MontgomeryParks.org

Kingsley Schoolhouse

Kingsley Schoolhouse
Little Bennett Regional Park, The Kingsley Trail
Clarksburg Road, Rte. 121
Clarksburg, MD 20871
301-972-6581
Open for special events.

Of the late 19th century one-room schoolhouses still existing in Montgomery County, the Kingsley Schoolhouse is one of the few that remains in an entirely unaltered state. This site is being furnished to reflect its historic appearance and is open only for specific occasions. The site will be open in September 2008 for a special event.

Join us for a special event on Saturday, September 27, from 11 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.!
"Lessons from the Past" Take a walk down memory lane to the one-room schoolhouse and learn about life in the past. Meet some of the students who attended school here and see related video clips. Write on slate boards, carry water from the stream in buckets, and play a game of Dodge ball, a popular game in the early 1900's. Families can also enjoy sack races, cake walks, nail-driving contests, and more. Bring a picnic and enjoy lunch by the stream!
NOTE: Parking will be at the Church of God, 23900 Clarksburg Road, opposite the Snowden Farm Parkway. A shuttle will take visitors to the Schoolhouse and back. This event is sponsored in part by the Friends of Little Bennett Regional Park and the Clarksburg Historical Society, Inc.

History

Built in 1893 in response to the need for a school within walking distance of farms located in the Little Bennett Creek Valley, the Kingsley Schoolhouse served the local community until it closed in 1935. The building served all of the farm families in the rural Kingsley area, teaching around 20 children at a time ranging in age from 6-12 years old. The schoolhouse was closed after additional schools were constructed in the upper county and attendance was reported to be dwindling.

The front-gable building has a stone foundation and is covered with German siding. At the west end of the corrugated tin roof is the framework for a bell. Since the immediate area was known locally as Froggy Hollow – due to the large number of frogs that could be heard peeping in the low-lying area - the school acquired the nickname of Froggy Hollow School.

Plans for Restoration

The schoolhouse was opened to the public for a special viewing in September 2007. Currently, the school is only partially restored. As more information is gathered, the school will be fully restored and opened to the public several times per year. Restoration efforts at present have targeted the years 1925-1929. Those years are the ones best remembered by former students through oral history interviews conducted by the Department of Parks over many years. The best historic photograph currently known to exist of the schoolhouse dates to 1929. One of the more interesting aspects of interpreting the schoolhouse to this period of time is that it coincides with the state school board’s call to standardize rural schoolhouses. As a result, Kingsley’s windows were relocated and rearranged to accommodate the latest thinking on the role of day lighting in pupil performance.

The school is located in Little Bennett Regional Park, owned and operated by the Montgomery County Department of Parks, M-NCPPC. The Kingsley Schoolhouse trail is hard packed gravel with no substantial elevation changes. It is approximately 2.6 miles and ends near the schoolhouse, which has a small picnic area.

Date of last update: June 26, 2008