Old Richmond Schoolhouse and Gymnasium
Why it's listed
Two frame buildings on Tobaccoville Road in northern Forsyth County recall the early years of a rural school. The older is a one-story, two-room schoolhouse built around 1914 with weatherboard siding, a metal roof and a projecting center entry bay. It served white children from Tobaccoville and the surrounding area until about 1922, when it was moved roughly twenty feet back to make room for a larger consolidated brick school. It then housed teachers and the principal until 1976 and was restored in 1980. Beside it stands a gymnasium from about 1940, with a raised brick basement, wood strip floor and open truss ceiling. Basketball had become popular at Old Richmond School, and with county money scarce during the Depression, the gym was built using Works Progress Administration funds along with donations of money, materials and labor from the community. Together the buildings represent local education from 1914 to 1958 and have remained in school use.
Significance in brief: The buildings are locally significant under Criterion A in the area of education for their association with rural education in Tobaccoville. The schoolhouse was the first of three Old Richmond schools on the site, and the gymnasium was built with Works Progress Administration funds plus donated money, materials and labor from local patrons. Criteria Consideration B is claimed because the schoolhouse was moved about twenty feet in 1922.
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 08001362, listed January 21, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6315 and 6375 Tobaccoville Rd., Tobaccoville |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | January 21, 2009 |
| Reference number | 08001362 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both buildings have been in continuous use by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system. The schoolhouse was rehabilitated and restored to its original two-classroom configuration in 1980. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 36.20498, -80.39030 (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.
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 08001362.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18639995
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.