The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1466134
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, April 27, 2022 A-3 LOCAL Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg By Sherri Sebella When you step inside the Zoar School on the Pike/Du- Bois County line, it is like tak- ing a step back in time. Ev- erything inside the one room schoolhouse is in perfect con- dition and looks as if there were children in the class- room yesterday. From the original desks to the original floors and chalk- boards, people of the Zoar United Methodist Church have taken great care to keep the school in good condition. The doors of the Zoar School first opened to children of Pike and DuBois County on October 4, 1897. The wires in the ceiling still hang where kerosene lamps once hung to light the classroom during the early dark hours of morning. Originally, one quarter acre of land was leased from Fred and Mary Hemmer on Au- gust 15, 1897, for the one room schoolhouse, where construc- tion began shortly after. Twenty-nine students en- rolled from grades one through eight to attend the Zoar School first school term. August Beumer served as the school's first teacher. Over 140 students from the Zoar Community attend- ed the school over the 36 year span of the school's ex- istence. Seventeen teachers taught at the school, and the school closed at the end of the 1932-33 school year with an enrollment of 29 students at the time. A fter the school closed, students from Zoar at- tended the public schools in Holland or Stendal (depend- ing on which side of the coun- ty line they resided). Max Carlisle, a member of the Zoar United Methodist Church and a resident of the community his entire life, has always been fascinated with the history of the school and has worked with members of the church to keep the school intact. Carlisle's grand- A STEP BACK IN TIME Zoar School in pristine condition after 125 years w w w . C o l l e c t o r s C a r n i v a l S h o w s . c o m • 812-471-9419 GIBSON CO. FAIRGROUNDS • 709 N. EMBREE ST. PRINCETON, IN COLLECTORS CARNIVAL ANTIQUE & FLEA MARKETS Sat 9am-4pm $2 • Sat Early Bird 7-9am $5 • Fri Setup Shopper 1-4pm $15 SINCE 1992 Saturday, April 30th 300 Booths in 8 Buildings & Outside 30th Year! mother, Edna Brockriede at- tended Zoar School when she was a child and according to Carlisle, little has changed in the appearance of the school since those days. "The bell is the original bell that rang each day at school," Carlisle said. "It's pretty neat to hear it ring. The shelves on each side of the front door are where the girls stored their lunch pails and coats on one side, and the boys on the oth- er. Moody Langebrake was instrumental in saving the schoolhouse. You can even tell that some of the origi- nal windows are still here, and the foundation is made up of sand rock that was cut and brought there by horse and buggy. Back then, the teachers were given the task of teaching many of the stu- dents English, since German was their main language. The church purchased the build- ing in 1943 and kept up with maintenance of the building. There was water flowing un- der the building, so some guys from the church dug out un- derneath and put drains on the East side to take care of that issue." The appearance of the school has changed very little since it first opened its doors in 1897, with the exception of an addition that was built by the church on the South end that served as a kitchen and the classroom area as a fellow- ship hall until 1960. The step- ping stone at the school's en- trance replaced the original wooden steps in 1949. The stone came from the entrance- way steps of the 1871 "Zoar Kirche" (church). The Zoar United Methodist Youth Fel- lowship renovated the school in 1985. According to Carlisle, the church received a grant from the Indiana Landmarks and had an architect come out to do a structural analysis of the one room schoolhouse. They have also submitted an appli- cation to get put on the Nation- al Register of Historic Places, but in order to qualify, there are some things that have to be returned to the original state of the building which in- clude removing the addition that was built on for histori- cal purposes, rewiring elec- tric, and come back with wood weather-board siding. "We had a meeting six weeks ago about everything that needs to be done," Car- lisle said. "We are getting ready for fundraising now. The church has really taken care of this building. I don't think it would still be here if it wasn't for the church." Anyone interested in con- tributing to fundraising for the preservation of the Zoar School, can contact Lee Bil- derback, Zoar United Meth- odist Church member, and Chairman for the School Res- toration Committee, at 812- 686 -9437. The Zoar School one-room schoolhouse still sets on the original foundation, made up of sand stone that was cut and brought there by horse and buggy. Max Carlisle, a member of the Zoar United Method- ist Church and community member his entire life, has always been fascinated with the history of the school and has worked with members of the church to keep the school intact. Carlisle's grandmother, Edna Brock- riede, attended Zoar School when she was a child and according to Carlisle, little has changed in the appear- ance of the school since those days. "The bell is the original bell that rang each day at school," Carlisle said. "It's pretty neat to hear it ring." From the original desks to the original floors and chalkboards, people of the Zoar United Methodist Church have taken great care to keep Zoar School in good condition. The doors of the Zoar School first opened to chil- dren of Pike and Dubois County on October 4, 1897. The wires in the ceiling remain where kerosene lamps once hung to light the classroom during the early morning hours of school. Students from Zoar School on the Pike/Dubois County line stand outside during a game of baseball in the early 1900's. When you step inside the Zoar School on the Pike/Dubois County line, it is like taking a step back in time. Everything inside the one room schoolhouse is in perfect condition and looks as if there were children in the classroom yesterday.