Square Schoolhouse

The Square Schoolhouse is a historic schoolhouse at the junction of New Hampshire Route 156 and Ledge Hill Road in Nottingham, New Hampshire. Built about 1850, it is one of the best-preserved mid-19th century schoolhouses in southern New Hampshire. It served as a school until 1920, and is now a local museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1] It is named not for its shape, but for its location in Nottingham Square.

Square Schoolhouse
LocationSR 156 and Ledge Farm Rd., Nottingham, New Hampshire
Coordinates43°6′11″N 71°6′34″W
Area1.4 acres (0.57 ha)
Built1850
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.80000305 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 17, 1980

Description and history

The Square Schoolhouse stands southwest of the center of Nottingham in a rural setting, on the north side of Ledge Farm Road just southeast of its junction with New Hampshire Route 156. It is a two-story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof and modest Greek Revival styling. Its front (gabled) facade is three bays wide, with windows topped by peaked lintels, and a center entrance framed by pilasters and a gabled pediment. The entrance opens into a vestibule area with a central staircase and cloakrooms on the sides, where many original period coathooks remain. The balance of each floor is occupied by a single classroom; that on the upper floor has a selection of student seating types dating from various periods of the school's use.[2]

The school was built in 1850 as the first schoolhouse in the town, not long after the state circulated guidelines for the construction of such buildings.[2] The school served the town until 1920.[3] The schoolhouse is now owned by the Else Cilley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.[4]

The second floor of the schoolhouse is operated as the Square Schoolhouse Museum by the Nottingham Historical Society. The museum is open by appointment.[5]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Square Schoolhouse". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  3. Nottingham Historical Society. "A Brief History of the Town (of Nottingham): The Old Schools". Archived from the original on 2014-05-22.
  4. Margaret Franz (October 21, 2009). "Else Cilley Chapter D.A.R." Northwood Sun. Retrieved December 30, 2009. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Town of Nottingham: Museums
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