Freedom Twp. – Back in the 1800s, there were eight one-room schoolhouses dotted throughout Freedom Township to serve the educational needs of settler families in this corner of the Western Reserve. Only three of those original timber frame structures still remain. Schoolhouse #2 in Drakesburg was recently rescued from certain demise following a decade of abandonment, tax delinquency and foreclosure. Now the Freedom Township Historical Society is renovating the 1857-era schoolhouse to use as their museum for historic artifacts and as a community meeting place.
Freedom Township Trustees led by John Zizka recognized the potential historical significance of the structure along State Route 303, even as it seemed to get swallowed up by creeping vines, tall grasses and saplings with each passing year. It had served as a schoolhouse from 1874-1914, then was repurposed a church building for various congregations from 1941-2000. It was even used as a sheep shed before it became a residential property.
When the owners walked away from it in the early 2000s, it became a party house for some and a flop house for others, according to Zizka and Freedom Township historian Judy Thornton. They say the building “was trashed, vandalized and stripped of everything of value,” including all copper, electrical wiring and register covers.
In the fall of 2016, Zizka applied for the foreclosed-upon property to become eligible for a state-sponsored land grant program which covered expenses for demolition of a blighted house also on the land parcel. In November 2017, the other house — which had originally been used as a parsonage — was torn down. Ownership of the schoolhouse and grounds was transferred through the Portage County Land Bank to the Freedom Township Trustees in January 2018.
In April, trustees signed a 99-year lease at $1 annually with the Freedom Township Historical Society, which will use the building to house their museum, hold their meetings and host community events. The historical society, established in 2015, has now become an incorporated 501c-3 not-for-profit organization. It is simultaneously seeking new members; individual funding, corporate sponsorships and in-kind donations to renovate the schoolhouse; and local historical artifacts to display in the anticipated museum.
“We’ve had a wonderful response so far,” Thornton and Zizka agree, noting the $5,000 raised and significant artifacts collected to date. “It’s been so rewarding. People love history and they love seeing old buildings saved. It’s also part of their philosophy — business owners as well as individuals — to give back to the community.”
Zizka says that inmates from the Portage County jail volunteered to clean out the 40 cubic yards of accumulated trash inside the schoolhouse. Then they stripped off all the built-up paneling, flooring and other add-ons, gutting the building to the studs. This revealed the original two-by-eight rafters, wood framing, wainscoting, 70-inch window frames, and tongue-and-groove flooring that have withstood the test of time. “This 145-year-old roof doesn’t even sag!” Zizka remarks, noting the “overbuilt” nature of the structure. Renovation to its original configurations (but with modern amenities like handicap accessibility) is expected to be complete by the end of 2019.
A $6,900, three-year energy-enhancement grant from NOPEC is funding new electric wiring, energy-efficient windows and furnace for the schoolhouse.
As part of the effort to increase community awareness and support, the Freedom Community Park Boosters and Freedom Township Historical Society are co-sponsoring a Freedom Fall Festival and Craft Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 29 at Freedom Center, 8966 S.R. 700.
This family-friendly event will feature a craft show; face painting; pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks for sale; a fall-themed photo booth and an old-fashioned general store where kids can buy penny candy. There will also be tours of the one-room schoolhouse at 7276 SR 303 for an overview of progress on the renovation project.
Events will include a live bluegrass Gospel band and historical reenactors portraying Portage County Civil War soldiers, a one-room schoolhouse teacher, Freedom storekeeper Oscar Hunt, and a Freedom Station railroad engineer. Local historian Julie Thompson will promote her forthcoming book on notorious gangster Al “Creepy” Karpis. The Slop Truck food truck will stay all day.
You can learn more about the Freedom Township Historical Society at https://www.freedomtwphistoricalsociety-pc.com (designed by the 2018 Web Design Class of James A. Garfield High School) or on Facebook. Judy Thornton can be reached at threeponys@frontier.com or (330) 527-7669.
