The Waits River School is a historic school building on

Vermont Route 25 Vermont Route 25 (VT 25) is a north–south state highway in Orange County, Vermont, United States. It begins at the New Hampshire state line in Bradford, continuing across the Connecticut River as New Hampshire Route 25, and ends in ...

in the

Waits River The Waits River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in eastern Vermont in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows ...

village of

Topsham, Vermont Topsham is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,199 at the 2020 census. It contains four villages: East Topsham, Topsham Four Corners, Waits River, and West Topsham. Geography According to the United States Censu ...

. Now a private residence, it was built in 1914 as a combination district school and

Grange hall The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

, serving in those roles until 1972 and 1953, respectively. It was listed on 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 v ...

in 1988 for its Colonial Revival architecture and its importance in local educational history.

Description and history

The former Waits River School building is located in the rural village of Waits River, a short way west of the West Topsham United Methodist Church on the north side of

. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and clapboarded exterior. A -story gabled section projects from the center of the front facade, with the main entrance at its base. The entry is slightly off-center, and is sheltered by a gabled porch supported by square posts. The exterior is relatively unadorned, its massing, slender corner moulding, and partial gable returns the only major indicators of its Colonial Revival style. The interior is more elaborate, and is reflective of an evolutionary history dictated by changing state requirements for school building standards. with The school was built in 1914 by J.W. Zwicker, replacing a district school that had burned down the previous year. Despite attempts by the town to build it to then-current state standards, it did not meet them, and required some alterations before achieving state certification in 1937. The principal alterations were the addition of banks of windows to improve classroom and lighting, and the improvement of heating, ventilation, and bathroom facilities. The building also housed the local Grange chapter on the second floor until 1953, when that space was adapted for use as a second classroom. The school was closed in 1972, and sold into private ownership.

References

{{NRHP in Orange County, Vermont School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, Vermont Colonial Revival architecture in Vermont School buildings completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in Topsham, Vermont 1914 establishments in Vermont

Description and history

See also

References