South School
Also known as: Moses S. Bartlett's School; Kimball School; Number 8 District School
Why it's listed
Set on a sloping half-acre at the corner of Schoolhouse and Baker roads in southern Shutesbury, this small wooden schoolhouse was built around 1830 to serve one of the town's school districts. It is a 1½-story, side-gabled, clapboard building on a granite slab foundation, with a post-and-beam frame of mostly chestnut and simple Federal-style trim. Inside, it keeps the plan of a one-room school, with an entry hall, classroom and closet. The school operated until 1928, when the town closed it to save the cost of running three grammar schools. Pupils included children of Swedish immigrant families who settled nearby. It later became a dwelling and is now vacant. It is one of only two district schoolhouses left in town. A survey of comparable Massachusetts schools found side-gabled wooden examples with the entry on the long side to be rare, and the building remains on its original site.
Significance in brief: It is one of two surviving district schoolhouses in Shutesbury and reflects the development of public education in the town. It is a rare surviving side-gabled, wooden, one-room district school that keeps its original form and site. The nomination states it is the first such school individually listed in Massachusetts.
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 07001312, listed December 26, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6 Schoolhouse Rd., Schutesbury |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | December 26, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07001312 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca 1830 to 1928 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal (vernacular Federal) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to residential use after 1939; the form lists current function as vacant, with deteriorated wiring, no street power connection, and a dilapidated shed with a caved-in roof. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.41984, -72.43280 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 07001312.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7568386
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.