District School No. 20
Why it's listed
District School No. 20 is a one-story, one-room schoolhouse on Route 3 just south of Purpura Corners in Hounsfield, Jefferson County. Built around the 1830s of rubble limestone from Chaumont, it has a gabled front with a projecting vestibule, flat-arched windows with radiating stone lintels, and a low rubblestone foundation. Inside, the vestibule and classroom are finished in beaded board. The stone was donated by Sackets Harbor figure Elisha Camp, who supplied it for at least four Hounsfield schoolhouses, probably to encourage settlement. The building reflects the town's era of stone construction and the use of local limestone. Later changes, including two-over-two windows for better light, a beaded-board interior and a stove chimney, show nineteenth- and early twentieth-century efforts to improve rural classrooms. Unlike its sister schools, it never received a window band, so its exterior remains closest to the original. Students began attending the central school in Sackets Harbor in 1938, and the building is now vacant.
Significance in brief: It is a well-preserved example of the one-room stone schoolhouse, built during Hounsfield's period of stone construction (c. 1810-1840) with Chaumont limestone donated by Elisha Camp. Its later alterations reflect a national movement to improve rural schools. It keeps the highest exterior integrity of the Camp-financed schools to its 1830s origins.
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 89001619, listed October 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NY 3, S of Co. Rd. 75, Hounsfield |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | October 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001619 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant; in fair condition, and the owner is considering reuse. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.92628, -76.10857 (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 89001619.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5283373
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.