Good Life | New life for Rock Hill School

You can’t drop first-graders, eighth-graders and everything in between into the confines of a one-room schoolhouse without expecting a little wear and tear, but that’s nothing compared to the ravages of time.

In 2005, the Rock Hill School at Linden Hall was just a shell of its former self — almost literally. Built in 1893, the structure had fallen into disrepair, having been abandoned in favor of those multi-classroom schools that are all the rage now. Windows were broken, sections of the roof rotted and the interior became a makeshift nursery for a burgeoning family of raccoons.

This was the site of a soon-to-be-thriving community center.

It’s been nearly a decade since Len Rockey and Ron Kreidler established a nonprofit for the purpose of revitalizing and restoring the Centre Hall school without sacrificing its historical import. Rockey’s wife, Nancy, serves on the board of the organization.

Several coats of paint and a new roof later, the trio’s ultimate vision for the property is finally starting to take shape.

“To have it at this point where it’s 99 percent finished is so rewarding,” Len Rockey said.

The decaying building sitting atop a small hill on Brush Valley Road in 2005 was no stranger to Rockey or Kreidler.

They had heard through the local grapevine that the owner was looking to sell but was reluctant to turn the property over to someone who would raze the school — and more than a century’s worth of history — to the ground.

Interested parties within the community approached Rockey and Kreidler about getting involved based on their active history working within the community.

Rockey and Kreidler saw potential in the structure, and with the help of grants and donations, began the long process of bringing it up to code.

“We had to gut the entire thing,” Rockey said.

The laundry list of renovations — far too long to list in its entirety — included replacing the roof, removing a collapsed stove and installing a ramp to make the school handicap accessible. Rockey estimated that over the course of the project, it accumulated more public volunteer hours than there are in a year.

“The community has absolutely been very supportive,” Rockey said.

While the finished product has its fair share of anachronisms — the inaugural class at Rock Hill probably would have killed for heating or air conditioning — the final result isn’t too far off from the real deal, right down to the blue paint on the walls and the original teacher’s desk sitting at the head of the classroom.

“When you do historical restoration you try to maintain the integrity of the building,” Rockey said.

For the past few years, the finished building has hosted weddings, line dancing classes and Eagle Scouts. There’s no charge, but visitors are asked to make a donation.

“People have been pretty generous with their donations,” Rockey said.

The group’s next project will focus on the school’s landscape, with an emphasis on constructing walking paths and terraced areas.

“There’s a lot of work waiting for us down there,” Kreidler said.

This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Good Life | New life for Rock Hill School."