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On the far eastern edge of Alameda County sits the sole remaining one-room schoolhouse in the Livermore area.
Inside the building, the walls are lined with original black boards and wood, set in a tongue and groove fashion.
Constructed in the late 1800s, the structure dubbed Midway Public School is the subject of a renovation and relocation project spearheaded by the Livermore Heritage Guild.
More specifically, the organization intends to transport the 34-feet-by-22 feet building some 20 miles west to Hagemann Park in Livermore where it can serve as a public museum and the site of immersive field trips for local students.
The overall project is expected to cost a total of $700,000, with approximately $450,000 already secured.
The guild’s project took center stage at the Civic Center Library on Jan. 21 during a presentation dubbed “Sit Straight, Eyes Front: Livermore’s Early Schools” — one lecture in the ongoing historical series “Then & Now: Livermore Stories”, co-presented by the guild and the Livermore Public Library.
Proctoring the event was Jeff Kaskey, newly appointed city historian and guild vice president.
“Having the school in place is a really important piece of people recognizing the historic value of the community that they’re in,” Kaskey said of relocating the structure.
By 1900, over 10 rural schools cropped up around the Livermore area, loosely defined as the Livermore Valley, Murray Township and Eastern Alameda County.
Many of the one-room schoolhouses featured similar elements such as three windows along each side of the building and one door, Kaskey explained.
May Public School was among the first one-room schools in Livermore, a site that the guild worked to restore, but that burned down in the 1970s, Kaskey said.
Whether replaced, burned or located under a present-day reservoir, each of the one-room school houses disappeared except one — Midway.
Built in about 1883, the schoolhouse was surrounded by an unincorporated town of about 35 people, shops and a post and telegraph office, according to Kaskey.
In addition to the structure’s use as a school, it may have also served as a church services or meeting hall, Kaskey said.
The unincorporated town dipped from its prime, marked by the closure of its post office around 1918, the shuttering of its saloon and dance hall as well as a large warehouse fire, Kaskey said.
By 1946, the school closed.
The structure was rediscovered as recently as 2006 on land near Patterson Pass Road on the Mulqueeny Ranch – the family had been using the building for storage.
The Mulqueenys haven’t done any modifications other than installing a new metal roof, something Kaskey noted with positivity.
“The new metal roof is not historic, but it does keep the rain out and that is really important to being able to salvage this as a historic structure,” Kaskey explained.
Otherwise, hints remain within the building that relay its original form.
A horizontal line along the room’s back wall signals an absent platform, Kaskey noted. Additional lines along the ground point to the room’s previous configuration.
Kaskey said both aspects of the school house can be reconstructed.
Although the guild began considering the Midway project about 20 years ago, recent efforts kicked off during the last five years, Kaskey explained.
As part of the restoration efforts so far, the school’s sign has been recreated and new windows have been created. Additional work is needed to build a new front porch, ADA ramp and interior.
Once complete, the guild aims to host a historical reenactment program at the schoolhouse for third graders’ field trips.
The visitors can expect a day-in-the-life of a 19th century student, complete with historic desks and books.
Organization officials are also interested in involving fourth graders, as learning about the history of California’s public education system is part of their curriculum.
“The ability to see and touch, talk about, work with and play in the real physical artifacts makes a huge impression on kids,” Kaskey explained.
The guild is not alone in creating its vision, as one-room school programs are already hosted at the Tassajara School east of Danville and Lammersville School House in Tracy.
Both programs have served as helpful models for the guild, Kaskey explained.
“We’re not inventing a new program that hasn’t been tried,” he said. “And it’s been very successful in both of these places — very popular.”
More than just a living history opportunity, the school represents a piece of history and heritage in need of preservation, Kaskey said.
At its proposed location near Hagemann Ranch, attendees of the ranch’s monthly open-house would also be able to visit the school house, Kaskey explained.
The guild is currently working with the city for approval of project entitlements as well as a lease agreement for the project site.
The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District manages the park, but if permitted to move forward with the project, the guild would be responsible for operating and maintaining the schoolhouse.
Since the event, the guild has received direction and questions from city staff on the project regarding an access path, the location of a fence gate and parking considerations, Kaskey said.
