Museum Board looking for country school info

Montana is known for its breathtaking mountain views, majestic lakes, and vast expanses of open prairie, but one new study is honing in on a particular type of building often seen within those iconic viewsheds – the country schoolhouse.

At one time, there were an estimated 2,600 rural schools in Montana. Beginning with the missions and gold camps, schoolhouses became essential community institutions and in the era of homesteading, they multiplied across the state.

Today, Montana has about 60, one and two-room schools still in operation, more than any other state. Those still in operation are in good shape, but many of these beloved historic buildings are in urgent need of care and upkeep if still standing. Unless roofing, windows, and painting are done, these schools will be lost, erasing a key part of Montana's heritage.

The Montana Preservation Alliance (MPA) recently launched the Big Sky Schoolhouse Survey, a comprehensive statewide architectural survey, and evaluation of our remaining historic rural one and two-room schoolhouses. MPA is a statewide nonprofit organization working since 1987, through advocacy and educational programs, to save and protect Montana's historic places, traditional landscapes, and cultural heritage.

"Through these efforts, we hope to identify and help property owners who are interested in stabilizing and repairing their school," said program coordinator Christine Brown. "Not every schoolhouse can have a new use, but our hope is to encourage stabilization of rural schoolhouses so that this strong and tangible piece of Montana history is there for future generations to learn about and enjoy."

The Preserve Montana Fund at the Montana History Foundation was established in 2012 and has distributed over $50,000 to stabilize rural schoolhouses, with the help of this survey and MPA.

MPA volunteers have completed schoolhouse surveys in 16 out of 56 counties in the state over the last four summers. Generally, about 15-20-percent of original schools are still standing. Many have been repurposed for shops, garages, storage, or homes, and many are in disrepair, but still standing. Pictures are taken and an architectural survey is completed on each school that is found still standing.

Realizing how large and widespread our state is, five members of the Phillips County Museum Board of Directors recently volunteered to take on the task of researching the schools remaining in our county. They are: Lu Besel, Sharon Emond, Elaine Enerson, David Rummel, and Clair Waters. If you have information about still-standing country schools in Phillips County, please contact one of them in order to assist in this exciting, important historic program. The schools can be traditional, one or two-room country schools, or they can be re-purposed schools - schools that were likely moved to a farm or ranch, and are being used for storage, or as a garage, granary, residence, barn, shop, or another purpose. They look forward to talking to you!