Imagine 171 years of St. George Voices

In a little over a week on Tuesday, March 7th at 6:00 PM, the St. George annual Town Meeting will be held at the Little Red Schoolhouse in the Town Center on Barber Road. The Little Red Schoolhouse is like the phoenix – rising almost from the ashes to a glorious self. Here is a little bit of its history: On March 15, 1852, a small lot on the east side of 2A in St. George was bought to be the site of School House #2. It was replacing the previous schoolhouse, a rough log building built on the west side of 2A which had just burned down. The new one-room schoolhouse was built for $25. In addition to a school, town meetings were held there. It was an all-grade school for St. George students up until 1965, some of whom are still living in the area today. From the late 1960s and into the 21st century the building fell into disrepair and began falling down. In 2008 a non-profit, the St. George Historic and Conservation Trust (SGH&CT) was created to save the schoolhouse. It received its determination letter from the IRS as a tax-exempt non-profit organization and began raising money.

The Town of St. George endorsed the Trust's goal of acquiring and restoring the Little Red Schoolhouse. In May of 2009, the Champlain Valley School District, which actually owned the building, gave the schoolhouse to the Trust. In addition, the Town of St. George donated $10,000 to the Trust and a quarter-acre plot in its town center where the schoolhouse could be relocated. It was actually picked up and moved there on November 7, 2012. Over 100 St. George residents made financial gifts to save it. After raising close to $200,000 in donations, in contributed services, in materials, and after thousands of hours of volunteer work, the Schoolhouse opened to the public in June 2015. With updated heat, electricity, a bathroom, and a kitchen, the schoolhouse became a wonderful meeting place for our town's 700 residents. In 2017, with the building once again serving as a community space, the SGH&CT board of trustees voted to donate the restored schoolhouse to the Town of St. George. It was enthusiastically received by the Select Board and, once again, our annual Town Meetings are held there.

So come and see this great little building and imagine 171 years of voices of St. George residents and students as they sat in this historic space for school or to attend Town Meetings. Join your neighbors for our Town Meeting Tuesday, March 7th at 6:00 PM and be part of the history of the Little Red Schoolhouse.

Event Info

Dec 27, 2024, 6 to 7:30 PM

Dec 27, 2024, 6:15 to 8:30 PM

Dec 30, 2024, 7 to 8:15 PM