Churchville School
Also known as: Fischer School
Why it's listed
Churchville School is a one-room frame schoolhouse on Church Road near Bensenville, in northeastern DuPage County, Illinois. Its school district was organized in 1846, on land donated by the Fischer family, local German immigrant farmers. The building is rectangular and front-gabled, with Greek Revival details such as a wide frieze, cornice returns and corner pilasters. It sits on a rock-faced limestone foundation, has clapboard siding and cedar shingles, and carries a belfry above a vestibule that was added early. Children from Bensenville, Elmhurst and Addison Township attended until 1930, and the school became English-only in 1886. A group of former students restored it in 1967-1968. The nomination highlights the building because most one-room schools in the county were demolished, moved or converted, while this one survives intact at its original site. Period furnishings and a frame privy remain on the grounds, and the school hosted a living history program in the 1990s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of education as a well-preserved one-room schoolhouse. It is described as one of very few such schools in DuPage County still intact at its original location. It served Addison Township and Elmhurst families from about 1846 until 1930.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 99000114, listed February 5, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3N 784 Church Rd., Bensenville |
|---|---|
| County | DuPage County |
| Listed | February 5, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000114 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1846-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and retaining historic integrity; listed as not in use, though the owner used it for a living history program in 1995-1997. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.93552, -87.95406 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 99000114.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5118279
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.