Side A: In 1854, Samuel and Rebecca McClellan Collins deeded 1.28 acres to Beavercreek Township, Greene County, for the purpose of building a schoolhouse. The first two schoolhouses were constructed of stone with fireplaces for heat. Collins neighborhood children in first through eighth grade were educated in the present red brick building until 1944, when decreased enrollment forced Xenia Township to close the school. Virgil and Helen Bryson Brantley, great-granddaughter of Samuel and Rebecca Collins, purchased the school property in 1982 and began the restoration of the vandalized and deteriorated schoolhouse. The pony/coal shed and privies were rebuilt on their foundations. (Continued on other side)
Side B: (Continued from other side) The Brantley’s enlisted two teachers to research and organize a curriculum of rural education. On August 30, 1986, Collins School was formally “re-dedicated for the purpose of education.” That fall, students from area schools were invited to experience a day of “readin’, ritin’ and ‘rithmetic” as it would have taken place in the late 1800’s. Each year, nearly 2,400 children and adults enjoy this opportunity led by the Collins’ teachers. The students learn citizenship and history, recite from McGuffey Readers, practice on slates, and play old-fashioned games in the school yard as part of their day of “living history.”
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