Olmstedville Union School
District 1: Part 2​

🏫 Schoolhouses of Minerva
School History - Home   /   District 1 – Alfred White   /   District 1 – Olmstedville    /   District 1 – Minerva Central
District 2 - Minerva Elementary   /   District 3 - Lynch/Mallon   /  District 4 - Irishtown   /   District 5 - Puddin Hollow
District 6 – The Ryan School   /   District 7 - The Gore School   /  Districts 8 & 11 - North River
District 9 - The Boreas School   /  District 10 - Leonardsville   /   District 12: Havron - Kays   /   District 13 – Aiden Lair​​

Where Foundations Took Hold: The Life of a Schoolhouse​

 Olmstedville Union School - District 1

A new school house, a new beginning, a new foundation for learning.

​ Transformations Early Years (1855–1904)

An AI generated image of what the Olmstedville School may have looked like before it's many renovations. No photos exist of the original schoolhouse. An AI generated image of what the Olmstedville School may have looked like before it's many renovations. No photos exist of the original schoolhouse.
Close your eyes and picture for a moment your first day of school—the excitement, the wonder, the nerves. Are you back there in your childhood, reliving that first day?
Let’s take a step back in time. A time early in Minerva’s history. Back to her foundations. Back to her commitment to educating her children.
That feeling you just called up when I asked you to close your eyes—that was the feeling of the students walking into the District 1 schoolhouse when it opened its doors for the very first time in 1855. This wasn’t just the first day for them; it was the first day for the schoolhouse as well. All brand new and shiny like a new penny. A whole new future lay ahead for those bright young minds. 
The students are a vital part of the picture—but this story isn’t about them.  It’s about her: about her bones and beams, her foundations and facelifts. It’s the story of how one schoolhouse became the beating heart of a growing community.  Over 185 years of memories and history are wrapped up in her story.  We will walk through her hallways in our minds and learn about her bones, a bit about her students, her teachers and her caretakers.  
She was built in 1854 on half-acre of land sold to local school trustees in what even then was known as Olmstedville.  The new one-room schoolhouse became the central school for much of Olmstedville and Minerva. There were still other one-room schoolhouses operating at the time but more and more students were being directed to the Olmstedville School.  She inherited the District 1 designation and the original District 1 building, the Alfred White School, was closed.  The new school grew over time to accommodate the growing population and served that population until 1936 when the new union school was built just up the road. 
Olmstedville Elementary School opened her doors in 1855.  And what doors they were, eight feet tall, solid wood and beautifully crafted.  Impressive doors, meant to instill in students the importance of what happened inside her walls.  Learning after all, was at the time highly valued and not to be made light of.  Those doors while no longer gracing the entrance are stored on her second floor waiting for another day, another moment to shine. ​
When students walked through her doors, another world opened up to them.  A large classroom, with shiny new floors and wonder of all wonders, a stage all the way at the back.  This was something no other school in the area had, a place for plays, a place for ceremonies, a place that like the doors made a statement. 
There was no central plumbing, no sink, and no bathrooms.  Bathroom needs were taken care of in the outhouse located on her back lawn and water was pumped from a well just to the left of her front doors.  The outhouse of course is long gone but the well still exists. The well has been enclosed in a small cement building to keep her visitors safe. 
We can surmise that she had clapboard siding as most of the schools in the area did with the exceptions of a few log cabins.  The one photo we have of her later on in her life shows that she did at some point acquire clapboard siding.

​Her story doesn't end here 

In 2025, she turned 170 years old.  She has the strength and resilience of a true Adirondacker.  She is aged, bent and leathered but not beaten.
Over the decades, she grew, adapted and welcomed countless students through her doors.  New walls rose, rooms shifted and her silhouette changed, but her purpose remained steady. In time she became a true union school and a heartbeat for a community. She shaped generations of Minerva's youth and stood as a symbol of the town's resilience and care for its children.   One hundred years ago in 1825, she graduated her first class and became the center piece for a town-wide celebration. 
The students, the lessons, the teachers have all moved on.  The part of her story that was full of plays, petitions, and renovations still waits, just down the hall.  
Her strength and fortitude still remain, remains.  Her new story though, that is yet to be told.
📘 Her story is still being written.
A more complete eBook edition of this history is currently in the works. It will include extended stories, rare photos, and deeper insights into the life of District 1.
Notifications of the completed eBook will be posted on our social media channels and announced in the Historical Society’s Quarterly Newsletter.
"We were delighted to get in the new building and it meant much to us. The heating apparatus was poor, but with overcoats on and by drawing the old desks close together we managed to keep from freezing. When the new desks came, I am sure it was a comfort to us and we could accomplish more."  Harold Thomas:  Class of 1925.
Photo provided by Bessie Sullivan showing District 1 after the first renovation circa 1920. The 2nd floor addition and bell tower are present.
Photo provided by Bessie Sullivan showing District 1 after the first renovation circa 1920. The 2nd floor addition and bell tower are present.
Photo provided by Teresa Brannon-Strohmeyer, Minerva Town Historian. Taken sometime between circa 1924. The small room built over the front entrance is present and the entire building has been stuccoed.
Photo provided by Teresa Brannon-Strohmeyer, Minerva Town Historian. Taken circa 1924. The small room built over the front entrance is present and the entire building has been stuccoed.

🕰️A Timeline of
​Olmstedville Union School

​Architectural Features & Changes
🕰️ 174 Years and Counting: A Timeline of District 1 / Olmstedville Union School📜 1854 – Land for the school is purchased from Henry Dornburgh, a local carpenter.
🏫 1855 – The original one-room schoolhouse opens. District 1 moves from the Alfred White School to its new home in Olmstedville.
🔨 1905 – Roof raised and second story added to accommodate a growing student body.
📚 1922 – Three Cronin sisters circulate a petition to add a high school program.
📋 1923 – Voters approve major renovations and classroom additions.
🚪 1924 – New front entrance, indoor bathrooms, and stucco exterior completed. School becomes known as Olmstedville Union School.
🎓 1925 – First high school class graduates.
🚍 1934–1936 – Districts consolidate; school buses extend reach. The new Minerva Central School is approved and constructed.
🏠 1937 – Olmstedville Union School retires from public use and becomes a private residence.
🧱 1979 – Architectural survey documents remaining features, including foundation, stucco, and the now-missing bell tower.
🕯️ 2025 – She turns 170 years old. Historical Society members revisit her halls, uncovering forgotten relics and reigniting hopes for her future.
She may be silent now, but her structure still speaks volumes—if you know how to listen:
  • A 1979 survey noted the exterior was mixed: the first floor had board-and-batten siding while the second floor was stucco. (By 1925 however, the entire building had been stuccoed, so the first-floor siding must have been a later change
  • The original bell tower was still intact in 1979 but has since been removed. The roof peak where it once stood is still visible.
  • The foundation appears original, suggesting that the basement footprint was never expanded.
  • The second story was added by raising the roof; stairs to the new level were constructed over the original basement stairs.
  • At some point, a vehicle ramp was dug at the front of the building. Stones from the foundation were removed to create garage access, and a concrete pad was poured—most likely by the Blackburn family.