Leawood Tutors Come To You

Visitors to Leawood, Kansas, about thirty miles south of Kansas City, can catch a glimpse of what going to school was like in the late 1800s. The city is the home of the Oxford School House, one of the oldest schools in Kansas. The schoolhouse was used in some capacity until the mid-1990s, after which time it was painstakingly restored by the Leawood Historic Commission. For its efforts in the restoration, the commission earned the 2005 Award for Excellence for Preservation Advocacy by the Kansas Preservation Alliance.

History
The one-room schoolhouse was established in 1877 and used as a school until 1955. From the 1960s until the mid-1990s, the Oxford School House was used as a place of worship.

Renovation
The schoolhouse was restored with historical accuracy to its original 1877 condition. During renovations, air conditioning and heating were added so visitors would be comfortable any time of the year—unlike the students who studied there throughout its years as a working schoolhouse. The addition of electricity also allows evening programs.

Living History
Costumed docents carry out programs at the schoolhouse for groups of schoolchildren, church groups, senior-citizen communities, scouting groups, and civic organizations. Visitors get to hear about life in Kansas a century ago and participate in old-fashioned games and crafts. The schoolhouse is also a popular destination for elementary school field trips. Students participate in a 1908-themed school day, complete with slates and McGuffey’s readers. They also participate in a spelling bee. The day includes a midday lunch and old-fashioned games at recess. The schoolhouse can host a maximum of twenty-seven students and four adults at one time.

Special Events
Throughout the year, special events are held at the schoolhouse, including the seasonal Holiday Traditions on the Prairie. Those attending get to string popcorn and cranberries, decorate the Christmas tree, and sing old-time holiday songs, accompanied by musicians playing old-fashioned musical instruments such as the Appalachian mouth bow and mountain dulcimer.

The schoolhouse also hosts a summer reading series, during which a turn-of-the-century “schoolteacher” reads historical fiction, such as chapters from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.

Other educational events are offered throughout the year. One recent event was a lecture on the Orphan Train: the relocation of approximately 250,000 abandoned, orphaned, and homeless children throughout the U.S. and Canada in the years from 1854 to 1929. The Orphan Train movement is recognized as the start of the foster care system in the U.S. The lecture was given by a woman recounting her grandmother’s journey on the Orphan Train.

The Oxford School House is a must-see in Leawood and will appeal to visitors of all ages. It is located in Ironwoods Park, where it was moved in 2003 from its original location at 135th and Mission Road.