District #9 School

The year was 1924 and students in North Ridgeville were about to experience a big change in their education- a big NEW school was being opened to serve all students in the city from grades 1 through 12!  These students had attended small one or two room schoolhouses and these district schoolhouses were to be abandoned in favor of the new centralized Ridgeville High School.   The old buildings had been in use for many years and students probably met this change with much anticipation.  One of these buildings was the District #9 School on Jaycox Road, which is now owned by the Historical Society.  Here is the story of this school:

Built in 1859 on Snow Rd. (the former name of Jaycox Rd.) this was to become District #9, a joint sub-district, to serve  students in both Ridgeville Twp. and Avon Twp. It was originally built on the east side of the road a little further south of it’s current location and was moved to the west side in about 1880 and probably remodeled at that time.  Hundreds of students attended school here over the 65 years it served it’s district.  Following this school’s abandonment, the Jaycox School became the property of the John and Grace Sullivan family, owners of an adjacent farm.  For many years this building was used for farm storage.  The inner doors and vestibule wall were removed to allow farm implements to pull straight into the building. ( Fortunately these original features were saved in the small attic for later use).

In about 1985 the Sullivan Family approached the Historical Society about the possibility of purchasing the school, but the Society wasn’t in a financial position to do so at that time.  Then, in 1988 the living heirs of the Sullivans offered to donate the District #9 schoolhouse and it’s property to us.  The gift was gratefully accepted and plans were started to renovate the building for future tour and display purposes.  We were fortunate early in this process to have been able to speak with the last teacher at this school, Mr. Maynard Huene, who taught here in 1923 and 1924 as well as several former students who attended this school.  Their insight on  the original look of the school and its operation were invaluable to our renovation plans! Then the fun began…..

After first trapping and removing a variety of raccoons, skunks and smaller rodents and a wall full of angry bees there was much structural work to be done.  In the summer of 1993  a local man was hired to straighten and reposition the large sandstone foundation blocks and the large stone front steps, to brace up and level and sagging floor, install an external drainage system and other necessary improvements.  Over the course of the next 14-15 years members and various other volunteers helped with the following work:  the nearly-collapsed old ceiling was removed and replaced, the roof was re-shingled, the original wainscoting was repaired, floor boards were repaired and stained, plaster walls were patched and painted, the front vestibule was reconstructed with the original doors, woodwork and hardware, the original painted blackboard was restored and a pot-bellied stove was renovated and put in place along with a new stovepipe.  Outside extensive poison ivy, several unneeded trees and much brush and undergrowth was gradually removed.  The grounds were graded and the beginnings of a driveway and parking lot were installed.  A long winding drainage ditch through the back of the property and part of the deep culvert along Jaycox Rd. was eventually tiled and filled in for safety purposes.  In the rear of the building  another feature was added  that the  school would have originally had- outhouses!

Once the building and grounds were finished it was time to outfit the school as it would have looked in it’s heyday and the search began for school desks, books, etc.  Old desks from the period were purchased when available, and there are now 30 desks from various eras, one  teachers desk, and many authentic maps and school books for visitors to enjoy.

The entire renovation took many years and photos of the progress are displayed inside the Schoolhouse. Without the help of the community this undertaking could not have been accomplished. Many civic groups and individuals donated time, materials and funds to this project over the years.  The weekend of July 7th, 2001 the school was open to the public for the first time in many years- displaying for the first time all the renovations.

We invite you to stop in for a visit yourself- see how the renovations have transformed this dilapidated old farm building back into a true representation of  the term  “old school”!  The Schoolhouse is open seasonally from May to October the last Sunday of each month, or by appointment.

Contact us for more information.