Friends School (Casco, Maine)

The Friends School was a historic schoolhouse in the village center of Casco, Maine. Built in 1849, it was a well-preserved example of a 19th-century one-room schoolhouse. Converted to a museum operated by the local historical society, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, and was destroyed by arsonists in 2018. It was located behind the town office building on Maine State Route 121.

Friends School
2014 photo
Location in Maine
Location in United States
LocationBehind the town offices on SR 121, Casco, Maine
Coordinates44°0′15″N 70°31′24″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1849 (1849)
Built byClark N. Maxfield
Architectural styleMid 19th Century Revival
NRHP reference No.96000650[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 24, 1996
Removed from NRHPDecember 21, 2020

Description and history

The Friends School was located in the village center of Casco, on the west side of Meadow Road (SR 121), behind the town offices and library, between the municipal parking lot and a tennis court. It was a small single-story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboard siding, and is set on concrete piers. The front facade had a single doorway on the far right, and a sash window on the far left, with a covered window-sized opening in the gable. The sides had three windows each. The interior had a small vestibule, which spanned the building width, and a single classroom, finished in wainscoting below, and plaster on lath above.[2]

The school was built in 1849, and was originally locate on Quaker Ridge Road, near the town's Quaker meeting house. It served the town's fourth district until the schools were consolidated in 1942. After passing through a number of private hands, it was given to the town, and moved to the town center in 1971. It was maintained by the local historical society as a museum property[2] at the time of its 2018 destruction by local arsonists.[3]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Friends School". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  3. https://www.pressherald.com/2018/04/22/fire-destroys-historic-schoolhouse-in-casco/
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