CAZENOVIA — On Sunday, Oct. 2, the Friends of Lorenzo (FOL) will present the annual Rippleton Schoolhouse Community Day from 1 to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Lorenzo State Historic Site.
“Kids of all ages” are invited to the restored one-room schoolhouse to enjoy historical games and toys, music, interactive presentations, cider and donuts, horse-drawn wagon rides with Lamplit Farm, and pumpkin decorating.
“The goal of Community Day is to offer the community a family-friendly event allowing them to experience the Rippleton Schoolhouse in a fun way,” said Lorenzo Site Manager Wade Wells. “. . . Visitors get a glimpse of [the] education, recreation, and social activities of the late 19th century. The Friends of Lorenzo supported the preservation and restoration of the Rippleton Schoolhouse. Their sponsorship of Community Day is a continuation of their commitment to the preservation and promotion of the Rippleton Schoolhouse and local history.”
At this year’s event, former public school teacher Shari Crawford will deliver a presentation on children’s toys and games.
“Her program began as a collection of toys for her own children and developed into a program that has been used by historic sites, special events, and workshops across the Northeast,” said Wells. “. . . Shari’s toys and games presentation will focus on 19th-century toys and games in keeping with the interpretive time period of the Rippleton Schoolhouse.”
Additionally, the Cherry Valley Country Spinners and Fiber Artists will demonstrate wool spinning, and School Mistress Mattie Buckland will be on hand to offer tours and a 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 Road, Lorenzo is the 1807 Federal-style home of John Lincklaen, Holland Land Company agent and founder of Cazenovia.
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 FOL, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Lorenzo.
According to Wells, the Rippleton Schoolhouse was originally built in 1814 three-quarters of a mile south of Lorenzo on Rt. 13 across from Rippleton Cross Rd. It was one of 15 schools built in Cazenovia and functioned as a schoolhouse until 1931.
Since it was moved to the Lorenzo grounds in 1997, the Rippleton Schoolhouse has offered visitors multiple opportunities 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.
The FOL has presented Community Day since 2002, drawing between 300 and 400 visitors on average.
In December, the schoolhouse is open on a Sunday afternoon during Lorenzo’s holiday programming. Visitors are delivered by horse-drawn wagons to the decorated Rippleton Schoolhouse, where they can visit with the schoolteacher and make a holiday craft.
The schoolhouse is also open by appointment from May through November.
To learn more about Lorenzo, call 315-655-3200, visit parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/lorenzo/, friendsoflorenzo.org, or follow the site and FOL on Facebook and Instagram.
