Bantam Ridge School
Why it's listed
Bantam Ridge School is a small one-room schoolhouse on Bantam Ridge Road near Wintersville, Ohio. Built between 1875 and 1880 for the Cross Creek Township Board of Education, it is a 20-by-30-foot frame building on a cut sandstone foundation, with shiplap siding, a gable roof, tall nine-over-nine windows and an oak-trimmed interior with slate blackboards. It served the first six grades until it closed in 1955. When it was threatened with demolition in 1977, former students and neighbors formed a historical society, and the township trustees acquired the building. It was moved 30 feet back from the road, which it had obscured for drivers, turned so its gable end faces the street, and set on its original foundation. Restoration began afterward. The school is significant as the only surviving example of its kind in the township and the county, and for retaining much of its original detailing.
Significance in brief: It is described as the sole surviving remnant of the 19th-century township district school system in Cross Creek Township and the last one-room schoolhouse in the county. Strip mining and the sprawl of nearby Steubenville removed most others. It retains a high degree of structural integrity, with most of its interior and exterior detailing and finishes intact.
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 81000442, listed October 1, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Bantam Ridge Rd., Wintersville |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | October 1, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000442 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1875-1880 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Moved in 1977 away from the road edge and reset on its original foundation, rotated 180 degrees; a restoration project had begun. Listed as unoccupied, in fair condition, with a museum use noted. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.35954, -80.73082 (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 81000442.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138391290
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.