Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse - St. Augustine, FL
N 29° 53.838 W 081° 18.813
17R E 469727 N 3307446
This tiny house in St. Augustine, Florida, is touted as being the oldest wooden school building in the United States. It is located a block off the OST on historic St. George Street.
Waymark Code: WMRR5Q
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/28/2016
Views: 10
"Located near the City Gates, The Old School House is a surviving expression of another time. Built over 200 years ago, while Florida was under the rule of Imperial Spain, it was constructed of red cedar and cypress and put together with wooden pegs and handmade nails.
The schoolmaster and his wife lived upstairs, above the small classroom. Their kitchen was separated from the main building, because of the threat of fire and to spare the house of any excess heat during the long summers. Several of the cooking utensils used in those days are displayed here for the visitor. In the schoolhouse, related artifacts and copies of the books the pupils studied from are exhibited."
--Source (
visit link)
"The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse is a wooden structure located at 14 St. George Street in St. Augustine, Florida near the city gate. It is touted as being the oldest wooden school building in the United States. The exact date of construction is unknown, but it first appears on tax records in 1716. There are no extant wooden buildings in St. Augustine built prior to 1702 when the British burned the city. The oldest schoolhouse still standing in the United States is the Voorlezer's House built prior to 1696 and located in Historic Richmondtown in Staten Island, New York.
The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse is encircled by a large chain, placed there in 1937, to help anchor it to the ground in case of a hurricane. The walls are made of bald cypress and red cedar which are held together by wooden pins and iron spikes but it has had recent maintenance such as a new roof among other fixes.
The schoolmaster and family lived on the second floor above the classroom and the kitchen was located in a separate building to reduce heat and threat of fire. The building originally belonged to Juan Genoply. The classroom was shared by both boys and girls.
Tours
The school is open every day except Christmas from 9 to 5 with extended summer hours. The facility features a self-guided tour with a robotic professor and student giving a brief history on the house. There are also numerous items with information posted around the building to read. Gardens located behind the house feature exhibits of the kitchen, a rebuilt outhouse, and an old well."
--Wikipedia (
visit link)