Windy Run Grade School - Braxton County, WV
N 38° 35.948 W 080° 43.433
17S E 524044 N 4272329
One-room school house built in 1889, located in a quiet valley in southeastern Braxton County, near the unincorporated town of Tesla, West Virginia.
Waymark Code: WM6A5V
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 04/30/2009
Views: 7
Windy Run School measures 24 feet wide by 28 feet long and has side walls with 3 broad windows in each. The transom lighted front door is sheltered beneath a small porch. The lone room, with pump shed attached, is very much as it was when the last classes were held there in 1963. Various size desks, a table with small, cane-bottomed chairs, a blackboard, and framed pictures, remain in the school. A pot-bellied stove is in the center of the room. Two frame, slant-roof toilets stand in the rear corners of the yard. A local preservation group, The Windy Run Historical Association, was formed in the mid-1990's and has made numerous repairs and restorations. A new split rail fence surrounds the regularly mowed yard, and the newly painted school was leveled, stabilized, and the roof replaced in 1995. There is a small picnic shelter with electricity behind the building. A new, usable toilet was built, and some drainage has been installed. Costumed guides conduct hands-on tours for school groups and make presentations at school and civic events. Memorabilia for display has been collected, community events sponsored, and a picture of the first teacher and his class has been hung inside the school. While the school is closed, public & private tours are available by appointment.
Windy Run School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and a plaque was recently placed on the door of the building. A copy of the original application for inclusion on the National Register (in .pdf format) can be accessed by clicking the secondary website link near the bottom of this page. The Windy Run Historical Association won the West Virginia Culture & History Award in 1998. The annual Labor Day Sunday Homecoming, which was started in 1948, has become a major event with attendance increasing every year.
The School receives no government funding but relies on active fund-raising and a large group of caring volunteers who believe this little piece of living history is worth saving. Further restorations and repairs will be made as time and donations allow.
For more information contact:
Windy Run Historical Association
175 Little Birch Road
Sutton, West Virginia, 26601
Phone: (304)765-2747, (304)765-5164, or (304)364-4679.
Street address: Junction of County Routes 38 & 19/48 Tesla, WV USA 26629
County / Borough / Parish: Braxton County
Year listed: 1984
Historic (Areas of) Significance: The only remaining one-room school house in central West Virginia.
Periods of significance: 1889 - 1963
Historic function: Education
Current function: Vacant / Not in Use
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Privately owned?: Not Listed
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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