Forestdale School
Also known as: Greenville School; Little Red School House
Why it's listed
Built in 1878 in the village of Forestdale, then called Greenville, this one-room schoolhouse on Route 130 in Sandwich was constructed by local carpenter Charles W. H. Meiggs under a contract of $734.72. It is a one-story, gable-fronted wood building with shingle siding, two transomed front entries, six-over-six windows, cornice returns and a broad frieze. A kitchen ell was added to the rear sometime between about 1905 and 1949. The school taught local children until a consolidated school opened in Sandwich Village in the late 1920s and replaced 21 district schools. After that, the town leased the building to the Forestdale Men's Club, and it continued as a community meeting place. It is described as the last intact survivor of Sandwich's district schools, since the others were moved and converted to homes. It was restored between 1978 and 1980 and is still town-owned and used for Scout meetings.
Significance in brief: It is described as the last intact survivor of Sandwich's original district schools and one of the last district schools on Cape Cod. It is also a well-preserved example of a late nineteenth-century wooden one-room schoolhouse. It later served as a community meeting place.
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 97000469, listed June 6, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 87 Falmouth--Sandwich Rd., Sandwich |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | June 6, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000469 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1878 - 1946 |
| Architect / builder | Meiggs, Charles W. H. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Town of Sandwich and used continuously since 1980 as a Boy Scout meeting place, after restoration and renovation between 1978 and 1980 following a period of vacancy. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 41.68760, -70.50383 (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 97000469.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5469228
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.