The historic District 81 Pleasant View Schoolhouse is a fully furnished 1900-era one-room museum that was recently restored to its original appearance.
Thomas J. and Elizabeth (Rowlands) Humphreys held the first local school in their home until George U. Jones donated the land in 1878 and School District 81 was established, three years before the town of Wymore was established.
The present schoolhouse was built in 1906 and was originally located about 2 miles south of Wymore at the north end of the Welsh settlement centered on the Bethel Welsh church. This was the first school to be built by the Welsh community for the education of their children.
Gwenith Closs Colgrove, president of the Welsch Heritage Centre, said her father attended the school.
“Many of the children that attended Pleasant View were of Welsch heritage,” she said. “… There were also many children of German and Czech Heritage. I was in the last classes that attended the school before it closed in the fall of 1960.”
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“Many of the children did not speak English,” said Vice President Jayne Williams Rudder. “That must have been a joy for the teachers, but it didn’t take them long to learn how. The Welsh children wanted to speak English. Maybe that is why the Germans kept the language longer.”
The building was relocated to McCandless Park in 1967. In 2018, the building was completely restored. The desks are original to the school, as well as the plaster that is made of goat hair.
The commercial curtain hangs in the building advertising local businesses that have since closed. There are some of the original maps, a clock and writing on the chalkboard. The original phone also hangs in the building. They had a party line with each person having a specific ring pattern.
Dean Cole attended the school from 1955-1958.
“Many of my family also attended the school,” he said. “What was great about the school is that it was also a center for gathering. We had Christmas parties, picnics and all sorts of events held at the school. There were Welsh, German, Czech, Irish and Swede, and we all got along. It was a tradition of good people attending the school.”
Twice a year volunteers from the Great Plains Welsh Heritage project offer “A Day at Country School” event at the schoolhouse for local fourth graders. Students experience a day of authentic 1929 lessons and learn a little Welsh. They also learn about the history of country schools and the significance of this particular school in the Welsh settlement.
The Pleasant View Schoolhouse is open to visitors Memorial Day weekend, Sam Wymore Days in June and on request.
The Great Plains Welsh Heritage Centre is located at 307 S. Seventh St. in Wymore.
In recent months the Welsh Centre announced plans for the addition of a 2,200 square-foot exhibit space.
Closs Colgrove said over the years their collection has continued to grow.
“Thanks to generous donations from across the United States, Canada, Wales and beyond, our collection has continued to grow. Now the enthusiasm of the hundreds of visitors we welcomed to our museum and archive during the recent North American Festival of Wales, it has inspired us to take the next step in telling the story of the Welsh people on the Great Plains and throughout North America. In this new space, we will be able to exhibit many more of the unique and historic items entrusted to our care, as well as expanded interpretive displays.”
The board hopes to begin construction in 2024 but is seeking to raise $175,000 for the addition. The Welsh Centre recently received a $5,000 grant from the Morris Foundation.
For more information on the Welsh Heritage Centre and Museum, check the Facebook page or the website at www.greatplainswelsh.org.
