Fifth-graders from Upper Adams Intermediate School are stepping back in time this fall with small-group visits to Mud College in Littlestown, a restored one-room schoolhouse that hosts the Immersive Living History program. Because the building is a single classroom, classes toured in groups rather than as an entire grade.
Inside the 19th-century room, students took on the identities of real schoolchildren from the era—each with a character name and brief backstory—then spent the day under the direction of a costumed docent-teacher. Dressed in period attire (collared shirts, suspenders, long pants, and caps for boys; plain blouses with long skirts or dresses and aprons for girls), they practiced the routines of a late-1800s school: writing on slates, standing for recitations, and working through arithmetic, reading, spelling, grammar, science, and social studies. The immersive format reinforced ongoing lessons in American history, math, science, and language arts while giving students a tangible sense of how different school life once was.
Adding a personal local touch, retired Upper Adams School District teacher Ann Ratay serves as a longtime Mud College docent. Ratay taught second grade for many years and once attended a one-room school herself at Pitzer’s School near Eisenhower’s farm. “The field trip is such a delightful experience,” she said. “I love the enthusiasm of the students. They’re immersed in living the part and don’t even realize how much they’re learning.” Ratay noted that the structure and expectations of the historical classroom often surprise students—and sometimes their teachers. “Many teachers tell me their students are not usually that well behaved,” she said with a smile.
Ratay recalls especially meaningful moments, including the day a grandfather—himself a one-room-school alumnus—joined his granddaughter’s visit. She hopes more schools will return; since the pandemic, she said, primarily Upper Adams and Littlestown students have been able to come.
By day’s end, the Upper Adams fifth-graders left with more than facts: they gained a concrete connection to the everyday experiences of children their age more than a century ago, and a clearer sense of how the foundations of modern schooling were laid in classrooms like Mud College.
Amy Thomas, Contributing Editor, is responsible for community outreach, including our social media presence. She, her husband, and her two children reside in Adams County. Amy also works in occupational therapy and volunteers with local organizations.
Great story. Thank you.