EIGHT SQUARE SCHOOLHOUSE

The philosophy of octagonal-shaped school buildings can be traced to a Quaker tradition brought over from the old country. The concept is based on the idea that an octagon shape was conducive to a better learning environment because the instructor could be placed in a prominent position within the space and be the focus of the students. It was also beneficial because the octagonal shape provided more square feet of inside space than either a rectangle or a square. Ventilation and lighting were also pertinent issues of the times, and an architectural structure with eight sides allowed for an opening in all sides of the building. The building's thick walls helped it to retain heat during the cold months, which also helped provide insulation against the heat in the warm weather.

1892 Living History Field Trip Program*

This program invites children to explore what education was like in Tompkins County in 1892, and to reflect on how education has changed since. This living history program began in 1992 and is now part of the Kids Discover the Trail! programming, welcoming 4th graders from across the County. Over 800 children from the region’s public, private, and homeschools visit the schoolhouse each year. 

The program aligns with the NYS Social Studies Framework for fourth grade, as well as ICSD Anti-marginalization standards.

The digital materials engage students in exploring history and education of the late 1890s, and making connections to today. The living history Eight Square School house program includes: 

• 1) Pre-trip materials to ground students in the context of the times including access to our Tompkins County Schoolhouse Photos (1865-1963). 
• 2) Video introduction to the Eight Square Schoolhouse (the "fieldtrip") led by an 1892 Schoolteacher
• 3) Post-trip materials inviting students to connect with the time period and reflect on the purpose of education. Materials can be guided by a teacher or parent, and/or completed independently by students. 

While the materials are geared towards 4th grade students, homeschooling students of a variety of ages will enjoy engaging with the materials. 

Contact eightsquare@thehistorycenter.net for more details about this program and materials. 

The brick for the school came from the nearby brickyard of Jeremiah Snyder and from the Grover-Hammond Metzgar brickyard. The corner bricks were cast specifically for their octagonal shape, and the chimney bricks were cast in a circular form. The school cost $550.88 to build; the trustees had collected only $350 in school taxes for the building, so they had to raise additional money to pay the extra cost. 

The Eight Square School served as a one-room school for the children of the district until 1941 when the Dryden School District centralized and began busing the children into Dryden or Freeville to attend school. The building was used as a community center and meeting place for another ten years. In 1955 the ownership of the school was transferred to the DeWitt Historical Society (DeWitt Historical Society became The History Center in Tompkins County in 2004). Stanley Warren, a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Cornell University, convinced the New York State Bankers to pay for needed repairs to the building. The Bankers had been visiting Eight Square with Warren every summer to learn first hand about changes in rural economy. 

The school was mostly used for storage by the Society until the 1970s. In 1978 the Rural Schools Program at Cornell University chose the Eight Square Schoolhouse as their symbol because, as their brochure states "This stately structure depicts rural educational ideas for the eighties - quality education, dedicated teaching, relevant facilities, cooperative sharing, efficient operation, and community support." In 1979 the Cayuga Nature Center took over responsibility for programming on the grounds. 

In the 1980s fourth grade teachers from across the county would take their classes to the school one day a year for an authentic field trip in a schoolhouse from the 19th century. In 1991 DHS developed a new and more historically accurate curriculum to be used for field trips at the school, and in 1992 DHS began hiring and training it's own teachers for the "Living History" program taught to all 4th graders in the county. 

The Eight Square Schoolhouse is the earliest school structure still existing in Tompkins County, and the only brick octagonal  schoolhouse left standing in New York State. In 1994 it was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 2000 became an official project of Save America's Treasures. Grant money awarded in 2002 from the Ithaca Rotary Club Community Grants Program enabled DHS to update it's Living History curriculum. The first-ever art installation project in the schoolhouse took place in the summer of 2002 for the 175th anniversary of the schoolhouse construction. Revisions were made to the Living History Program in 2019 to align with the Ithaca City School District’s Anti-marginalization standards.

The History Center’s ‘Eight Square Schoolhouse 1892 Living History Program’ joined the ‘Kids Discover the Trail! (KDT!) program in 2005. Offering living history field trip experiences to fourth grade classrooms in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD). ICSD students get to spend a day experiencing the life of 19th century students at Eight Square. They learn to write in ink, churn butter, play historic games, and engage in lessons on spelling and arithmetic with their School Marm.

Learn more about the history of Eight Square and other Tompkins County Schoolhouses through our New York Heritage Digital Collection.