By Joy at the Southern Schoolhouse
Of course it is obvious to have the word school in an educational website name, so schoolhouse seems like a no-brainer. Yet our name goes deeper. The story behind it goes back 20 years, actually over 100 years.
When Shannon pitched the idea for an educational blog to Beth and I, we began to brainstorm logos and names for our brand. I live in an old schoolhouse. My family is from the beautiful state of Michigan. We relocated to the South before my first child was born. Our small community is very historical. When shopping for homes we wanted some land and had only two small children at the time. We found a little home (1400ish square feet) with three acres. It was a historic property with the basic updates but needed a lot of love with aesthetics.
The home was a “one-room” schoolhouse or as other documents refer to it as a “Meeting House”. The information on the house is still being discovered. From what I have gathered, the property was built around 1890. It was relocated in the 1920’s and bought from the school system for $1. It became a rental, but the renter outlived the owner, inheriting the property. My neighbor who has now passed, told me stories of her father constructing the schoolhouse. Once sold, the school bell was removed to one of her family member’s homes but later stolen and never recovered.
Later the home was acquired by a man and his wife who fixed it up, adding the upstairs, new plumbing, some electrical, and landscaping features. Our family were the next owners entrusted with this historic gem, making this the perfect muse for our name, “The Southern Schoolhouse.” The salt box house design of our brand looks similar to my home, our inspiration.
Now I use my summer break to continue to improve my home, striving to make it a place filled with beauty and love, a peaceful refuge for my family.
Throughout this series, I will give you a look into our name’s inspiration. Our small family has since grown into a large one and this little schoolhouse is now bursting at the seams with love and activity. I know the house loves it! She is so happy to once again be filled with children and educational inspiration for future generations…her original purpose continuing to be fulfilled.
With that introduction, welcome to our Southern Schoolhouse. Come sit on our front porch, sip some sweet tea and share educational inspiration with others.
