School is the last thing anyone thinks about in the summertime, but now is a great time to visit the Wiley School House, which is located at the intersection of Wiley, Hogback and Olmstead roads just southeast of Savannah.

The Wiley School House was District No. 11 of the 12 Common School Districts which provided education to many youth in Savannah before a centralized school district was formed. This one-room school house was opened in 1874 for its first students and remained opened until 1949.

After two years of restoration efforts by the Savannah Community Club, this one room school house was opened again in October 1991 for all of us to have a look at what school was like for our great grandparents.

Most of the students who attended this school would arrive on foot with some walking over a mile to get to school. In the middle of winter, parents might bring the children on a bobsled if it was really cold outside.

Part of the teacher's duties were to make sure the wood stove and later the coal stove was warm enough for the students when they arrived. In the back corner, is a cupboard that held the bucket of water for everyone to drink from along with some hooks to hold the students coats and scarves. There are huge windows on both the west and east sides of the school house which provided the light for the students to do their work. Blackboards are found in the back and front of the school room.

Each student had to provide pens and pencils, slates and any other materials they would need for their classwork.

Often in the mornings, work was written on the blackboard for each of the class levels.

On the bookshelves that are under the windows, there are a few of the books that would be found in such a one-room school room. The Wiley School house has been very fortunate in that Florence Whipple, who taught at the school from 1919 until 1944, lived right across the road and her sister, Helen Whipple, donated several items back to the school, including her desk, which now sits in the front of the room with its space for the ink well and the pen.

So now you are able to walk into this restored school and truly get a feel of what school was like for students more than 70 years ago.

The following poem written by Marian Herman who was a former student of the Wiley School House, will also give you a sense of what it was like to be a student at the Wiley School House.

The old school house still stands so proud and stately.

Where once happy voices could be heard.

But now it is so sad, the

children all have gone.

The teacher at the door has passed on and it is no more.

What happy memories this old school holds.

The sling shot on the teacher's desk, paper wads on the ceiling, and the bouquet on the teacher's desk from Helen Whipple's flower garden.

Of laughter and tears, fights and friendships, good times and bad times, but it is no more.

This one room school where we sat so attentively, listened to our teacher, Miss Florence Whipple.

Where every morning we said the pledge to the flag and sang a little song.

Father, we thank thee for the night and for the blessed morning light. For food and clothes and all good things, we thank thee Lord.

Then there was reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and not to forget the A B Cs.

Now each class was taught in the front row with the teacher directly in front of them.

So no one else was disturbed, it was an extra learning process for the other student who was eager to learn.

Friday was a special day, as for one hour Miss Whipple read us stories like “Ann of Green Gables”

And “Uncle Tom's Cabin,” which continued on for many weeks.

Our teacher, Miss Florence Whipple was the best, I know all would agree on that.

On stormy and wintery days, we played games inside and even danced the Virginia Reel.

In good weather we went for walks with the teacher by our side.

Nor could we forget the Macintosh tree with those delicious apples.

I wouldn't be surprised if we thought that tree was there just for us, but it is no more.

Then there were discarded telephone batteries which with the genius of the school,

Invented a shocking jolt with his mechanical brains and shock! And who was shocked?

The teacher, of course.

Learning many songs was one of the highlights of our school years.

At Christmas time, we practiced songs and plays, and it drew many people.

The school would be packed and always there was a visit from Santa.

All those memories are so dear, but it is no more.

The Wiley School House is no more a school as in the early 1900s when the author of the poem above attended it; but unlike many one-room school houses, this school is still standing.

Thanks to several committed individuals from Savannah its doors are still open, and its wall is still standing. It still is ready to be a learning experience for everyone who wants to learn. Contact John Spellman, the Savannah Town Historian at 365-3156 if you would like to visit the Wiley School House.

Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net