Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in the U.S. charms with history and robotics
Published: Aug 3, 2009
Spit out your gum, sharpen your pencils and get to class. Student or not, you will want to see just how much schools have changed during a visit to the oldest wooden schoolhouse in St. Augustine – and maybe even the oldest in the U.S.
Though the “oldest in the U.S.” claim has been contested, the graying wooden schoolhouse smack in the middle of St. Augustine’s shopping district on St. George Street is inevitably intriguing and obviously very old. In a town that is known for its historic structures, the schoolhouse still catches the eye for its weathered look and storied past.
The building, located near the city gates, dates back to the early 18th century when Florida was still a part of Spain, according to house history. Built with wooden boards and pegs out of red cedar and cypress, it was designed as a one-room home for Juan Genoply. After Genoply was married, the home was retrofitted as a two-story schoolhouse (living quarters upstairs, classroom downstairs) for the children of the town.
As was custom during the time, a watering well, outhouse and kitchen were all constructed separately from the main structure to afford privacy and lessen the risk of a cooking fire. But perhaps one of the oddest details of the house has to do with a rusted chain, which encircles it like a leash. The oversized chain – weighted by a giant anchor – was added in 1937 as a precaution against losing the building to a gust of wind during a hurricane.
Today, animatronics greet visitors with a fun history lesson.
The robotic figures of the schoolmaster and his students, dressed in period clothing, relay the story of the house and add an interactive element to the tour that will keep children and adults entertained the whole time. Upstairs the woman of the house looks out over St. George Street with a wary eye.
The contrast between the aged building and modern technological advances is striking and well worth a visit.
- by Christine Foster, Jacksonville Reporter for HelloMetro
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