Unadilla Forks School
Also known as: Plainfield Town District No. 8 School; Wimac Rebekan Lodge 51
Why it's listed
Built in 1902 in the hamlet of Unadilla Forks, this two-story wood-frame schoolhouse replaced an earlier one-room school on the same site. Brothers John and Will Adams, local carpenters, constructed it with clapboard siding, a fieldstone foundation and a gable roof. Two classrooms with banked windows occupy the first floor, and a large assembly room lies above. It was the only two-story, multi-classroom school among Plainfield's districts, built as enrollment grew and state education reforms called for graded instruction. High school classes were taught from 1903 until 1925, and the district joined the West Winfield system in 1931. In 1940 an Odd Fellows lodge bought the building, and for about fifty years it served as the town's only public meeting hall. Apart from a lost bell tower and altered entrance doors, the plan and interior finishes survive largely unchanged. The building is now vacant and owned by the town, which intends to restore it.
Significance in brief: The nomination finds it significant under Criteria A and C as an intact example of an early twentieth-century multi-classroom rural schoolhouse, the only two-story, multi-classroom school in Plainfield's districts. It also has social history importance: after 1940 it served as an Odd Fellows and Rebekah lodge and was for decades the town's only public 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 98001117, listed August 28, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 113 NY 18A, Unadilla Forks |
|---|---|
| County | Otsego County |
| Listed | August 28, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001117 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902 |
| Architect / builder | Builders: John and Will Adams |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant; the Town of Plainfield has purchased the building intending to restore it to its role in the town's social life. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.84318, -75.23646 (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 98001117.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7882222
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.