Little School, Big Lessons

It’s off the beaten path and by far Ship’s smallest academic building. It’s older than the university itself, but stands as a testament of the founding purpose of Shippensburg University. It’s the Little Red Schoolhouse, and it’s been re-imagined to fill the needs of today’s students, while still telling the stories of students long ago.

Originally known as the Mount Jackson School (or Potato Point), the Little Red Schoolhouse (LRS) was built in 1865 along a tract of farmland in Hopewell Township, about eight miles north of campus. It operated as a one-room schoolhouse until 1954. Over the course of its 89 years in operation, children ages 5 to 21 studied reading, grammar, arithmetic, geography, history, music and art. One teacher taught all ages and topics and at times acted as a bus driver, school nurse, and janitor.

Today, the school sits along Route 696, nestled under a group of trees behind Horton Hall. Samuel Myers of Newburg donated the school to the alumni of Shippensburg State College. The 1968-69 Loyalty Fund Drive by the General Alumni Association then raised $25,000 to dismantle and reconstruct the schoolhouse on campus. Brick by brick, and with original furnishings and an old potbelly stove, the Little Red Schoolhouse was completed and dedicated on May 9, 1970, preserving an important phase in the history of education.

Over the years the building has hosted local school field trips and Ship students, but in 2019 a group of faculty from the Applied History Program and Teacher Education Department envisioned a bigger future for the space.

“We wanted to create a learning lab environment, similar to the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum. We noticed lot of the skills public historians use are similar to skills used by teachers,” said Dr. Allen Dieterich-Ward, professor of history.

According to Dieterich-Ward, these skills center around the creation of classroom lesson plans that integrate historic sites and field trips as well as an opportunity for public historians and teachers to study and experience the history of education in America.

As they started to explore the new potential for the 157-year-old school, they discovered several upgrades needed to occur to not only support their effort, but also continue to preserve the structure and it’s contents. Without temperature control and proper storage, the thousands of textbooks and documents inside were in need of extensive preservation work.

Over the next year university facilities staff worked to clean out the school as students in the applied history program put their skills to work removing mold from old books and documents. A new coat of paint and a climate control system was added followed by the installation of period-appropriate shelving. Wardrobes were installed to properly story books, documents and historic items.

Madison Casper ’16, a US history teacher at the West Perry High School is a prime example of the modern day educational opportunities the Little Red Schoolhouse offers to students.

Madison Casper ’16

She decided to pursue a degree in applied history in hopes of bringing the strong connection between public education and museums/public works to her classroom. The Little Red Schoolhouse allowed her and fellow graduate student Tony Manetta to gain realworld experience as interns assigned to the project.

Tony Manetta

“I began culminating a World War I lesson plan that became the inspiration for implementing a pilot program with fifth graders in Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School. Tony and I then built upon that and established a successful field trip at the schoolhouse, leading a hands-on learning experience that was well received from the students,” said Casper.

Casper also worked to create curriculum for all grade levels that allows for the creation of more lesson plans for students and teachers to experience the Little Red Schoolhouse.

“My favorite part was applying archival materials and reviving the books back within the schoolhouse. It is a pretty neat feeling when you realize you are working with the same materials that were once a staple within the schoolhouse, and seeing students’ reactions to the materials makes the program even more worthwhile,” explained Casper.

Manetta views the school as a symbol of progress in American education.

“It all represents a paradigm shift in America’s stance on education for all. Prior to the one-room schoolhouse system, education was almost exclusively for the wealthy.

GBLUES students visit the Little Red Schoolhouse.

Students learn classic games.

A plaque in the Schoolhouse honors past teachers.

Our current educational system was built on the foundation created in the Little Red Schoolhouse,” explained Manetta.

He feels the space helps teacher education students better understand the present if they have a way to appreciate the past. Additionally, it allows applied history students a chance to work in an additional museum space right on campus. At the Little Red Schoolhouse, Ship students can experience the people and systems that were the foundation of education.

During a summer course Casper, Manetta and students from teacher education collaborated to research the history of the LRS and other schoolhouses, created lesson plans for specific eras and explored state standards that applied to the content they were creating.

“When the Cumberland Valley State Normal School (eventually SU) was founded in 1871, the LRS was six-years old. The LRS, and schools like it, were in dire need of teachers qualified to teach a wide variety of subjects to the rural students that were so important to the future of Pennsylvania. SU was originally founded to train teachers to teach in the LRS and schools just like it around Pennsylvania,” said Manetta.

Along the way they discovered amazing connections between the past and modern day Shippensburg University. According to Manetta, a plaque in the LRS displays a list of past teachers, many of who attended the Cumberland Valley State Normal School for their teacher training. One of the teachers, Ruth Shuman Heberlig ’23 is the grandmother of Ship staff member Janice Allen.

“Chalmer Means, who taught in the LRS prior to 1921, is the second great-grandfather of a current GBLUES fifth grader. Madison is teaching students in the LRS like her predecessors did over one hundred years go. The connections to the history are simply fascinating,” said Manetta.

Casper said the experience has reignited her passion for connecting historical landmarks and content to younger generations.

“It is crucial that educators persist in addressing the importance of past events to historical landmarks, as they truly are the best way to relate to students and in turn enhance their perception of the past. I’m hoping to continue this interest by collaborating with future educators and explaining the importance of continuing this critical relationship between museums and instruction,” said Casper.