The Oldest Schoolhouse

If you’ve walked down St. George Street, chances are you’ve heard the bell. This is the old school bell in the courtyard of the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse. 

Erected in the early 18th century, this charming structure stands with an obvious slant on its original floor and original framework, guarded by heavy sea chains. The school house even had its own “dungeon” under the stairs for unruly children.  The cedar building material is original to the 300 year old schoolhouse. The last class to graduate from the little schoolhouse was in 1864. In 1931, the remaining classmates reunited and officially opened the schoolhouse as a museum.

The little schoolhouse has witnessed three centuries of  joy, growth, war, disease and tragedies. Nearby the schoolhouse are two haunted cemeteries, the City Gates, and the center of town. Such activity and nearby haunted locations are sure to make the schoolhouse a paranormal hotspot.

One of the more common occurrences is a lady in white, amongst the sounds of children and feeling of being watched.

A woman in white has been seen peeking up the stairs, and at other times, looking into a mirror.  She has also been seen looking out the window over St. George Street. Tales say she could be waiting for someone, the wife of the first headmaster or the mother of a student. 

The Oldest Schoolhouse is not merely a relic of the past; it’s a living piece of St. Augustine’s vibrant and haunted history. Its charming courtyard, ancient walls, and ghostly past all tell another piece of the ancient city’s history.