Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in the USA — A Charming Piece of History in St. Augustine
It probably comes as no surprise that yet another one of America’s oldest somethings is in St. Augustine, Florida. After all, it is the nation’s oldest city, with the oldest street and the oldest fort…so, it only makes sense that the oldest wooden schoolhouse would be here, too.
However, this charming Little House on the Prairie-esque building is more remarkable than it appears at first glance. If only walls could talk, what stories it could tell of the schoolmasters and students it sheltered over the years!
While we haven’t learned to translate cedar or cypress just yet, historians and scholars have still managed to piece together a pretty good picture of the schoolhouse’s past. But more than just learning facts about the oldest wooden schoolhouse, it’s worth taking a day trip to St. Augustine to experience the oldest wooden schoolhouse!
Stepping through the door is akin to stepping back in time to the early 1700s when education was carried out with slates and chalk rather than tablets and smartboards. Small and quaint, the wooden schoolhouse might seem like it’s from another world, but it’s actually an amazing way to connect to the past and realize we aren’t so different than those who came before us.
After all, if there is truly a universal human experience, it must surely be the dread of doing more homework.
The Oldest Wooden School House, A History
St. Augustine has a rich history that includes pirates and pillaging, fierce battles, and unforgiving ransacking. Indeed, the town experience several malicious and devastating fires, including one in 1702. That year, the British burned then-Spanish St. Augustine to the ground. No wooden structures survived.1
So, we know the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the America must have been built a short time after that catastrophe. It first appeared in tax records in 1716, however, because communications between St. Augustine and the Spanish government would have been slow, it’s likely the charming structure existed years before it was officially assessed.2
The quaint wooden building was initially a homestead for the Genoply family. The entire structure was made by hand — even the nails and pegs used to hold everything together!3 Originally a one-room, single-story home, the Genoplys also had a detached kitchen (a common practice for the day), a garden, a well, and an outdoor privy with privacy walls.4 If nothing else, a trip to the oldest wooden schoolhouse will make you thankful for modern conveniences!
The little house was built in the “Minorcan Quarter” of St. Augustine. In 1768, Minorcans (poor islanders from the Mediterranean) came to Florida seeking a new life. It was a grueling journey for freedom as they worked as indentured servants on an indigo plantation for nine years. Those who survived the term found homes in St. Augustine, on George Street, just inside the city gates.
Juan Genoply, a Greek carpenter from across the sea, brought the children of the Minorcan Quarter into his home to teach them English, reading, writing, and everyone’s least favorite subject — math.5 When Juan became a schoolteacher, he added a second story to the Genoply homestead, giving himself, his wife, and children a private space of their own away from work.
In this way, the oldest wooden schoolhouse was not just a haven of learning, but also a true home.
Going Back to School
If you’ve ever thought of going back to school, well, now’s your chance! (And if you dread such a thought…well, I promise you aren’t forced to do homework if you visit the oldest wooden schoolhouse!)
Although the last class was in 1864, there’s still so much to learn here!
Considered an original American treasure, this sweet, little schoolhouse is carefully preserved so future generations can explore the place where minds were once — and still are — inspired by learning. It’s an amazing portrait not only of early education but also of early life in the United States, specifically from the fascinating perspective of Minorcan refugees.
The schoolhouse, separate kitchen, and gardens have all been lovingly tended, with everything situated to recreate what the Genoplys and their students experienced on a daily basis. In fact, in 1931, nine students gathered at the wooden schoolhouse for a reunion and rearranged the classroom how they remembered it, allowing the oldest wooden schoolhouse to open the public with a truly accurate representation of the past.6
A visit to this museum is a great activity to add to your St. Augustine itinerary. Along with a visit to the Castillo de San Marcos and the Pirate & Treasure Museum, seeing the oldest wooden schoolhouse is a must. While it’s smaller than these other historical attractions, it reveals a new, less violent side of St. Augustine. Rather than flashy cannons and swashbuckling swordfights, the schoolhouse represents what life was really like for residents in the colonial era, showing that even the domestic life-scape can be endlessly fascinating.
A self-guided tour is a splendid way to spend a leisurely hour of your afternoon, and when you finish your tour, you get to “graduate” with a diploma from the museum! With tuition prices at $5.95, the oldest wooden schoolhouse is also one of the most affordable schools.
But perhaps not everyone moved on when they graduated. There are those who say the schoolhouse is haunted by a lone woman in white.7 Keep an eye on the second-story window, just in case she happens to be passing by…
Haunted or not, the past does live on in the oldest wooden schoolhouse, offering true insight into a bygone era.
Have you gotten your diploma from the oldest wooden schoolhouse? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
Cover Image
Photo: Dan Lundberg via Flickr
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