Godwin School placed on National Register

The Godwin School, a historic one-teacher schoolhouse located at 23235 Godwin School Road west of Millsboro, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places July 16. The Millsboro Historical Society, organized in 1985 for the purpose of preserving this historic building, worked under the direction of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ State Historic Preservation Office to prepare the National Register nomination.

Archival research, enhanced by oral-history interviews conducted previously by the society, provided an opportunity to thoroughly document the history of this 1897 building. The school was opened in 1897, and in 1937 the Godwin School students were transferred to the Millsboro School District. During the 1922–23 school year, Willa Lingo taught as many as 30 students per day within the confines of this building. Her students ranged from the first- to eighth-grade levels and were taught a variety of subjects, including arithmetic, history and science.

Since bus transportation did not exist, teachers and students alike walked up to three miles to school and never stayed at home on snowy days. A teacher’s routine duties included building a fire in the wood stove and sweeping out the classroom before students arrived. As with so many other closed schoolhouses, the Godwin School was eventually repurposed, with descendants of Jacob R. Godwin utilizing it as an agricultural-support building for many decades.

As a result of its enthusiasm and dedication to the preservation of the Godwin School, the Millsboro Historical Society has successfully increased public awareness about the importance of identifying and preserving a once-commonplace building-type that has vanished from the rural landscape, encouraged elected officials to contribute financially to historic preservation, and ignited interest in learning about local history through the development and implementation of interpretive programming activities for visitors of all ages.

The school is open by appointment only. Call 302-934-6820 to make a reservation.