District   #8  School 
New Turnpike
    St. Johnsville, New York  

            In the spring of 1945, District School Number Eight closed its doors  to students
          and sat vacant. 
         

  The School District returned the property in 1980 to the Mueller Family. 
In 1996, the property was gifted to the Palatine Settlement Society (PSS), 
and still it sat vacant.

In 2019, under the guidance of PSS Trustee John Case, the exterior of that school began to change. 
Some wooden shakes were removed to reveal good clapboards. Damaged windows were repaired,
shutters were added. A new sign appeared. 


                      

Throughout 2020, the remaining shakes were removed, clapboards were repaired, primed and painted.
The storage shed was also refurbished.
 and a porch was put back on the front of the building.

The work on the school slowed a bit in 2021, but an important project was completed. 
The chimney was completely rebuilt. It is a two section chimney with side-by-side openings,
one for venting the stove and the other for ventelating the school room. 
The old limestone foundation was realigned and restored.
Some work was done to clean the inside of the building. A large chalkboard was repaired.

2022 finally saw the finishing touch in the interior of the old school room.
Several desks and school maps from the Peck's Lake School were refurbished and added.
The ceiling fiberboard was removed to reveal the original beautiful wainscoat ceiling.
All walls and doors were painted, the floor was scrubbed, and the lighting was restored.
                            A teacher's desk was donated by the Settle family.                                 

You can find more pictures and stories in the recent newsletters.

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