The Lincoln School Museum is a restored 1880’s one-room brick school located one mile north of Martinsville, Clark County, Illinois on a spur of the National Road. It is just off the I/70 exit and easily accessible to the traveling public as well as local residents.  It stands on its original location and has been restored to its turn of the century charm strictly through private donations.  The building now serves as a living history museum for area school students. 
 

There are very few restored schools in Illinois, and only two others within a 50 mile radius.  Both are wooden buildings.  The Lincoln School is representative of the brick construction of one-room schools built during the 1880’s.  Several brick schools remain in the surrounding area but have been adapted to modern uses or abandoned.  The Lincoln School represents the typical one-room school of the era and the education available of that time. The Lincoln School, District 3, Martinsville Township, Clark County, District 27, existed as early as 1843.  The earlier wooden structure was replaced by a building erected about 1888 from soft, mud type brick made by Harold Gallatin, a local resident.  The building is done in the Italianate architectural style and mortared in an English Bond.  The building served as a school until 1950 when consolidation of schools in Clark County forced its closing.  For the next 36 years, the building was used for storage.

In the fall of 1986, Mrs. Tressie Morgan Nale-Povic, a former student and teacher in the one-room schoolhouse system, began a campaign to save the Lincoln School.  She involved the Martinsville Chamber of Commerce, which agreed to restore the building to serve as a one-room school museum for the local community.  With Mrs. Nale-Povic’s promise of substantial financial backing, the Chamber began the project under the direction of Carolyn “Lynn” Kelley.

The reconstruction became a community effort.  A local contractor who had attended a one-room school did the restoration.  He quickly grasped the significance of the work and took a great deal of pride in its authenticity.  Restoration chairman, Lynn Kelley, a full-time teacher, donated her time, rural electric cooperative representatives buried the electrical lines, local volunteers provided labor to clean out the building, and a young Boy Scout, working on his Eagle Badge, tore out the flooring and found many valuable artifacts in the process. Authenticity was paramount in the restoration.  Whenever possible, original materials were used.  When this was not feasible, components that simulated original materials were employed.  Numerous interior photographs allowed proper construction and placement of shelves, cloak room, and desks.  The color of the walls and woodwork were matched from paint chips found behind 20th century alterations.  Electricity was added to the building but has been made as unobtrusive as possible by using recessed lighting and covering the outlets with wainscoting.  The best recommendation for the restoration came on opening day when over 160 donors, mostly former one-room school students, entered and exclaimed “It looks exactly like the one I went to school in.”  The building gives today’s students a glimpse of the past and the type of education that served the rural children of the early 20th century.

The school originally had two four-hole outhouses.  Two single-hole outhouses have been constructed around chemical toilet bases to make the outhouses comply with current health codes.  Another outbuilding was moved to the site from a neighboring site.  It closely resembles the coal shed that was at the Lincoln School.  In addition, three trees and shrubs of the type used at the turn of the century have been planted in the school yard.
The building cost $40,000 to restore.  All funds were from private donations or fundraisers.  Mrs. Nale-Povic generously donated half the monies and helped raise the rest by direct mail to former students of Martinsville High School.  Nearly every donation was made by someone or in memory of someone who had attended a one-room school.  A few fundraisers were conducted locally but ninety-nine per cent of the funds came from private donors.  Only four of the donations were over $500.  Most were under $100.  These funds were raised in eighteen months.  Current operating funds come from donations through “Friends of Lincoln School” and fund raisers such as a quilt show, auction, a house walk, “Movies in the Park”, and donation boxes in area business to help us replace the roofing.

In February, 1999, Lincoln School Museum qualified for a Green Thumb worker.  An administrative office and a plan for tourism were developed.  This position was occupied for two years and is currently vacant.  Administrative responsibilities are being handled by Carolyn “Lynn” Kelley, Director.
Since 1988 the school has been open at regular hours.  Special events have been held such as a Salute to WWII Veterans, a quilt show, “I remember Lincoln School”, and the Lincoln School Reunion.  Approximately 100 elementary schools have been contacted to plan field trips to the Lincoln School Museum.  The Martinsville Grade School, Martinsville, Illinois has sent Fourth Graders to the school each fall since October of 1988. Palestine Grade School Sixth Graders have also made an annual trip to the museum.  Other area schools from Illinois and Indiana have made field trips to Lincoln School.

The Lincoln School Museum interprets a one-room schoolhouse at the turn of the century.  It is open to the public on weekends from June through August and any time by appointment.  Several former one-room schoolteachers have gladly donated their time to serve as docents and lesson plans that reflect turn of the century education are currently being developed.  The Museum averages 250 visitors per year.  Future plans call for additional advertising in order to increase the visibility of Lincoln School.  At the present time, the Lincoln School Museum has 12 volunteers.  There is no paid staff.
 

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