HILLTOWNS — The Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs has completed restoration of a one-room schoolhouse (School 5) in Knox.  The schoolhouse, owned by New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation was built in the late 1890s.  The school was restored under the guidance of Parks’ Historic Sites Restoration Office; the building is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The foundation, sill plates, and floor joists were in such bad shape that the building had to be jacked-up so the foundation could be rebuilt.  One of our club members, the late Rudy Stempel, owned a sawmill and was able to provide custom sill plates and floor joists. 

Another member of our club, Pauline Williman, attended the school in the 1930s.  Her recollections, and those of several other former School #5 students, provided details about the school that were helpful during the restoration.

For example, the students were occasionally asked to apply linseed oil to the Douglas fir flooring.  Several of the teachers in the early 1900s lived with Pauline’s family, so she was able to provide interesting details about the teachers.

To complete the project, we have now produced a book about the schoolhouse. The book, History of a One-room Schoolhouse in Knox, NY, which I wrote, includes information about the restoration and a summary of interviews with former students.

The book has a forward by Jack McEneny and includes a transcript of school-board minutes for School District 5 from 1824 through 1905 along with a description of contemporary historic events (such as the Anti-Rent Wars) to provide context.  Copies of the book may be purchased online from Lulu.com; proceeds go to Friends of Thacher State Park.