A Mount Holly relic will hit the spotlight later this year when it features in an upcoming PBC miniseries.
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The Old Schoolhouse, a surviving structure that was first built in 1759, is set to appear in American filmmaker Ken Burns’ miniseries, “The American Revolution.”
Burns is known for his array of documentaries and television series on American culture and history. Previous works include a documentary on the Dust Bowl and a series on the Civil War. Burns has also explored topics such as Prohibition and the history of baseball.
What is Ken Burns’ newest miniseries?
“The American Revolution” is a six-part, 12-hour documentary miniseries that is set to highlight America’s founding struggles.
The series will premiere on PBS starting Nov. 16 and will air nightly until Nov. 21.
Burlington County location in PBS series
The Old Schoolhouse – located in Mount Holly, Burlington County – will be featured in part four of the six-part series.
The segment with the Old Schoolhouse will feature pieces from the schoolhouse collection which highlight material culture related to education in the 18th century.
“Burns wished to stress how colonists in British America felt about education and its importance, and what better place to film on location than in the oldest one-room schoolhouse in New Jersey,” Ann Talcott, president of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Jersey (NSCDA-NJ), said in a media press release.
What is New Jersey’s oldest school?
The Old Schoolhouse is recognized as the oldest surviving, one-room schoolhouse in New Jersey.
When it was first built in 1759, New Jersey was still a British colony, and the American Revolution had yet to begin.
Five grantees were given a small plot of land for schooling children in what was then Bridgetown and now Mount Holly.
Many colonial citizens wanted to ensure that education reached less-fortunate children. One-room schoolhouses, such as the Old Schoolhouse, were built to serve this purpose. In 1815, the Old School was deeded to the Female Benevolent Association who ran it as a free school for the poor until 1848.
NSCDA-NJ gained ownership of the schoolhouse in 1951 and has since worked to restore structural damage to the building. With the help of historic architects, NSCDA-NJ strives to keep restorations historically accurate.
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Last month, NSCDA-NJ funded an archeological dig where the plot at the back of the building was excavated. Pieces of slate from slate tablets and slate pencils were found, among other artifacts.
“Watching the archaeologists work to unearth slate tablets and pencils used by New Jersey children centuries ago was especially poignant juxtaposed with today’s back to school supply lists as many children in New Jersey return to school in September,” Talcott said in the press release. “It made me realize how lucky we are that this treasured schoolhouse has been preserved to teach us where we came from and to show us how valued education was in the Colonies, a value which is still important to us today.”
Today, the Old Schoolhouse is considered a Great American Treasures site, one of 60 historical destinations that highlight the story of America.
The Old Schoolhouse – which is located at 35 Brainerd Street, Mount Holly, NJ – is available for public tours once a month and by appointment.
Risha Inaganti writes about trending topics across South Jersey for the Courier-Post. If you have a story she should tell, email her at [email protected]. Subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.