Town ponders historic school’s future

After close to a half century of state ownership, the state wants to give the historic Eureka School back to the town of Springfield.

The one-room Eureka School House on Route 11 in Springfield is one of the oldest surviving 18th-century public buildings in Vermont. The state wants to give the structure to the town. Photo: Photos by Len Emery Published April 23, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Town ponders historic school’s future By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — After close to a half century of state ownership, the state wants to give the historic Eureka School back to the town of Springfield. But members of the Springfield Select Board have some reservations about the gift, which comes with a covered bridge and a small visitor’s bathroom at the state historic site. The school, while the oldest school in the state, is not at its original location, which was in the Eureka District in northeastern Springfield. The school, which fell into disrepair in the 1900s, was disassembled and stored in 1958, and later reassembled and restored at its current location on Charlestown Road, or Route 11, in 1968. The school was originally built from 1785 to 1790, and was in active use until 1900. Much of the original material from the school was used in its restoration. The school had undergone an extensive renovation in 1837, which covered the original Ashlar siding with clapboard and converted the hip roof to a gable roof. The school, unpainted and a deep rich brown from natural aging, was originally painted a golden yellow with a cobalt blue roof, according to the Division for Historic Preservation. The roof is made of weathered cedar shingles. Through the years, the square, hip-roofed school has been operated in a joint effort by the state and volunteers from the Springfield Chamber of Commerce as a mini welcome center to the region. Inside the schoolhouse are old benches and desks, old school books, a blackboard and a large brick fireplace, with local history books for sale. Members of the Springfield Select Board said Monday said they were concerned the historic site might be more of a financial drain than people realized, especially since the condition of the bathrooms wasn’t clear. Selectman George McNaughton said he was originally opposed to the town taking on a state responsibility until he visited the school. McNaughton said he originally thought the state “was giving us a very expensive yard ornament.” It’s much larger than he realized, he said, and the building could be used to showcase the town’s local products and foods. “It could be really something,” McNaughton said. He wanted to know whether “those toilets really worked.” Plus, he said, the proximity to the Black River included a “perfect place to put in kayaks.” Café tables could be put in the Baltimore Covered Bridge for picnickers, he said. Selectwoman Stephanie Thompson said she believed the town should take over the schoolhouse. “It’s a huge part of the town’s history,” she said, adding she didn’t want the town to “lose an icon.” The state has estimated the annual maintenance costs at $1,500 to $2,000, she said. Earlier this month, the state transferred the ownership of another small, state-owned historic site, the William Czar Bradley Law Office, to the Westminster Historical Society. At the time, state officials said it was divesting itself of the ownership of three small, single-building historic sites to local groups or towns. The Vermont Legislature had approved the move, said John Dumville, historic sites chief. Dumville couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday. Town Manager Robert Forguites said he had been told if the town didn’t accept ownership of the building, it would be sold. Next to the school is the so-called Baltimore Covered Bridge, which was in North Springfield on the road to Baltimore. The town lattice truss bridge originally crossed the Great Brook in North Springfield; it was built in 1870 by Graville Leland and Dennis Allen, and in 1970 the bridge was moved to its current location. It was restored by noted covered bridge preservationist Milton Graton, and dedicated to the memory of former U.S. Sen. Ralph E. Flanders, R-Vt., a Springfield native, who, along with his wife, was actively involved in preserving the covered bridge as well as the schoolhouse.