One-room schoolhouse now open for tours

The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) has announced the opening of its 10th historic site, a one-room schoolhouse called Reed School located at U.S. Highway 10 and Cardinal Avenue, two miles east of Neillsville in central Wisconsin.

Reed School is now open for pre-scheduled class visits. The public may also visit the site from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through September 30.

WHS intends the school to allow today's elementary school students to experience a day in the life of one-room school pupils long ago. Built in 1915 in the town of Grant in Clark County, Reed School served as a one-room country school through the 1951 school year. While the school could represent any time period between its construction in 1915 and its closure in 1951, historic sites planners have decided the school's inaugural year will be interpreted as 1939. In subsequent years, the interpretive focus may progress into the 1940s, allowing for interpreting rural life during and after the World War II years.

The schoolhouse was preserved because of philanthropist Gordon Smith's treasured childhood memory of attending Reed School for just six weeks in 1939. Smith writes: "It was an enriching experience and, having lived on the East Coast most of my life, I have never found anyone else who ever had a one-room school experience!"

More information: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/reedschool/
School tours: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/reedschool/school_tours/reservations.asp

For more information about SEAchange, contact: Benson Gardner at (608) 266-3374.

Last updated on 6/18/2007