The Freedom Township Historical Society is continuing its efforts to restore the former Drakesburg one-room school building on State Route 303. The historical society is moving forward with construction of exterior renovations.
“Obviously, it is worth a lot to us, and it is just worth a lot to the township residents and anybody that is interested in history,” the society’s President Judy Thornton told The Weekly Villager. “There are not that many one-room schools left, let alone one that is open to the public.”
Winters Excavating, a contracting company based out of Stow, OH, started construction on Jan. 8 and is expected to be finished in a month’s time, weather permitting. The funds for the project were received through a Community Development Building grant of $75,000.
According to Thornton, the Historical Society applied for a grant to have outside construction done to the property before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. In addition to the former school building needing work done, Freedom’s Town Hall also needed construction to improve its handicap accessibility. Once the pandemic ended, the Historical Society’s bid was delayed so Town Hall could have its needs addressed, but their six-year restoration project appears to be nearing its end.
Thornton said that after 150 years of existence, the former school building’s steps had been crumbling on the west side and the risers experienced a seven-inch drop, making it a hazard for elderly citizens and not handicap friendly.
“They are going to replace the front steps and there will be a sidewalk connecting the front steps that go around the west side of the building to the back of the building,” Thornton added. “In the back of the building there is an an exit door and a fire escape. Maplewood High School students came and they built a deck out back; then somebody donated a chairlift which was a huge donation. That got mounted on the deck so somebody could come in their wheelchair and get in the lift and go up to the deck and roll right in.”
It marks the final touches on the property’s transformation since the Historical Society agreed to a 99-year lease at $1.00 annually with the Freedom Township trustees in 2018. One of eight one-room schools from Freedom Township’s early days, the former Drakesburg school building was the only one that had a basement.
Thornton noted that when the school building became a church in 1940, the church dug out a basement because they wanted to have Sunday School rooms.
In 1999, the Property became vacant when the church moved into a new building across the street. There was talk of turning the Property into a duplex, but the Trustees voted against it and the owner stopped paying the mortgage, relinquishing his claim. Through several years without being used, the Property became overgrown with vines and shrubs and became a flop house until the Historical Society stepped in to take it back.
“We thought it was very much worth preserving and we are using to hold some meetings there and we are literally in the process of turning it into a museum which will display artifacts from Freedom’s early history,” she added.
In just a short amount of time, the Historical Society has already restored the interior by tearing down some of the old plaster and panels. After installing insulation replacement and dry wall with an assist from Home Depot, the Property once again became accessible for the residents.
The Historical Society also has received donations for a display which will illustrate Freedom Township’s history.
“We already have a few early kitchen implements,” said Thornton. “We have somebody that is anxiously waiting for the utility building to be finished because he has some big barn implements. We have a few things from the Ravenna arsenal and it is just a natural progression.”
Although the Historical Society plans to highlight Freedom Township’s history, Thornton acknowledged that the Museum will also reflect Portage County’s history because the two are intertwined.
In addition to being used as a Historical Museum, Thornton said the Historical Society will continue to use building for meetings even as the outside undergoes construction.
“We are very very pleased and a little bit proud,” Thornton said. “I can say it was all volunteer work that restored the interior of the building, and it really looks so nice. It looks like a one-room school, with 70-inch tall windows because there was no electricity so you needed tall windows to let the light in.”
