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Fishing Creek Schoolhouse (historically pronounced "Fishing Crik")Fishing Creek School
YouTube, interview with former student Ella Fox Elliott, 0:50 is a historic school located in the Villas
In the 1920s, there were as many as eight one-room schoolhouses in the lower Cape May region, but with the introduction of school buses, the one-room schoolhouses became obsolete, and schools were consolidate into buildings with multiple classrooms.
In 1926, the Fishing Creek School was sold at public auction and subsequently purchased by the Leckey family as a summer home. The Leckey family sought to preserve the school, and it was listed on the National and State Historic Registers in 1980.
In 1998, members of the community began efforts to save the Fishing Creek School, and in 2002, the school, along with 1.3 acres, was purchased by the State Green Acres Program, and subsequently leased to Lower Township for 20 years. It is now being developed into a community center for recreational and educational uses.
Mayor Mike Beck of Lower Township organized a non-profit organization, The Friends of the Fishing Creek School, to lead the effort to restore and maintain the site for the benefit of the community. In 2010 two old roofs were removed and a new cedar shake roof was installed, to match the original roof.Fishing Creek School Gets New Roof
Jack Fichter, Cape May County Herald, July 1, 2010.
The Fishing Creek School is the only remaining one-room schoolhouse in Lower Township, New Jersey.
The Friends of the Fishing Creek School
{{NRHP in Cape May County, New Jersey Lower Township, New Jersey School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey School buildings completed in 1888 Buildings and structures in Cape May County, New Jersey Former school buildings in the United States Defunct schools in New Jersey One-room schoolhouses in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1888 establishments in New Jersey
YouTube, interview with former student Ella Fox Elliott, 0:50 is a historic school located in the Villas
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
, - The building is in the CDP. of Lower Township, Cape May County
Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are f ...
, New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, United States. The schoolhouse was built in 1888 and added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on March 6, 1980.
History
The first school in the Fishing Creek area was built in the early 1800s on Fulling Mill Road, about a mile north of the current site. It was a log cabin that became so rundown that a local paper described it as "a disgrace to the neighborhood". It was used as a community center, supporting such activities as the Zobo Band, the Church Junior League, and neighborhood Saturday evening meetings. These activities continued after the new schoolhouse was built in 1888. The new school was built on land donated by the Matthews family, with the basic structural form being adapted from plans for a church. Many of the builders of the one-room schoolhouse were veterans of theCivil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. The Fishing Creek School served as the only school in the area until the advent of motorized school buses. In 1921 some students were sent to the Cold Spring Academy by bus. After 1921 the school served about 40 students in grades 1-4 until it closed, about 1925. Students would walk from as far as two miles away to attend.
In the 1920s, there were as many as eight one-room schoolhouses in the lower Cape May region, but with the introduction of school buses, the one-room schoolhouses became obsolete, and schools were consolidate into buildings with multiple classrooms.
In 1926, the Fishing Creek School was sold at public auction and subsequently purchased by the Leckey family as a summer home. The Leckey family sought to preserve the school, and it was listed on the National and State Historic Registers in 1980.
In 1998, members of the community began efforts to save the Fishing Creek School, and in 2002, the school, along with 1.3 acres, was purchased by the State Green Acres Program, and subsequently leased to Lower Township for 20 years. It is now being developed into a community center for recreational and educational uses.
Mayor Mike Beck of Lower Township organized a non-profit organization, The Friends of the Fishing Creek School, to lead the effort to restore and maintain the site for the benefit of the community. In 2010 two old roofs were removed and a new cedar shake roof was installed, to match the original roof.Jack Fichter, Cape May County Herald, July 1, 2010.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape May County, New JerseyReferences
External links
The Friends of the Fishing Creek School
{{NRHP in Cape May County, New Jersey Lower Township, New Jersey School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey School buildings completed in 1888 Buildings and structures in Cape May County, New Jersey Former school buildings in the United States Defunct schools in New Jersey One-room schoolhouses in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1888 establishments in New Jersey