Indian Rock Schoolhouse
Also known as: District #3 Schoolhouse; Webutuck County Schoolhouse
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Set alone in an open meadow on Mygatt Road near the hamlet of Amenia, this small timber-framed schoolhouse dates from about 1850. It measures 17 by 26 feet and has a laid stone foundation, board-and-batten siding, a steeply pitched gable roof and Gothic Revival details above its windows. Separate entrances for boys and girls sit near the rear of the side elevations, and the single classroom retains low wainscoting, traces of plaster and blackboards, and channels in the floor where fixed desks once stood. The school served as District #3 until about 1927, and the rear was later altered for storage. In the mid-nineteenth century Amenia had twelve one-room schools, and this is the only one that survives intact as a school. It was listed as an example of New York's mid-century school reform and of Gothic Revival influence on rural school design. The land was donated in 2000 to a nonprofit association formed to restore it.
Significance in brief: It is described as the last of 12 rural schools in this part of eastern Dutchess County to survive intact as a school building. It is a rare example of a nineteenth-century one-room schoolhouse and of the standard school type that arose during mid-nineteenth-century educational reform in New York. Its steep gable roof and Gothic detailing reflect the Gothic Revival influence on school design.
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 02000306, listed April 1, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Mygatt Rd., Amenia |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | April 1, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000306 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant/not in use; in fair condition after decades of neglect, with window openings sealed for about 20 years. A nonprofit association was formed to restore it. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.86130, -73.54616 (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 02000306.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706527
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.