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Gaines District No. 2 Cobblestone Schoolhouse

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Coordinates: 43°15′25.56″N 78°13′25.30″W / 43.2571000°N 78.2236944°W / 43.2571000; -78.2236944
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Gaines District No. 2 Cobblestone Schoolhouse
Gaines District No. 2 Cobblestone Schoolhouse is located in New York
Gaines District No. 2 Cobblestone Schoolhouse
Location3286 Gaines Basin Rd.
Gaines, New York
Coordinates43°15′25.56″N 78°13′25.30″W / 43.2571000°N 78.2236944°W / 43.2571000; -78.2236944
Built1832 (1832)
Architectural styleEarly cobblestone architecture
Restored2014–2021
MPSCobblestone Architecture of New York State MPS
NRHP reference No.100001070
Added to NRHPJune 12, 2017

The Gaines District No. 2 Cobblestone Schoolhouse is a historic schoolhouse located in the Town of Gaines in Orleans County, New York, near Albion. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since June 12, 2017.[1]

The first settlers arrived in what is now Gaines Basin well before the Erie Canal (or any namesake turning basin thereon) did. Brothers Lansing and Joel Bailey built a wooden cabin there in 1812.[2] By 1823, as the Erie Canal was nearing completion, the family had moved on, and the building was being used as a school house.[2]

Population growth brought on by the Canal and expanding settlement of Orleans County (which split from Genesee County in 1824) necessitated a larger structure for educating local children. The new school was built in 1832 of local cobblestone, as was common in the area, on land across the road from the old school building.[2] The new building had 913 square feet of space and continued serving as a school until 1944, when centralization caused Gaines District No. 2 to be consolidated into the Albion Central School District.[3]

The building sat unused for decades until efforts to preserve the deteriorating building began in 2014.[4] In 2015, a historical marker was added, and by 2017 restoration efforts had progressed enough to have the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That same year, a donated outhouse was moved to the property.[5] By 2021, the interior had been restored to its 1940s appearance, with the original teacher's desk and authentic decor.[4][6]

The Orleans County Historical Association (which spearheaded the restoration work) received the property as a donation and intends to use the building for history programs and gatherings.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register of Historic Places: Weekly Lists 2017" (PDF) (Press release). National Park Service.
  2. ^ a b c "Cobblestone Structures in New York State". 5 September 2016.
  3. ^ "Gaines Basin cobblestone schoolhouse goes from verge of extinction to historic designation | Orleans Hub".
  4. ^ a b "Old cobblestone schoolhouse has new purpose and historical marker | Orleans Hub".
  5. ^ "Work continues on historic cobblestone school on Gaines Basin Road | Orleans Hub".
  6. ^ a b "Historic Childs: Early Education, a feature on 12 public schools in the Town of Gaines | Orleans Hub".


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