c. 1880

Williamsville School #9, originally located at New and Smith Roads, served farm families living in the northeastern part of Amherst. I was used as a school until the early 1950s. As many as 36 students, ranging in age from 4-18, attended it at any one time. This schoolhouse has been restored as closely as possible to its appearence between 1880-1890. It is an excellent example of late 19th-century vernacular schoolhouse architecture with bonneted windows in the Italianate style. The rondel over the entrance door identifies the school and its construction date. The interior south wall and the teacher's platform have been rebuilt, and the original floorong has bee exposed and repaired. The original exterior and interior paint colors have ben replicated. The desks were all two-seaters similar to the pair of desks on the front of the room. You can still see the marks on the floor where the original desks were anchored. The single-seat desks now being used, while not original to this building, are from the same time period. The stove has been placed where charred floor planking indicated its original location. Older boys were responsible for bringing in wood and keeping the fire burning. In winter, the stove was also used to heat lunches or dry wet mittens. In 1885, Grover Cleveland was president of the United States. His portrait hangs on the wall in this school to indicate the pride that area residents may have felt in having someone from Erie County in the White House. The typical school day lasted from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. At Noon, the students ate ouside during good weather. AFter lunch they helped with school chores or played games. According to oral histories, children attending this school sometimes played "flood", a tag type of game they made up because the ground around the school was often wet or flooded due to its proximity to Ransom Creek. It was not until after 1900, when increased immigration led to a heightened interest in Americanization, that schools commonly had the American flag inside. The flag on this flagpole has 38 stars, as there were only 38 states in 1880. Willamsville School #9 was closed in 1951. In 1953, the building was sold to Alfred Jurek Post #1672 and was utilized as a youth center. Ransom Oaks Development purchased the land in 1971 and donated the building to Amherst Museum prior to the cinstruction of the houses and townhouses which now stand at the site.

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