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SENECA SCHOOLHOUSE

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1866. 16800 River Rd.
  • (Alexander Heilner)
  • (Alexander Heilner)
  • (Alexander Heilner)
  • (Alexander Heilner)

Built of Seneca sandstone, this is among the earliest and one of only three extant one-room schoolhouses in Montgomery County, constructed following the establishment of a statewide public education system in 1860. It was built according to specifications developed by national public education advocate Horace Mann that appeared in his 1848 publication School Architecture, through plans provided by the state superintendent of public instruction. It is the only one of the eighty-three public schoolhouses in the county in 1880 to be built of stone. Although school operations were generally funded by the state, many rural schools were constructed though private donation. This one was erected by Seneca (grist) Mill owner Upton Darby. The gable-front main block and vestibule are built of rough-cut Seneca sandstone with quoining. The restored interior includes two-person desks, a long bench from which children recited their lessons, a teacher’s desk, blackboards, and a coal-burning stove for heat. It is available for tours, meetings, and events.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
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Data

What's Nearby

SENECA STORE AND UPTON DARBY HOUSE
CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL LOCK 24 AND SENECA CREEK AQUEDUCT
ROCKLANDS FARM WINERY (ROCKLANDS FARM)
CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, LOCK, AND LOCKHOUSE 22
GLENSTONE

Citation

Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie, "SENECA SCHOOLHOUSE", [Poolesville, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-CR56.

Print Source

Buildings of Maryland, Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, 325-326.

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