Originally, the Saint Augustine Schoolhouse was a small homestead belonging to Juan Genoply. Juan Genoply later married and the house became a school, so he added an extra room. The schoolmaster lived upstairs with his family and used the first floor as a classroom. Boys and girls shared the same classroom, making the St. Augustine school the first in the young nation to go "co-ed."
Today, the schoolhouse resembles a theme park attraction. Mechanized figures dressed in 18th century attire greet visitors and describe a typical school day. Children can receive make-believe diplomas. But America's "oldest wooden schoolhouse" is not all fun and games. The building has seen very little changes in the past two hundred years. By examining its construction, you can see how buildings were made in America's colonies.
