STOP! Save The Old Place!

What old place? The Beech Ridge one-room schoolhouse.

The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum is dedicated to preserving Scarborough’s history and artifacts and sharing the town’s unique story with all who pass through our doors. Our acquisition of the Beech Ridge School (also known as the Beech Ridge Community Club) reflects this mission and our commitment to safeguarding the educational heritage that shaped generations of Scarborough residents, particularly in the town’s rural districts.

Located at 184 Holmes Road, the Beech Ridge School is the last surviving one-room schoolhouse in Scarborough. All others have either been demolished or repurposed beyond recognition. Beech Ridge served local children from shortly before 1870 until the mid-1940s. It is very possible that members of your own family once sat at its desks or attended a similar one-room schoolhouse elsewhere in town.

Our goal is to restore the building for multi-functional community use, including hands-on educational programs that allow children and visitors to experience what learning was like in a traditional one-room school. Restoration work began in 2019, and while much progress has been made, significant work remains.

To date, restoration expenses have exceeded $200,000, all in service of preserving this irreplaceable landmark. Recent efforts include fresh exterior paint, completed flooring, and the start of work on a bathroom and small kitchen. These improvements bring us closer to reopening the schoolhouse for public programs, but we are not there yet.

We need your help to finish the restoration and ensure that the Beech Ridge Schoolhouse stands as a living reminder of Scarborough’s past for future generations.

Please consider donating today.

The Scarborough Historical Society & Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. (Please consult your tax advisor.)

Together, we can save the old place and preserve a vital piece of Scarborough’s history.