Family Fun Day at the Old Stone Schoolhouse in Dunraven, two miles west of Margaretville, will be held Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 to 3. In case of heavy rain, the free event will be held Sunday.
While there is no admission fee, donations towards the upkeep of this historic site – former District #10 — are most welcome. Family Fun Day is sponsored by the Old Stone School Association and the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM).
There will be lessons with costumed teachers through the day. The 20-minute lessons, conducted in the two-century-old one-room school where grades 1 through 8 were taught the three Rs for 140 years, will include arithmetic, reading and writing.
Youngsters will use slates to practice ciphering and will stitch their own copy book to demonstrate penmanship and spelling. They may even be asked to read a poem aloud. Fun classroom games like “Button, button, who’s got the button?” will engage the students.
“Recess” will include old fashioned outdoor games like hoop rolling, catch, tag and three-legged races. Quieter activities, like butter making, cat’s cradle, checkers, marbles and dominoes will be offered beneath a tent. Nature walks in the immediate vicinity of the school may prompt artistic activities as well.
Traditional music will be performed by Eli and Lillian Taylor.
Visitors are invited to bring a lunch and picnic on the grounds. They can ring the school bell, see what it was like to carry pails of water from the pump, and imagine going to the outhouse when nature called (it still works!).
The 1820 structure located adjacent to the former Delaware & Northern Railroad tracks, will be open all day. Exhibits will highlight its colorful history as well as the stories of some of Middletown’s other one-room schools. The Stone Schoolhouse is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Coloring books will be offered for sale, and raffle tickets for a basket of Catskills products will be available to purchase, proceeds benefitting the Historical Society.