Education Spotlight: The Mechanicsville School

Except for a beautifully preserved old farmhouse in the tony Neely Farm subdivision, there isn't much of Peachtree Corners' past to see.

Developers came in and plowed under old homes, barns and other keepsakes of its past to make room for sprawling subdivisions on meandering streets leaving the community without much to remind it of its roots.

But the city's expanded borders has taken in a bit of the area's past - a one-room schoolhouse built in the early 1900s.

The Mechanicsville School, located on the corner of Third Street and Florida Avenue is hidden from the hustle and bustle of nearby Buford Highway just west of the railroad tracks.

The wood-framed schoolhouse, surrounded by industrial and commercial businesses, seems out of place. But it once served the children of the mechanics who lived and worked in the area.

Records show Mechansville's former teachers were required not only to teach 1st through 7th grade students, but also sweep the floors, gather wood and build fires in the two pot-bellied stoves during the winter months.

Despite being registered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, the historic building remains almost forgotten. It's something State Rep. Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth) would like to change.

"I've always dreamed of converting the Mechanicsville School into a teaching museum," said Coleman who served as Peachtree Elementary School's first principal.

The school opened in 1911 and operated for 28 years before Gwinnett County began consolidating schools and constructing better buildings. Records show that in 1923 two teachers taught 87 students for a school year that lasted only six and a half months.

Wooden schoolhouses without running water, bathrooms, adequate lighting or playgrounds were common in the area during the early part of the 20th century. Most are now long gone, relegated to a simple page in a nearly-forgotten history book.

It's what makes the Mechanicsville School so valuable says Coleman. Gwinnett County Public School system currently owns the building. Coleman would like to see it relocated to an area where it would be more accessible and open for tours or visits.

The little building is a treasure trove of history with its original desks and some of the other furnishings still stored in the attic. If you're in the area, take time to drive past the 112-year-old schoolhouse for a glimpse of the past.