Chana School
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Chana School
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Chana School is an example of a fully restored two-room schoolhouse in Oregon, Illinois.
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| Location | Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois, USA |
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| Coordinates | 42°01′03.58″N 89°19′26.26″W / 42.0176611°N 89.3239611°WCoordinates: 42°01′03.58″N 89°19′26.26″W / 42.0176611°N 89.3239611°W |
| Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1883 |
| Architect | Joel Haymaker |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP Reference # | 05001369 |
| Added to NRHP | December 6, 2005 |
Chana School is a Registered Historic Place in Ogle County, Illinois, in the county seat of Oregon, Illinois. One of six Oregon sites listed on the Register, the school is an oddly shaped, two-room schoolhouse which has been moved from its original location. Chana School joined the Register in 2005 as an education museum.
The schoolhouse was built in 1883, in the village of Chana, Illinois. Due to the elimination of the Chana School District, the school was abandoned by the 1960s. A restoration effort was undertaken in the late 1990s, ending with a move and refurbishment in 2002 and 2003. The building now stands in a public park along the Rock River in Oregon, Illinois. Its interior also features architectural elements which set it apart from the typical 19th-century schoolhouse. From a distance, the building is dominated by its bell tower.
The Chana Pine Rock School was founded in 1883. It operated until 1953, when the school was retired. It was the only wooden, two-room schoolhouse built in the area. One of the two classrooms was used by students in lower grades, the other by older students, up to eighth grade. Through the late early 1950s, one classroom was still used and the additional space used for storage.
The village of Chana was founded in 1871, half a mile northwest of White Oak School, which was built in 1869. Chana's early settlers sent their children to White Oak School up to eighth grade, but White Oak was abandoned in 1883 when Chana School was built in a park in Chana. The White Oak building was used as a storage barn for hay until a fire destroyed it in 1886. In 1893, a second classroom was added to the existing structure of Chana School.
Chana's first teacher was D.C. Sears, an Oregon, Illinois resident. The late 19th century saw at least ten individuals teach at Chana School at different times. By 1888, Pine Rock Township was ready to address the question of whether or not to build a high school; Chana students attended high school in Oregon. The question was brought to a vote but failed and Chana students continued to go to Oregon schools after eighth grade.
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