood-burning stove heated the entire building. Big windows and oil lamps provided light before electric lights were installed.
The teacher’s desk at the front of the room belonged to Charles E. Bost, who was once principal at Lagonda, Emerson and Franklin elementary schools, and someone left a cookie for him.
His daughter, Connie Bost, who is a retired physical education teacher from Springfield, gave us our tour and pointed out the bricks around the flagpole outside. These bricks are printed with the names of retired and former teachers in Clark County. It is still possible to add memorial bricks by contacting the Retired Teachers Association.
The two outhouses behind this school are functional and remind touring students how great those flush potties at their schools are.
Sunday’s open house is the teachers’ way to reintroducing their lovely one-room school back to the community. Field trips can be arranged for public, private and home schools. The building is also available for private tours, meetings, reunions and gatherings. Special events will be also planned in the coming year.
This whole place reminded me of the commitment that our ancestors had to education. This was no-nonsense education with emphasis on reading, writing and arithmetic. Recitations were important. And in addition, the students learned to be a part of a group, to help the younger students with their lessons, to follow the rules and how to be good citizens.
Our world is so complicated now and this school, this labor of love by retired teachers, reminds us to keep our eyes on the basics as we teach the next generation to live in this complex world.
The open house will be held at Advance School, 9521 New Carlisle Pike, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. To arrange tours at other times, call 937-399-7175.
Admission is free. Apples are not required for the teachers, but I’m sure a small contribution in the donation jar will be helpful keeping the new electric lights on.
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