Old Hoopes School
Why it's listed
Built around 1873 on Jack's Creek about five miles from Lewistown, the Old Hoopes School is a one-and-one-half-story brick building on a cobblestone foundation, measuring 28 by 38 feet under a gable roof with boxed cornices and brackets. Its single main entrance sits in the east gable end beneath a gabled porch, and nine-over-nine windows with stone lintels light the room. Inside, one large room holds desks facing west toward natural slate blackboards that span the full width of the wall, with wainscoting to window height and coat pegs along the east wall. The school served surrounding farms and the village of Maitland, which had a post office, depot and station on the Mifflin and Centre Railroad in the 1880s. Its original frame outhouses stand behind the building. It is regarded as an excellent example of a central Pennsylvania one-room schoolhouse, a type that was the standard rural school in America until consolidation in the 1940s and 1950s made it obsolete.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is an excellent example of a central Pennsylvania one-room schoolhouse and that it represents the standard rural educational facility until consolidation in the 1940s and 1950s. It serves the surrounding farms and the village of Maitland, and its interior is kept in its school room appearance.
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 78002431, listed December 20, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Lewistown, Lewistown |
|---|---|
| County | Mifflin County |
| Listed | December 20, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002431 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1873 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form describes the school as in excellent condition and altered, with the original cedar shingle roof replaced by tin. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 40.64020, -77.50670 (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 78002431.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7084239
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.