Lancaster District School No. 6 - Lancaster, NY - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Lancaster District School No. 6, also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse, is significant for its role with local and regional education development in the Town of Lancaster and as an example of a rural one-room brick Italiante schoolhouse.

The Town of Lancaster was established in March of 1833 and the first school districts were laid out around this time. They were numbered sequentially beginning in the northwest part of the town (No. 1) to the southeast (No. 10). School No. 6 opened in 1869 and originally served families that lived within an approximate 1 to 2 mile radius. This area was bounded by Cayuga Creek on the north, Hall Road on the south, Schwartz Road on the east and Lake Avenue on the west.

The building was constructed according to the reform ideals of the mid-19th century. These ideals are seen in the high ceilings, large windows, and the boys' and girls' coat rooms. The vestibule was originally a single coat room, but was later altered to a central hall flanked by the separate two coat rooms.

Inside the school, one teacher taught grades 1-8. Children in grades 1-4 sat on one side while 5-8 sat on the other. There was a blackboard behind the teacher's desk. In front of the desk were two recitation benches. The school was lit by gas until it was electrified in the 1920s. Indoor plumbing was installed in the 1940s.

This building was used as a school from 1869 to 1948 when it was closed due to the centralization of all Lancaster schools. In the 1950s and 1960s it was used as a polling location until it was damaged by fire in 1967. The Lancaster Historical Society leased and restored the building in 1977 under the guidance of two former teachers from this school. Currently the building serves as a working museum used by local schools to learn about school life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Source: NRHP nomination form

Street address: 3703 Bowen Rd Lancaster, NY United States 14086 County / Borough / Parish: Erie Year listed: 2008 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Education, Architecture Periods of significance: 1868-1949 Historic function: Education: School Current function: Education: Museum Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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