The No. 1 Schoolhouse at 816 Baltimore Pike in Concordville Village is a Greek Revival style schoolhouse, with 2-3 one-story additions in the rear. The school features a date stone in the center of the second story and reads “Concord Public School No. 1, 1874.” The schoolhouse also boasts a large, vented cupola at the top of the roof ridge facing Baltimore Pike.
This schoolhouse was built in 1874. Before the construction of this building, all schools in the township were located on private properties. According to Henry Ashmead’s History of Delaware County, the first school board meetings about school construction began around 1860. Construction on the new school building did not commence until 1873, and E.O. Taylor was given the contract to build the school on a parcel of George Drayton’s land. By 1874, a two-story brick building was completed at $3,798.75 (approximately $105,000 today). This building replaced the former No. 1 schoolhouse on Spring Valley Road.
In 1882, the No. 1 School had 39 out of 162 total students in the township. This was the largest amount of students over the five schools in the township. By 1876, the District Superintendent was required to visit every school monthly for half a day and report to the school board on the condition, order, and progress of each school. In 1882, William Gamble and Samuel Hill said to the school board that all schools in Concord Township were satisfactory, except for No. 1, due to a lack of “order.” However, the following April 1883 saw an improvement in the school.
In 1869, Concord Township schools ran sessions beginning at 8:00 AM, an hour break at noon, and concluding at 5 PM. Twenty days constituted a school month, with teachers operating “in service” days every other Saturday.
The Concord Union Lodge No. 1258, a temperance movement group, held their meetings on the second floor of the No.1 School beginning in 1877. They met every Monday night weekly and paid $20 to the school board for use of the building. The Concord Grange 1141 first met in the No.1 Schoolhouse at the turn of the 20th century before moving to Darlington Hall. In later years, the Ennis Oil & Burner Service owned and used the schoolhouse.
Concord Township Historic Resource #160
