{"nrhp_refnum":"89001456","name":"Damascus Grade School","other_names":["Damascus Schoolhouse","Damascus Grade School Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"14923 Morris St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Damascus","county":"Mahoning County","state":"OH","lat":40.90253174000003,"lon":-80.95445799399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-09-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, two-room red brick schoolhouse at 14923 Morris Street (State Route 534) in Damascus, Goshen Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, built in 1902 by the township school board and now used as a museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C for architecture. It is the best-preserved early two-room schoolhouse in the county. Its conservative design echoes earlier Quaker meeting houses and the 1857 Damascus Academy rather than contemporary school designs, reflecting the lasting influence of Damascus's Quaker heritage.","narrative":"Built in 1902 by the Goshen Township school board, this two-story brick schoolhouse in Damascus, Ohio, measures 41 by 30 feet and rests on a cut sandstone foundation. Brick pilasters divide the facades into bays, the rear wall carries a raised Roman cross in brick, and the slate gable roof holds a belfry with the original 300-pound bell. Inside, oak floors, wainscoting, slate blackboards and a pressed metal ceiling survive. Damascus was settled by Quakers in 1806, and the school's plain design, with simple cornice returns, resembles earlier Quaker meeting houses and the 1857 Damascus Academy rather than turn-of-the-century school plans. It is also considered the most intact early two-room school in Mahoning County, where few remained by 1947. The school closed in 1949, later served as a house, and was bought by the Damascus Area Historical Society in 1983, which operates it as a museum. Two wood privies on the grounds contribute to the setting.","period_of_significance":"1902","architect_builder":"Cameron, H.E. (architect/carpenter); Borton, Samuel (mason)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th century revivals","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Abandoned as a school in 1949 and used as a house until sold to the Damascus Area Historical Society in 1983; now used as a museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:15.069033-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/89001456.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001456/2aa38f8ca0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001456/2aa38f8ca0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damascus_Grade_School.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damascus_Grade_School.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990072","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138562091"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/mahoning-county/damascus-grade-school-89001456/"}