Dug an1870s School Site Today

School is long gone, unlike some which have been preserved and turned into dwellings. But it seems like there was a school house every 4-5 miles depending which direction you went in this county. This spot is now on state game land which means we can hunt, so we spent about three hours there before we got too cold and wet. I have to say I think it was a good day. It took us nearly an hour and a half of digging trash before we found the exact spot where the school stood. When I started to find square nails I knew we were there. All of the nails were truly square, so I knew we found the school based on what I knew. I have the school on an 1873 map. We did not, however, find anything that can be directly related to the school activities, with one exception perhaps. The grey object in the lower right says on the inside "The Hero Glass Works Philadelphia Pa." That would make this a lid from an 1880s Mason jar. I found the jar and lid in an 1887 catalog. The other objects I can only guess right now. Much more of the building site to go over so maybe something is still waiting for us there.

Remember that schools built back then had no foundations. They should have been built on some stones, but I haven't ever seen the footings either. Idk if they were removed when the schools fell, or if they just got buried. Here, I'd say there were multiple schools. As many as there were districts. The town I live in had 12 districts, so there were 12 schools. There are two that still stand today. One that is built 1850, and one that is a single room brick house. I'd say it'd be hard to tie most relics to the school house unless you find something like a lapel button the teacher might have worn..... or I think one piece I could not dig up because it was covered in thicker roots but was a big rectangle at least 6 ft long which I figure would have been the chalkboard.

Those square nails sure sound good 6 inches down don't they? You have to dig them though. Definitely head back - perhaps there's a some good keepers in there for you.

John