Events: The 2021 Rapha Festive 500 Day One
Ride Distance: 27 Miles/ 293 Remain
(2021) To set the tone that the Rapha Festive 500 is an event to be earned, the curtains were thrown open on the first day of Rapha’s Festive 500 to the unexpected view of a snowy dusting. The forecast had neglected the mention of frosting on the roadways. The opening ride departure was pushed back to allow choring to be done. And when choring was done, the route was changed. This year’s Rapha Festive 500, an event that challenges riders to cover 500 kilometers from December 24 - 31, hinged on the search for schoolhouses in our area. One schoolhouse-heavy route was swapped for another. The Festive requires plasticity.
Meanwhile there was a reward. The miles covered on the first day traced the Guy Fawkes Ride route because of the many schoolhouses. The northern portion of Bucks County farmland is dotted with antique schooling structures in various forms of service. Some places embrace the schoolhouse past by continuing the appearance; others have let the time pace without much upkeep. Both ends of the spectrum were on display today.
As is standard for schoolhouse tours, the route immediately passed the beautiful school at the intersection of Smith School Road and Scott Road. Built in 1875 and a regular landmark within rides, this place occupies our daydreams. There’s the belfry to alert the tardy students within earshot to quicken pace. Facing the intersection is a small second story iron rod balcony overlooking the neighboring farm and field. Its western side features a white trellis facing yet another farm field. It’s a desire to become an owner of a vintage schoolhouse, and this would be a place of imagination. Who knew a place students would have been eager to leave was a place others wanted to enter.
Not all schoolhouses are easily identified like the Myers Schoolhouse on Sweetbriar Road. According to records the school was built in 1881 and has had many changes since. These changes make it easy to roll by the schoolhouse without seeing the identifiable square foundation, the long three windows on each side, and entry way denoting a common structure. Here the Myers School is marked with a handsome sign to make sure each passerby knows this abode used to be a school. Not ten miles into the first ride of the Festive 500 and two schools had already been struck from the list of objectives.
The Myers School, originally built in 1881 has had additions over the decades.
Winding along familiar roads, the shadowy one-lane paths caught us off guard on Birch Lane, near Lake Nockamixon. Here was a potential schoolhouse, though it was in need of some upkeep. As in commonplace, a structure resembling an outhouse was nearby. A cumbersome pile of firewood was what initially drew attention to the dwelling. Imagine the school teacher chopping wood to meet the hierarchical needs of travel-weary students. The building had three windows down its sunward side, an entryway students would have used to find warmth, but no bell was on the roof. It is possible this location could have been a schoolhouse, but as we will see, sometimes schoolhouses and one-room churches look identical.
Shortly after leaving Birch Lane, the route accessed Yost School Road, but not before passing by schoolhouse number four. Yost School is another dwelling that embraces its pedagogical past. Its exposed mason exterior suggests a desire for a longer service than some of other schools in the area. Through research, many of the school houses served for a decade or so. Yost School looks larger, but it could be from the porch that faces the intersection with the road bearing its name. Flanked by pine trees, this location is rarely met with traffic, though today a mail carrier was scurrying along pupil-style, trying to get last minute deliveries before calling it a day.
After winding around on many quaint roads, one of which was named Farm School Road (but no school could be located), we returned to the roads just outside our offices. Here is where the one-room Mennonite schoolhouse was photographed with the intention to include it in our haul. A brick structure that has apparently been unoccupied for a while, it checked off other items stated. It possessed the traits of a schoolhouse with its three long side windows, though no bell tower. Numerous Mennonite churches nearby have a smaller Meetinghouse, which this could be, but it could also be a disused school.
After a scant thirty miles, the outing ended having bagged five schoolhouses in various forms of service and appearance. How diverse the education progression is on display around here. Consider one-room schools as opposed to the megastructures schools have become today. Wouldn’t it benefit the education system to return to smaller neighborly instruction like former days when communities would be serviced on the micro level? In the meantime, we will continue to look for more schools. Or perhaps it’s our attempt to find one with a For Sale sign outside. That would be an experience worth ringing a bell for.
