Charter Oak Schoolhouse, Historic schoolhouse in Schuline, Illinois.
The Charter Oak Schoolhouse is a one-story octagonal school building with red brick walls resting on a locally quarried limestone foundation. The distinctive eight-sided shape defines the exterior of the structure and sets it apart from other rural school buildings of that era.
The building was constructed in 1873 as an elementary school and served the local community until it closed in 1953. Its closing marked the end of an era when many small rural schoolhouses in the region shut down.
The Randolph County Historical Society transformed the building into an interpretive center showcasing the evolution of education in rural Illinois through exhibits and artifacts.
The site is located along Evansville-Schuline Road and is best reached by car. The building is now used as a museum featuring exhibits about 19th-century school education.
The structure is one of only three surviving octagonal schoolhouses out of 53 ever built in the United States. These rare examples of this unconventional architecture make it a notable record of experimental school design trends from the 19th century.
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