Douglass Township Schoolhouse

A few weeks ago, my family and I were loaded up in our Mini-Van traveling home from an event. We were detoured around some bridge construction and while riding down Hoffmansville Road in Bechtelsville, and old stone building caught my eye. We went by it too fast for me to register what it was but I made a mental note to try and look into it when I got home. After all, it could make for an interesting Motorcycle Video.

When I arrived home later that afternoon, I opened up Google Street View and was able to track down the building in question. An image of the sign out front simply stated Save Our Schoolhouse with a phone number to contact Douglass Township. With such a sign out front, I assumed it would be worth the visit, so I began planning.

When I arrived, I hoped to find some placard or sign outlining the historical significance of the little stone schoolhouse. Unfortunately, all I could find was a new sign thanking Sponsors. There was nothing to be found – not even the telltale blue historical marker indicating the significance of the building.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a cool little building and worth the short trip to see it. I wish I could have easily found some information on what it was and why it needed to be saved.

As I type this blog post, I’ve spent the better part of an hour researching the Douglass Township Schoolhouse, and I’ve come up empty. I can’t find a listing in the National Registry of Historic Places, I can’t find any free local news articles sharing a story about the schoolhouse, and I can’t seem to find anything on the Douglass Township Website.

The only thing I did find was a Google Street View image going back to 2009, where the Save Our Schoolhouse Sign is Visible and seemingly new. After over 13 years, the Douglass Township One Room Schoolhouse has been saved, but little is known about its history. If you’d like to visit the One-Room Schoolhouse, you can find it at the end of the driveway for Pointer Pet Products at 625 Hoffmansville Rd.