“The Schoolhouse” is how Taylor and his family always referred to the building. They used it as a reference point for describing locations of the surrounding farm. It was usually something along the lines of “below the schoolhouse”, or “across from the schoolhouse” to pinpoint a fallen tree or which field was being cut for hay.
It seems it has always been this way. Taylor used it as a place marker, as did his parents, as well as his grandparents and so on. It seems once a building has been in place for multiple generations, it becomes something akin to being eternal in people’s minds; Never expected to change or disappear, but just existing as it always has.
This changed for the two of us in August of 2021. The owner of the apiary, who had used the building as winter storage for decades had called. They were looking to sell and had just cleaned everything out. “Go over and take a look, it’s unlocked.” That’s all we needed to hear to pique our interest. Taylor had never seen the interior of the schoolhouse. The shades were always drawn, windows blocked, making it a mysterious unknown.
As Taylor pushed open the solid wood door, we could immediately smell the old nectar in the air. After walking in, Taylor shared a memory of riding his bike past the schoolhouse in late summer and smelling the strong scent of goldenrod honey that emanated from the schoolhouse. A distinct smell which seems to have permeated the interior of the building. The narrow vestibule opened into the large main room. A cavernous space accentuated by the surprisingly tall ceilings.
Another notable surprise that we found was the natural light streaming in through the windows that look out onto the meadow below. The locust and maple trees outside were in full bloom shading much of the schoolhouse hill. Despite this, the southeastern sun was providing an excess of light to illuminate the entire interior.
We both immediately saw the potential on this old schoolhouse. A project that could encompass the normal tasks of old house renovation, but on a much smaller scale. Immediately we made the decision to move forward on the purchase of the schoolhouse and not too much later, it was ours. We’re excited for the potential of the building to become a small weekend cottage. We are even more excited to learn more about the history of this old building we will find along the way!
Lee Schoolhouse 