SHELBY — More than 200 students from Ashland recently attended school inside of an 1800’s one-room schoolhouse.
Nine fourth-grade classes — about 220 students — from Ashland’s Taft Intermediate School each spent a school day in May at Shelby’s Morton Schoolhouse, located along State Route 96 near the Shelby Community Airport.
Students and teachers both had the option to dress in era-related clothing for their trip, which included a full schedule from arrival to dismissal.
The trip included lessons in reading, penmanship, marbles and spelling.
In the afternoon, every student learned about glaciers, Ohio, pioneers and early schools.
Before leaving, students could choose to participate in a variety of creative activities, including inventions and old-fashioned items, as well as marble and whirligig making.
The current Morton Schoolhouse was constructed between 1882 and 1883 and was restored in 2002, according to information packets at the one-room school. It has been used as a museum classroom since 2003.
Trips to experience a day at Morton Schoolhouse are free for schools, a volunteer said, adding homeschool students are also welcome to schedule visits. The only requirement for the school is to setup its own transportation to and from the building.
Schools may email clabaugh@richnet.net to schedule a class visit.
Brief pieces of history
According to a history sheet available at the schoolhouse, Morton was used for the first 70 years — after its construction in 1882 — as a public schoolhouse for students in Richland County, Sharon Township School District Number 1.
Morton was one of six one-room schools in the township. In 1952, Morton, along with Will and Gamble schools, were closed and students were bused to Shelby City Schools.
Sharon Township Trustees retained and maintained the schoolhouse, which was often used as a community center. In early 2000, graduates of one-room schools around the township came together for a school reunion, which is where the possibility of restoring Morton began, according to information at the schoolhouse.
Now 25 years later, the schoolhouse continues to provide a unique experience for students locally and from surrounding communities.
To learn more about Morton Schoolhouse and its history, visit the Morton One Room School Museum website.
(Below are more photos from Taft Intermediate School’s field trip this week to Morton Schoolhouse in Shelby.)
