The Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse in Baldwinsville will host a rural school reunion from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday Aug. 29.
The museum, which is housed in a one-room country school built in 1879, will exhibit a photographic history of Baldwinsville’s schools and students with special emphasis on the rural schools that dotted the countryside until consolidation was completed in 1952. The exhibit will also include an original bell, blackboard, desks and other features of the typical rural school of the time.
Local author, Steve McMahon, will sign copies of his new book, “Lysander Goes to School: A History of the Rural Schools of the Town of Lysander, New York, in Images & Interviews.” In addition to McMahon’s recent 17-part series of articles from the Baldwinsville Messenger, this 200-page book contains many rare photographs and much significant information from local historians, teachers and students about the rural schools of the town prior to centralization.
There will also be an information exchange with a copier, a scanner and “memory sheets,” where people can document and share artifacts, photographs and stories from their school days.
“There was a time when rural schools were a vital component of every community,” said Sue McManus, museum director. “We hope to educate and inform people about what daily life was like in a one-room school, both through our exhibit and with Steve’s book. It’s fitting that we host this special event in one of the very schoolhouses where so many of our local folks were educated.”
Everyone is welcome to attend including former students, family members, teachers, and anyone interested in the history of education, our schools or our community. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
The Shacksboro Schoolhouse Museum is located at 46 Canton St. at McHarrie Park in Baldwinsville. For more information, contact the museum at 638-2452 or at [email protected].
