Experience Local History at Churchville Schoolhouse Fall Open House

Submitted by the Elmhurst Historical Museum.

The doors to the Churchville Schoolhouse will be open for an afternoon of music, history, and interactive activities during the Churchville Schoolhouse Fall Open House on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The annual Churchville Schoolhouse Fall Open House provides an opportunity for families and history fans of all ages to experience what life was like in the one-room schoolhouse in the early 1900s. The day will feature musical performances by local schoolchildren and an opportunity to meet the school marm in the restored Churchville Schoolhouse, a National Register of Historic Places property built circa 1846.

The scheduled Fall Open House activities include:

• Participate in class time with the school marm inside the Schoolhouse.
• Hear musical performances of songs from yesteryear by the Conrad Fischer Elementary School Singers at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
• Play old-fashioned games and make vintage crafts.
• Learn about early DuPage County residents buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Schoolhouse property from the Churchville Cemetery Association.
• Check out the City of Elmhurst’s vintage fire truck (weather permitting).
• Enjoy complimentary cookies, lemonade, and popcorn.

Churchville Schoolhouse is located just north of Elmhurst at 3N784 Church Road(north of Grand Ave.) in Bensenville. Admission is free and parking will be available in the church parking lots on the east side of Church Road.

History of the Churchville Schoolhouse

The Churchville Schoolhouse is one of the oldest structures in DuPage County as well as one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses in the state of Illinois still standing on its original site. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1999, it is a well-preserved example of typical mid-1800s rural schoolhouses built by local farmers and craftsmen.

The Schoolhouse sits on property which was once part of the August Fischer family farm which was deeded to Addison Township around 1846. Children from the towns now known as Elmhurst, Bensenville, and Addison attended the school until 1930. The Schoolhouse was managed by Elmhurst School District 205 from 1988 to 2001, and was used to teach history lessons to students. The City of Elmhurst took ownership in 2001, and an extensive renovation took place in cooperation with the town of Bensenville. The restoration was completed in 2010, and the Elmhurst Historical Museum staff, with the support of the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation, presents hands-on educational history programs to school children, scouts troops, and adult groups by appointment.

For more information, call the Elmhurst Historical Museum at 630-833-1457 or go to www.elmhursthistory.org.

The Churchville Schoolhouse is a National Register of Historic Places Property built circa 1846 and is owned by the City of Elmhurst and managed by the Elmhurst Historical Museum. It is located at 3N784 Church Road (north of Grand Ave.) in Bensenville. Programs are available by appointment by calling the Elmhurst Historical Museum at 630-833-1457 or at churchvilleschoolhouse.org.