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Overcast History and lore of the ‘Old Schoolhouse’ will live on
The upcoming demolition of the “old schoolhouse” at 2376 Washington Ave. has rekindled discussion over the authenticity of the claim that the building first served as a schoolhouse in the 1800s at another location in Oceanside. Is this just local lore? Or is it based in reality? While some community members may be saddened over the imminent loss of the old schoolhouse, how clear is the evidence that this structure is, in fact, the old schoolhouse? And even if this is the old schoolhouse, to what extent, if any, can it be preserved?
During its efforts to purchase this property, South Nassau Communities Hospital learned of the belief that this structure could possibly be Oceanside’s first schoolhouse. In an effort to address any public concerns, SNCH has been working very closely with the Oceanside Education Foundation (OEF) and the Oceanside School District — granting them unfettered access to the house to search for any structural clues that might corroborate its authenticity.
The reality is that there is no physical or officially recorded evidence that the structure still standing at 2376 Washington Avenue was ever a schoolhouse.
Long-time Oceanside residents believe the Washington Avenue house to be the structure that was originally built in 1838 at the northwest corner of Oceanside and Foxhurst Roads, and also used as a religious schoolhouse, house of worship and community meeting place over the years. When the school district built a larger building across from Salamander Firehouse (now the Schoolhouse Green), it is believed that the old schoolhouse was moved by Julia and Albert Wright to their family farm farther north on Oceanside Road to where School 5 now stands.
After Albert died in the late 1920s, Julia agreed to sell the farm to the Oceanside School District to allow for a new public school to be built — with one caveat: the family home had to be moved. So the house was moved slightly east to Washington Avenue where its owners included the McClain, Andoos and Blank families.
