Carter Street Schoolhouse No. 21
Why it's listed
Carter Street Schoolhouse No. 21 is a small limestone building near Stone Mills in the Town of Orleans, Jefferson County, New York. Built around 1850, it has one and a half stories, a single center entrance, two windows on each side, and a seamed metal roof with a brick chimney. The stonework is coursed, cut and carefully laid, with dressed limestone lintels and sills. Inside, the original plank floors and the one-room open plan survive, even though many interior finishes were removed in an unsuccessful effort to make the building a residence. It served families north and east of Stone Mills until school districts consolidated in the 1930s, and appears as Schoolhouse No. 21 on an 1855 county map. It is considered the best example of its type in the town and region, since other nearby schools have been heavily altered or have deteriorated. The quality of its stonework is extremely high, and it stands after nearly 150 years without structural failure.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a largely intact, distinctive example of a mid-19th century one-room schoolhouse and the best surviving example of that building type in the town and region. It also played an integral role in the community's educational development, serving families north and east of Stone Mills until school district consolidation in the 1930s.
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 96000665, listed June 28, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Vaadi and Dog Hill Rds., SW corner, Orleans |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | June 28, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000665 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1850 - c.1930 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th century |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use. Interior finishes were removed about 10 years before the nomination in an attempt to convert it to residential use, but the original plank floors and one-room plan remain. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 44.11966, -75.95286 (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 96000665.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5047218
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.