CAZENOVIA — The Friends of Lorenzo is inviting “kids of all ages” to the Rippleton Schoolhouse on Sunday, Sept. 24, from 1 to 4 p.m., for its annual Community Day.
Visitors can enjoy 19th-century games, live music, cider and donuts, horse-drawn wagon rides with Lamplit Farm, and pumpkin decorating.
This year’s event will also feature an interactive presentation on children’s toys and games by Shari Crawford; live music by Merlyn Fuller and Tom Meier, who perform as the duo Merry Mischief; and a wool-spinning demonstration by the Cherry Valley Country Spinners and Fiber Artists.
School Mistress Mattie Buckland will also be on hand to offer tours and give visitors the chance to experience life in a one-room schoolhouse.
The Rippleton Schoolhouse Community Day is free and will be held “rain or shine.”
Located at 17 Rippleton Rd. in Cazenovia, Lorenzo is the 1807 Federal-style home of John Lincklaen, who was an agent of the Holland Land Company and Cazenovia’s founder. The Lincklaen/Ledyard family continually occupied Lorenzo until the property and its contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968. The site is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and supported with help from the non-profit FOL.
The Rippleton Schoolhouse was built in 1814 three-quarters of a mile south of Lorenzo on Rt. 13 across from Rippleton Cross Road.
According to Jacqueline Roshia, Lorenzo’s interpretive programs assistant, there were approximately 22 one-room schoolhouses in the Town of Cazenovia.
“Some of these were operated jointly with neighboring districts, such as Nelson and Pompey,” Roshia said. “Cazenovia schoolhouses typically had 20-30 students attending. [However], during their busiest terms, some Cazenovia schoolhouses reported as many as 100 students in attendance.”
The Rippleton Schoolhouse was remodeled in 1884 and operated as a school until 1931.
The building was moved to the Lorenzo grounds in 1997, and the FOL restored it to its 1880s appearance.
In 1998, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Since its relocation to Lorenzo, the Rippleton Schoolhouse has served as a place for visitors to “live history.”
Each May and June, the schoolhouse serves as the primary focus of school field trips for hundreds of Central New York students. Classes can either tour both the Rippleton Schoolhouse and the Lorenzo mansion or participate in a day-long immersive schoolhouse experience.
“Moving Rippleton Schoolhouse to Lorenzo State Historic Site has allowed us to preserve an important part of not only Cazenovia’s past, but the history of public education in the United States,” said Roshia. “We are thrilled to provide hundreds of students each year the opportunity to step back in time and experience a day in a one-room schoolhouse.”
In spring 2023, Lorenzo had approximately 700 students attend programs and tours at the schoolhouse and mansion.
The FOL has been presenting Community Day since 2002, drawing upwards of 300 visitors each year.
“Lorenzo is very proud of the preservation efforts put forth by New York State and community partners, including the Friends of Lorenzo, to save this architectural treasure and preserve it for future generations to enjoy,” said Lorenzo Historic Site Manager Matthew MacVittie. “Community Day is a chance to highlight the Rippleton Schoolhouse and share this wonderful history with our visitors.”
For more information on the FOL, visit friendsoflorenzo.org or follow the organization on Facebook and Instagram.
