District No. 2 Schoolhouse
Description and history
The former District No. 2 Schoolhouse stands near the northern end of the elongated village of Wakefield, on the southwest side of Wakefield Road a short way south of its junction with East Side Road. It is a 1+1⁄2-story brick structure, with a gabled roof and granite foundation. Its corners have brick pilasters, which rise to entablatures running along the sides. The main entrance is set in a round-arch opening, and there is a half-round opening in the gable end, filled with a wooden panel marked with the year of construction, 1858. A single-story wood-frame ell extends to the rear. The property includes a privy and a fully outfitted 19th-century cobbler's shop.
The school was built in 1858, after the previous school was destroyed by fire. Apparently as a consequence of that fire, the town decided to rebuild in brick, creating what was then noted as one of the finest district schools in the region. It was used as a public school building until 1941. In 1950 the town leased the building to the Wakefield-Brookfield Historical Society, which purchased it outright in 1956. It now serves as a museum and meeting space for the society.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for District No. 2 Schoolhouse". National Park Service. Retrieved May 10, 2014.