The West Union School is a historic one-room school located near the village of Norwich in eastern Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. Situated along County Road 200 south of the village,[1] the school was erected in 1858. It replaced an earlier log school building; both structures occupied land on the property of pioneer farmer George Richey.[2]
West Union School | |
 Front and side of the school | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Norwich, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°56′56″N 81°47′59″W / 39.94889°N 81.79972°W |
| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1858 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002155[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1978 |
The school is a weatherboarded building, constructed on a foundation of sandstone and covered with a slate roof; additionally, it features brick details.[3] It features a simple rectangular floor plan, measuring 35 feet (11 m) long and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide. Although now over 150 years old, the school remains in fine condition; it is believed to have been preserved better than any other extant one-room school in the area.[2]
Classes met in the West Union School from its completion in 1858 until the fall of 1933,[4] at which time the West Union School District united with other Union Township districts to merge with the New Concord school system. Since that time, the school has served as a community center: it has hosted events for religious groups, musicians' and farmers' organizations, and even a debate club.[2] In early 1978, the West Union School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places,[1] qualifying both because of its historically significant architecture and because of its role in local history.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 1116.
- ^ a b West Union School, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2011-04-06.
- ^ Old Schools of East Muskingum. 1985. pp. 55–57.