Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Education, Religion, Transportation

Location

5972 NY-281, Little York, NY 13087, USA

Lat/Long

42.695321301652, -76.16466947768

Grant Recipient

Town of Homer

Located in Little York, New York sits a former one-room schoolhouse, which served the Little York community in several capacities beginning circa 1868 and into the 20th century.

Land for the school, Homer-Preble Dist. #5, was purchased in 1867 by the District. The 1-room schoolhouse was built shortly after, sitting amidst an apple orchard. While operating as a school, the building also hosted religious gatherings and community events, serving as a central and important gathering spot for the community. Classes were held there until 1910, at which point, the trolley system between Preble and Homer, which ran through Little York, made it more cost efficient to send students to the nearby Homer Academy.

Even after it closed as a school, the one-room schoolhouse held an important and nostalgic sway on the Little York Community, as can be seen in the quote below in the quote taken from the Cortland Standard September 19^th, 1914 paper:

“A huge wigwam bonfire was lighted on the nearby school ground. The empty schoolhouse seemed to bring back recollections of by-gone pleasures and a game of tag was at once started and entered into by all present, with all the zest of childhood.”

The district maintained the building even after classes ended, renting it out for elections, while continuing to host religious gatherings and community events there until circa 1937, at which point the schoolhouse was condemned by a state inspector. The District then voted to modify the structure to house the school bus, the impact of which can be seen when looking at the building today.