This One-Room Schoolhouse Preserves Late 1800s Classroom Life

A potbelly stove in the corner and desks equipped with ink wells were hallmarks of the classroom experience in the late 1800s, as were schoolmarms and McGuffey Readers. Modern visitors can immerse themselves in the school days of this bygone era with a visit to the Cornell School in the Licking County city of Johnstown. 

Established in 1886, the schoolhouse was originally located in Licking County’s Saint Albans Township but got a second life in 1987 when a group of locals, including active and retired teachers, banded together to restore the property that had, at that point, served as farm storage for more than 60 years. 

“I just thought, ‘This is something that’s just not going to be here if we don’t try to save it,’” says Carol Van Deest, president of Friends of the Cornell school and a retired Johnstown-Monroe Local School District educator. “I had enough colleagues that … felt like I did, and they just signed on.”

In 1991, the building was carefully moved along state Route 37 to its current home on the property of the Johnstown-Monroe Local School District. The inside of the schoolhouse was lovingly restored in 1996 and features many authentic touches, including a 1904 map of Ohio. 

Today, the schoolhouse serves as an educational experience for students at Johnstown Elementary School and other districts in Licking County. Encouraged to dress in period attire, students can take a field trip during which they practice their cursive, give a speech at the recitation desk and play old-school games. 

The schoolhouse garnered national recognition in 2024 when it was placed on the Country School Association of America’s National Schoolhouse Registry. It’s the only property in Ohio to hold the honor. Members of the public are welcome to visit, too, with occasional open houses scheduled, as well as the opportunity to visit for by-appointment tours from April 1 through Oct. 31. 

“[There’s] a lot of love here for our little one-room schoolhouse,” Van Deest says. “I came to the open house last year just to sit on the recitation desk and hear people come in and say … ‘I want my kids to see this.’”

453 S. Main St., Johnstown 43031, friendsofcornellschool.com

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