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School Room
The school room area contains items associated with public education in Scott County throughout history. In addition to vintage school furniture, books and supplies, there are many photos and personal items once belonging to students. From varsity jackets and band pictures, to graduation invitations dated 1909, there is a wonderful collection of items that will bring back nostalgic school day memories.
Among the many photographs we have collected are those of the one room country schools that once dotted the county. While many of these buildings are gone, we have pictures a good number of them and have located each of them on a map. We continue to search for pictures of these old school buildings.
School Bell Fragment
This heavy iron fragment, charred black by fire, is what remains of the bell that hung inside the tower of the original Winchester Public School. Built in 1865, the building featured 10 school rooms, an office, and a furnace room. The structure was destroyed by fire on October 4, 1899 and a new school building was constructed the following year. The fragment of the bell was saved from the rubble and given to the Winchester Public Library. It is now on display at Old School Museum.
Historic School Documents
Before the founding of Scott County in January 1839, citizens of this region of Morgan County operated schools that were partially funded by county taxes. The practice of forming county school districts continued until there were a total of 52 districts in 1932. The early teachers of these schools kept attendance records to calculate their wages depending on how many students were present each day. Found in the archives of the Scott County courthouse, these documents provide a wealth of information about early schools in Scott County. We are proud to be preserving these documents so they can be used in the research of early education in Scott County.