Watson School is a

Sonoma County Regional Parks Department Sonoma County, California, United States, U.S.A. has numerous regional parks, beaches, trails, and other facilities that are maintained by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department. Sonoma County regional parks typically provide facilities for ...

historic park, covering approximately , located about east of

Bodega, California Bodega is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County in the U.S. state of California. The town had a population of 220 as of the 2010 Census. Bodega is located on Bodega Highway, about west of Freestone, C ...

, on the south side of the road, at 15000 Bodega Highway in Sonoma County, California, United States. 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 ...

in 1978.

History

The land was donated by James Watson in 1855, for a school to serve the communities of Freestone, Bodega, and Valley Ford. Open from 1856 to 1967, it served as a public school for 111 years, longer than any other

one room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

in California. The schoolhouse remains today in its original condition on its original site. In 1976, Watson School was named Sonoma County Landmark #23, and in 1978, it was placed on the

. The park is open from sunrise to sunset by a locked gate and features four picnic tables plus one toilet, along with signs commemorating the schoolhouse and the 1976

Running Fence ''Running Fence'' was an installation art piece by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which was completed on September 10, 1976. The art installation was first conceived in 1972, but the actual project took more than four years to plan and build. After ...

art project by

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009), known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were artists noted for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks and ...

. In 2011, the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation received a donation from the estate of Daniel B. Furlong for the purpose of restoring the school. Furlong was part of the school's final graduating class, and many of his relatives also attended. A restoration project in the winter of 2011-2012 replaced the wood foundation with concrete and made other structural improvements. Salmon Creek defines the southern boundary of the park.

References

Footnotes

{{Reflist

External links

Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department Historic Landmark 23: Watson School & Wayside Park
1967 disestablishments in California Defunct schools in California Educational institutions established in 1856 History of Sonoma County, California Parks in Sonoma County, California Schools in Sonoma County, California School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Sonoma County, California 1856 establishments in California One-room schoolhouses in California Educational institutions disestablished in 1967

History

See also

References

Footnotes

External links