Last updated: October 20, 2022
Place
Cataumet Schoolhouse
Photograph by Wendy Frontiero, courtesy of Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Office
Quick Facts
Location:
1200 County Rd, Cataumet, MA 02534
Significance:
Architecture, Education, Social History
Designation:
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reference number: 100004268
MANAGED BY:
The Cataumet Schoolhouse in Bourne, Massachusetts is significant due to its association with early 20th century schooling and its quality as a surviving one-room schoolhouse.
Built in 1894, The Cataumet Schoolhouse is a simple Victorian-style building that incorporates elements of the Greek Revival, Italiante, and Queen Anne styles. A tennis court was later added in 1940.
Throughout its years of operation, many different grade levels and teachers rotated through the building. The students who attended the school typically lived within walking distance of the building. A remarkable characteristic of the student body of the Cataumet Schoolhouse is the number of children who belonged to ethnic minorities including Native Americans, Portuguese, and African Americans. In 1909 these groups constituted about one-third of the student body.
The school was closed in 1930 but was repurposed as a social and recreational center for the neighborhood from 1934 until ca. 1960. It was then used until 1999 for storage space for newer schools. The Cataumet Schoolhouse Preservation Group acquired a lease for the site in 1999 and has been working on restoring and preserving the site since.
Built in 1894, The Cataumet Schoolhouse is a simple Victorian-style building that incorporates elements of the Greek Revival, Italiante, and Queen Anne styles. A tennis court was later added in 1940.
Throughout its years of operation, many different grade levels and teachers rotated through the building. The students who attended the school typically lived within walking distance of the building. A remarkable characteristic of the student body of the Cataumet Schoolhouse is the number of children who belonged to ethnic minorities including Native Americans, Portuguese, and African Americans. In 1909 these groups constituted about one-third of the student body.
The school was closed in 1930 but was repurposed as a social and recreational center for the neighborhood from 1934 until ca. 1960. It was then used until 1999 for storage space for newer schools. The Cataumet Schoolhouse Preservation Group acquired a lease for the site in 1999 and has been working on restoring and preserving the site since.