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Irondale Schoolhouse to ring bell on opening day May 24

Irondale Schoolhouse to ring bell on opening day May 24

Ralph Fedele with Mary Leitch, 103, who attended the one-room Irondale Schoolhouse until it closed and she moved on to Millerton High School.

Photo provided

MILLERTON — The Irondale Schoolhouse will celebrate its opening day on Saturday, May 24, when it will ring in its eleventh summer season with the old school bell.

Lemonade and cookies will be provided for visitors. A history exhibit is on display inside the schoolhouse and there will be a formal unveiling of a plaque commemorating membership in the Country Schools of America, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the memory of country schools.

The Irondale Schoolhouse is an 1850s one-room schoolhouse that served the Irondale community until 1930. It was moved in 2013 to Millerton to serve as a public information and visitor center managed by the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse.

The Schoolhouse will be open throughout the summer on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A team of docents will be on hand during these times to share knowledge and stories of early rural education At irondaleschool.org a short video shows how the Schoolhouse was rescued from destruction, carefully restored, and moved to its present location.

Over the years, under the leadership of Ralph Fedele, the Irondale Schoolhouse Board has worked to maintain the building, staff the docent team, and host special children’s events.

It also has raised for annual local school scholarships. This year, $2,000 awards will be given out to each of two winning applicants.

Some of this year’s activities include:

— Wednesday, May 14, and Thursday, May 15: Webutuck School Students field trip — “A Day in the Life of a One-Room School”

— Sunday, June 8: National Children’s Day/Ice-Cream Social & Hoola-Hoop Competition

Board members of the Friends of the Irondale Schools House are: Catherine Fenn, President; Claire Goodman, Vice President; Dick Hermans, Treasurer; Shannon Olsen, Secretary; Ralph Fedele, President Ex Officio, Docent; Rob Cooper, Maintenance; John Brunese, Scholarship Program; John Hicks, Docent; Lisa Cope, Communications & Events; Alicia Sartori, Communications; Stone Scasso, Maintenance.

John Coston
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