Oldest Wooden School House

It’s fitting that one of the oldest cities in America should have one of the oldest schoolhouses. This tiny schoolhouse, made of cypress and red cedar that’s weathered over the centuries to a soft, silvery gray, is at 14 George Street. The pegs and nails that built the house were, like the boards, handmade. One architectural novelty is the anchor and chain draped under the eaves. This was actually supposed to keep the school from blowing away during hurricanes, and it apparently worked! No one knows when the school house was built, but it was listed on the city tax records as far back as 1716, when Florida was still in the possession of Spain. The school house had one classroom, and was also co-ed. The schoolmaster and his wife lived above the classroom. When the visitor enters they can see animatronic students and their teacher, all dressed in period costume, including a little boy in a dunce cap.