GOING INSIDE! 1910 ABANDONED SCHOOLHOUSE | West Virginia History

[@lizbget]

I was doing genealogy and stumbled across this video. My great-great-great aunts used to teach together here in the 1890s! There are photos in our family albums of them posed in front of the school with all of their students. This is really interesting to watch knowing the family history that's connected to it. Thanks for sharing.

[@cecoya]

This was cool. We used to have a few of the old abandoned school houses up in the mountains here. Some even had had the grass earth for the roof. How fun. Have a great day

[@jamiereeves1303]

Used to use an old school house in wv as a teenage hangout! It was super neat and for some reason still had electricity back then!! Looked very similar to this just not as messy inside. Its since been bought and boarded up. I'd love to to back and explore it as an adult.

[@OnceOccupied]

That would be pretty cool to go back and see if you hung out there as a kid. It’s rare we find places with power still on and it still one of the creepiest things because it makes you doubt that no one is there and there’s often things that make noise that are still plugged in. We recently visited a hotel with power and the hardwired smoke detectors in every room would be every couple minutes and it definitely gave us the chills.

[@allthingsfairy]

Another cool find! So glad you stopped to explore, I love old school houses!

[@OnceOccupied]

I got real lucky 🍀

[@rustyaxelrod]

Many of these old buildings had a life after the school kids moved out. I’d bet it was a community center for a while, that’s why the cooking stoves where there. Family reunions, maybe weddings or receptions etc. I also saw a couple of tables that looked like voting booths. Could have been used for that also. Then someone bought the property and tossed the other random stuff in there for storage but even that was a long time ago. The cool old wood stove was probably original. I grew up in a couple of houses that had outhouses (yea, I’m that old) and they were on flat ground 🙂. The “stuff” goes in a pretty deep hole under the outhouse, not rolling down a hill behind it, lol. When the hole gets almost full you dig another one and move the building to the new spot and cover up the old one.

[@paulw176]

these videos always fill me with sadness and a sense of loss. Many of the kids who went to school there are all gone and their teachers too - this is why I avoid graveyards.

[@jamesmartin2823]

We live 7 miles from this place. My boyfriend grew up in this area and I moved here with him in 2017. I have been by this school house hundreds of times and actually just noticed it a week ago lol. I told him i wanted to see inside and thanks to you i got to see

[@marywegrzyn506]

My Dad n his family are all from the Logan, W.VA. area. I like this video n shared it also! Great find! I love history n old places like that. Thx!

[@60gator]

That's one of the most interesting walk thru videos I've seen in a while and no distractions thank you.

[@Mark_The_Magnificent]

Awesome find - I really enjoy this type of video!

[@OnceOccupied]

Awesome. I do too. Sometimes I enjoy just the random locations during a road trip better than the huge places we find.

[@normanfletcher8332]

Wow What a Most Interesting find, A Huge Thank You for sharing..

[@randywatkins3306]

Thats cool ! Thanks for the tour of HISTORY ! 🎉

[@Momvon1]

That looks like what my parents always describe their school being like in the 40-50 era. Great Video

[@marywegrzyn506]

My Dad n his sister told us about this type of school way back in the mid 30's they n a handful of kids attended.

[@OnceOccupied]

That’s probably about the year this one closed. The building was built in 1910 from the property records but who knows what it was originally built as. I can only imagine what it looked like in its hay day.

[@annham4136]

It is as though it were frozen in time! Or you stepped back in time. No way that a defunct school could last that long. If those books were used around 1957 then it has been sitting like that for more than 60 years. Wow!

[@OnceOccupied]

Consistently we see that the metal roof really helps buildings last. That does seem like a really long time though.

[@pbrslammer9105]

I drive past this place on my daily commute. I’ve always wondered what the interior was like. Nice video.

[@OnceOccupied]

Very cool that’s exactly how I found it too 😜

[@kathleennorton6108]

Back in the day we didn't have backpacks. In the books there would likely be a publishing date. That would have been interesting to have known.

[@kyliemarie7248]

Thanks for the video! Would always pass it going to school and always wondered what it looked like inside.

[@OnceOccupied]

Glad I could be of service ✌🏻

[@maggiemaysmall5710]

Lovely video so enjoyed seeing this. There are old one room schools here and I have been a couple. Please slow down just a hair when you scan so fast in the beginning for me is unsettling. Thanks for the wonderful find!

[@OnceOccupied]

Will do Maggie! West Virginia and Tennessee are some of my favorite places to explore because of all the Gem 💎 like this.

[@maggiemaysmall5710]

@@OnceOccupied I am in scKY so similiar terrain.

[@OnceOccupied]

That’s crazy that people pass it every winter and no one’s ever bought it to make it a house.

[@ElizabethBattle]

@@OnceOccupied I am a WV native and you're so right about places like this being all over...there is an old abandoned house that seems to have once been a store just one house down from us. My son and I explored it; there were still homemade canned goods in the refrigerator, which was hanging open (there was no power). Then down the road a mile or so is an old schoolhouse that our neighbor built his barn around.

[@SandyWolf-]

Glad you stopped and video 👍👍 great job

[@richdiscoveries]

Wow man, another incredible find!!

[@d.riprock1546]

Thanks for the video. I've been by there 1000x but I never stopped.

[@tammydorsey5873]

So glad you did this video. They tore this school down a few weeks ago. Nothing left.

[@combatgirl38]

kids have only been carrying backpacks for around 47 years so those hooks wouldn't have held them. You may have seen them for hiking starting around the 1940's but it wasn't until about 1980 that backpacks became standard for school kids. It was strange to see a vanity in the middle of the room. That one looked to have come from a 1920's bedroom set and the glass was still fully in tact under all that dirt. That stand was covered in peg board so something other than clothing was hung from there.

[@OnceOccupied]

I realized afterwards that it was stupid to think that school kids do use backpacks back then. It looks like at some point somebody removed all the desks and used it for storage but some of the furniture still looked original. The pegboard was pink so I wonder if it was to hang women’s jewelry or something like that in a bedroom.

[@combatgirl38]

@@OnceOccupied , Backpacks and school go hand in hand these days and fit far more naturally than the belted strap that was used for so long before them, so it's an easy slip for sure. That display stand is similar to the kind used to display keys but that mid century Pepto pink does suggest feminine influence. I'm very curious as to its original purpose. It has too much of a utilitarian garage/shop appearance for me to think that a woman or girl would want it in her room to hang whatever it was from L-hooks. That's the kind of thing that is next to impossible to research because it could have been hand made by someone . I'm going to try anyway and I'll stop back if I find anything. Thanks for responding.

[@OnceOccupied]

I agree. No thank you for commenting. I really do enjoy conversing with people about the things we find!

[@combatgirl38]

@@OnceOccupied, It's my pleasure. I'd have really liked to see what was in the drawers of those desks and the vanity, as well as what was under those piles of stuff left behind. It's my favorite part of exploring but not all videographers are interested in doing so. What I intended by 'handmade' in reference to the stand was that it could have been modified to suit the owner's personal needs. I ended up taking a closer look at it as best I could because it wasn't a direct focus in any of your shots and it has a frame around the edge for some reason. It appears to be its original construction with possibly the paint being original or added/changed later but there is nothing that resembles this anywhere online that I checked-even with my search phrase changed up 100x. I'm sure it's there Somewhere but these are the types of things that went straight to the dump when unwanted or needed any longer. With mid century and vintage industrial returning it would definitely be in demand today and cost a butt ton of money due to its rareness. My gut tells me it's modified due to its feet and that frame but close inspection hides the evidence. I bet this is the longest conversation you have had or will Ever have had about an otherwise irrelevant random rack stand in your entire exploration career.

[@OnceOccupied]

It’s definitely one of the more in-depth conversations but I wish we could have more of those in this community. Once this video is up for a while somebody will recognize and know exactly what that piece is but I never thought about it being painted after the fact and that seems very plausible. I have another video where there is a picture that a teen hung on their wall of a Teenage singer and it’s interesting to me to see how many people guess who that is and the conversations that surrounds something as simple as a magazine cut out of a singer. It’s tricky to balance going really in-depth and showing all of the details and not showing enough. The average watch time of a video on KZbin is around 5 to 6 minutes meaning I have to cut down a bunch of the material. When I have more time I’d like to start a second channel with a longer uncut footage that is often an hour or more per adventure. The trick is just finding the time. I just upgraded the GoPro so the videos coming out soon should be higher resolution, better stabilization, and color.

[@colbycrawford8969]

It reminds me of a school I saw in North Dakota which had the folding doors. After the schools closed it may have been used for a polling place. It looks kinda like voting booths I have seen in other schools. It is a cool place for sure.

[@tinadeville7515]

Awesome..thanks for sharing

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks Tina!

[@judypierce7028]

There is another old school on Rt. 32 on the way to Canaan Valley. It looks to be built around the 1940s.

[@bigladjonnyboy397]

great little find thank you

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks 🙏

[@shannonb7219]

I remember driving past it every sunday going to my grandmothers house as a kid. At one time we lived in Rupert right on the Midland trail

[@sarajohnson3962]

i actually lived right next store to this school house and it was my club house for a while when was this taken?

[@jackyhawkins1895]

Certainly a far cry from today's schools. Great filming. Thank you

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks Jacky! I’m trying to slow down. The upcoming videos should have the upgraded camera and GoPro. I’m so excited I’m giddy.

[@Gypsy839]

Wow good find guys! If only walls could talk. I hope they save this building.

[@Gypsy839]

LOL I don think they had backpacks when this was used!

[@OnceOccupied]

I realized how stupid that was to say one somebody pointed it out. Way before my time.

[@Gypsy839]

LOL!

[@apocyldoomer]

Wow, No graffiti, amazing.

[@adventureswithcarl123]

I really want to explore this school... Visiting west Virginia next month! Awesome explore

[@ExploringWithCF]

The chalkboard still being in one piece there was a victory in itself, what was the copyright in the math book? Great find, awful nice of them to uncover it for you.

[@OnceOccupied]

Sometimes the dog finds a bone. The book on top is from 1957 but I don’t know when the school closed. A bunch of people have been commenting that it might not of been uncovered that that could just be all of the brush dying over winter which to be honest is the way the foliage grows there but who knows. Tell me about it the chalkboards are never still in place.

[@reesedaniel5835]

@@OnceOccupied My guess would be that it closed sometime in the very early 60s, about the time the government took full control of the indoctrination system (formerly known as "school").

[@OnceOccupied]

That would make sense. I wish I knew more.

[@shabirjan9201]

once full of life happiness competition sorrows success and now............. love it from Pakistan

[@RedDeathXVI]

I know where this is. I drive past it everyday from and to work. I grew up with that being in my life seeing it everytime I go to lewisburg, it’s outstanding how great they made this building I’ve known this building all of my life

[@rosaliebarry5995]

Great old school! They never had back packs back then. They used book bags.

[@OnceOccupied]

I thought about that after I made the video. I just don’t know a life without backpacks 😜

[@LL-sq8se]

Great video!

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks 🙏

[@seopols]

Hello, just so you know unfortunately now that schoolhouse is torn down and gone. Thank you for capturing this before it was torn down.

[@karibrown1437]

Have you done any other videos in southern WV?

[@OnceOccupied]

Not yet but I’m excited to make another trip south! Any cities you’d recommend?

[@karibrown1437]

I would recommend McDowell Co. in Southern WV. In 1950 the county was almost 100,000 people, today it is less than 20,000 people.

[@OnceOccupied]

Very Intriguing! I’ll add it to my places to visit next time I’m headed south. Thanks 😎

[@TheJoeFosterShow]

I love y’all videos, I have a question are you guys brothers and best friends. Love watching theses videos. And do you both travel states to film?

[@OnceOccupied]

Nope. Are usually explore with a few different friends. The videos out of town are most of the time solo. We are big on no vandalism, no theft, and no drama. All of my like minded exploring friends are truly what make this happy so amazing.

[@TheJoeFosterShow]

I love this channel, I enjoy looking forward at the old houses

[@OnceOccupied]

I really appreciate it!

[@linall2345]

Very cool!!

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks 🙏

[@laurajuranek4415]

Wish you would have let us see inside those book's. Or at least looked at the date inside them.

[@OnceOccupied]

I thought the same thing when I was editing the video. I did Google the books and tried to figure out the date they were made. It looks like 1957. The building was built in 1910 but I don’t know when the school shut down.

[@mistervacation23]

Laura are you any realation to the Juranek family of Preston County West Virginia that put his hired hand in chains, then hacked his family to death with an axe? His name was Thomas Juranek, fat fellow I believe.

[@ElizabethBattle]

@@mistervacation23 Dude, she might not want to admit to any relation to that monster.

[@mistervacation23]

@@ElizabethBattle probably right

[@davidbrown8303]

I bet in them days you could hang up you're backpack with out other kids stealing from you. The one room I could feel a good vibe like nothing but good happened there.

[@syrahlover]

i do not think they had backpacks back then ... but i could be wrong ... but i did not have one, nor see any when i was in school in the 60s

[@lindaslaght2707]

@@syrahlover I was thinking the same thing. The closest thing to a backpack to me was the book briefs that were plaid and a strap buckle on each side and you carried it by a short handle

[@yantis_yn3275]

Thank you fr the video🙏

[@OnceOccupied]

So thrilled you enjoyed.

[@elvira2756]

This building may have been built in 1910, but my dad was born and raised in West Virginia and I can promise you that no country school had inside plumbing (running water) in that long ago decade.

[@OnceOccupied]

They may have added it later but it definitely didn’t have city water. I think that’s what that manual pump house was for. Way before my time😜

[@elvira2756]

Well, 1910 is way before my time too, but I remember the early 50's and in the part of W.Va. Dad came from (Webster County) few people had running water or inside plumbing. Not everyone even had electricity in their house, including Dad's family, and I have a few vague memories of the summer of 1949; a couple years after Dad came home from the army; when we stayed down there from early spring 'til late September while he wired the homes of his two brothers, two sisters, his Mom and Dad, and one of his uncles. After that, it was a few more years before they had water that wasn't carried and even then most of it was pumped by hand. It was a hard life, and finding water was difficult and very expensive because of the mountain terrain and often times solid rock that had to be drilled through without the kind of equipment available later on.

[@OnceOccupied]

I can say most of us take for granted that we don’t have to carry water. That is just unthinkable and on relatable in 2019. We’ve got it pretty damn good nowadays. I love to hear about the old days though.

[@elvira2756]

LOL, no we don't carry water and in fact I've lived in MI my whole life and have NEVER carried water, but it was a different life in W.VA. As a kid we went there or four times a year to visit Dad's family, and as an adult, I realize how hard life was for the people living there, but in the 1950's I thought it was the most beautiful place God ever created.

[@ElizabethBattle]

@@elvira2756 You are exactly right. I have a friend in her early 60s and their house (less than a mile from where I live now) didn't have running water until the 70s.

[@smug8567]

Is this near Stankwell Falls?

[@barbaranneboyer7997]

oh my you didn't check out the books lol no backpacks then. thks excellent video thank you

[@sheilagibson5905]

Exciting and worrisome.

[@christywells2707]

I see other comments had sense enough to check book copyright s. Also some schools stamp nane inside cover

[@OnceOccupied]

Dang that is a good idea!

[@teresaprice9184]

Neat ty for sharing

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks 🙏 Teresa

[@marydugan3399]

Interesting video

[@OnceOccupied]

Thanks Mary. We couldn’t do it without such an amazing property.

[@shannonb7219]

That school is close my grandmothers house near Clintonville, WV. Im now 42 years old and the property has always looked as if the underbrush was cut back..... ive always wanted to go there and look around but never have.

[@SmokeEater2012]

that's where the saying shit rolls downhill comes from lol

[@OnceOccupied]

I’m here to help 🤪

[@kricky71]

Great video. However, there were no back packs back then.

[@OnceOccupied]

Yeah that was definitely stupid. I wasn’t around in the days before backpacks 🎒 😜

[@catb-w5212]

Hope they do fix it up

[@OnceOccupied]

Me too! I would totally turn that into a house and live there. Talk about character.

[@TheJoeFosterShow]

Can I film with ya sometimes, I live in Dayton Ohio. Would be cool

[@OnceOccupied]

We’re always down for that kind of stuff. It gets tricky aligning schedules and stuff but we make it work. Hit me up on Instagram OOCCUPIED

[@TheShaunpk1]

Where exactly is this? The Midland Trail is long road. Thanks, I liked and subscribed.

[@OnceOccupied]

Sorry I don’t share locations in public because while many people will go just to take pictures like I do some people go there to vandalize or steal. Interesting enough I actually didn’t mark this place on the GPS so I don’t really have any idea whereabouts it was. I just set my GPS to avoid highways and blindly followed it to Ohio.

[@OnceOccupied]

Sorry I don’t share locations in public because while many people will go just to take pictures like I do some people go there to vandalize or steal. Interesting enough I actually didn’t mark this place on the GPS so I don’t really have any idea whereabouts it was. I just set my GPS to avoid highways and blindly followed it to Ohio.

[@XxPsycoB3ASTxX]

I lived a few miles away from this in Rupert. I always wanted to look inside, it’s a shame they are tearing it down now

[@SandyWolf-]

I live in West Virginia so many abandon towns schools winter is why you see it all the growth dead

[@OnceOccupied]

I was halfway wondering if that was possible but I did see some big truck tracks but that could’ve been them just driving through the yard.

[@myboyz9391]

A part of history ❤

[@OnceOccupied]

No doubt 😜

[@chaunitawoodson4667]

I was raised in WVa. We hung our coats on them. Looks a lot like the first school I went to.

[@smug8567]

The place looked as if it was a thriving watering hole for the locals at one point. It must have been one of those places where everybody knew one another and came there to socialize and have a few drinks. It's such a shame that it closed down and all that's left are the memories on the wall and a collapsing roof.

[@aaronmcconnell7358]

Next time check with local library most small towns still have one and you can find your info beforehand

[@OnceOccupied]

We do that all the time for some places especially local. Good tip!

[@agraves5754]

1:10 Random chair... Edit: 4:12 Random chair two...

[@scoobyroorogers]

Awesome vid. Our town in Illinois has an abadoned one room schoolhouse from the same era. I think it was called Union schoolhouse .Thanks. Subscrubed.....😁

[@diannemc4840]

Too bad someone couldn’t repurpose some wood & chalkboard. Good vid👍🏻👍🏻

[@OnceOccupied]

Agreed! It would be a shame if they let it completely route away. Thanks!

[@kathleennorton6108]

Or those beautiful light fixtures. Eventually they will crash to the floor if they aren't saved.

[@WVgrl59]

❤ from West Virginia

[@jennilang721]

Hee hee-there were no backpacks back then. It's just a coat rack. You carried your books, or had a book strap. Kids would carry their lunches in a pail, if they had one. Usually just a cornbread cake wrapped in a napkin, along w something from the root cellar, like an apple. 😊 If it was rural, you didn't always get to go to school. Lots of children had to stay home to help out on tbe family farm, or homestead.

[@OnceOccupied]

Very interesting. I would have loved to have found a picture of the kids standing in front of the school from wayback when. That would’ve been the holy grail.

[@apocyldoomer]

Jenni Lang Yes, I used bookstraps back in the day, no backpacks I walked to school with no shoes,haha just kidding but I walked to school Yes, I’m an old timer have my AARP card. 55

[@apocyldoomer]

That’s true that many kids didn’t go to school back than, they had something called chores and farm work to do, in WW1 , many American G.I.s were illiterate .

[@kathleennorton6108]

@@OnceOccupied Many areas have a local history book, or several compiled by those local to the area, possibly found in the local library. They also may have a group of people in a local historical club. Maybe you should get a connection with the local historical group through the net or the by calling the local library.

[@kathleennorton6108]

@@apocyldoomer No book strap for me.

[@johnwayne5289]

enjoyed the video, everyone that went 2 school there has done passed on

[@OnceOccupied]

That or they’re real old!

[@johnwayne5289]

@@OnceOccupied like to know who hung the fly flap on the wall . and, when they did

[@OnceOccupied]

I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw it. Reflecting now I should’ve gone up to it and got a picture and tried to narrow down the year it was made.

[@ElizabethBattle]

I wish we could hear from someone who went there and remembers it.

[@reesedaniel5835]

$#$% doesn't always flow downhill. Just look at the government, politicians, bankers and CEO's for proof of that. ; )

[@OnceOccupied]

We are just at the bottom of the hill. 😜

[@jellycat9688]

The school is Alamo heights schoolhouse

[@thewildandwonderfulapeofwv7417]

Pickup the red notebook

[@noellemcclain]

The camera you use makes me motion sick

[@OnceOccupied]

I’m working on it sorry. I just replaced the camera with the new GoPro with better stabilization so the next videos should be a lot better.

[@seopols]

Also, let me know if you ever come down again I know some places that you may really like.

[@karibrown1437]

The name of the area is actually spelled Crawley

[@dalemartin7205]

I’m from the town near that building

[@jackkridler5714]

no one used back packs before 1980

[@OnceOccupied]

I realized after I made the video how silly that was 😜

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

That shopping cart was from the 40's

[@OnceOccupied]

Dang that’s old!

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

@@OnceOccupied Not that much older than I am. I came into this world in 1955, lmao

[@OnceOccupied]

At least it’s got 10 or so years on ya!

[@joshriver75]

I`ll bet the teacher's yard stick smacked many uh knuckles in that place.... ....wait a second! WV had schools???

[@OnceOccupied]

It would’ve been so cool if the yardstick was still hanging up.

[@chrisshill5044]

Damn straight we had schools. And it was a huge high school in the middle of town..we played sports, sang in the choir, performed in the drama department and had a marching band..

[@gladzone6799]

I live like 5 minutes down the road and as of today they are Tearing it down

[@OnceOccupied]

That’s a bummer it has some real character

[@Inverted-collector]

Yea and today it's a trailer pulled in I always wanted to go in well there's still the rainell school that's abandoned

[@FyourIocals]

We've been there since this video was made, looted it for it's copper. Buildings in pieces now thanks for posting

[@OnceOccupied]

Glad we got to see it before it was trashed. It looks like someone was mowing the grass or something like maybe they were going to try to save it so it said no one did.

[@davestrang8585]

They didnt have backpacks

[@nectarium8760]

Maybe this School shut down in the 60's? Or 70's?

[@sandrastover8927]

coat hooks

[@OnceOccupied]

You’re probably right. Back then they probably didn’t have conventional backpacks. Well before my time.

[@marywegrzyn506]

The kids would have called it the Cloak room where they hung the coats n things !

[@OnceOccupied]

Just the thought of having a room called the cloak room makes me think of Harry Potter

[@lawayinflint4872]

I drive past it everyday but ik an even better one about 40mins away from that one

[@shannonb7219]

Its now being torn down from what i understand....

[@andyfloyd1590]

kids did not have back packs at that time

[@OnceOccupied]

I agree. I realized after I posted. Way before my time 😜

[@courtneymoyer6492]

It does look like a old mansion to me.

[@RobertWilliams-lf6fe]

Crawley school was the name its gone now

[@joesmith7427]

Here where?? I'll bite!!

[@burymedeep-be7dm]

Open the math book! Get the date!

[@AlbertoRodriguez-ju6hc]

Spectacular? There's nothing spectacular about that place except it use to be a school house you don't see too many of those around anymore. Where I use to live in Angola NY I use to have to pass by a old school house to visit my ex gf, it was a much later school house so it wasn't rotting away so bad in fact it was made out of brick so it will still last a hell of a long time before it even starts to rot, the windows were bricked up probably done after it closed down. Being that it was a newer school house it probably has in door plumbing and an actual bathroom so it's way cooler. I recommend doing a fallow up video, you said the place around it was populated, interview the tenets learn more about it have them take you to school on the area so to speak "pun intended", find a surviving former student who use to go there, don't just go through a place without having information to share.

[@bettyadkins6991]

You can tell you don't know much about years gone by, there were no such thing as back packs, you carried your books or had them strapped together with a strap or belt, lol..

[@Momvon1]

Lol cause poop runs down hill lol

[@ATTENTIONSLUTTomblinRiffle]

Lol ..hey was old one room school house coverted into a house .did not have electric n all. Used gas lights and old oil lamos silly. Looke like some 1 try fix up more added el. N all . Not origional litht things so on .it did have ine wood burner in middlenof floor heat entire place. It had out house not bathroom.

[@StrawberryCopper]

'hang their backpacks'?????

[@OnceOccupied]

Yeah I know it was really stupid to say but I just can’t picture life without backpacks given my age. 😜

[@StrawberryCopper]

@@OnceOccupied Not trying to be snarky. Just lol'd......we didn't have backpacks in the '70's.

[@OnceOccupied]

No worries! 😎 I figured!