Maple Grove School (1904 - 1949)

PRIVATE PROPERTY. EXERCISE CAUTION AS YOU OBSERVE FROM THE ROAD. THE SCHOOL IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DURING HERITAGE WEEKEND (SEPTEMBER).

Rural and winding Sauerkraut Road leads to a beacon of pride for the community once you reach the divergence of Dutch Hollow. Maple Grove, a beaming and beautiful schoolhouse stands tall and proud surrounded by Maple trees. It is said to have been named by Bill Conrad's daughter. In operation from 1905-1949, it educated the inhabitants of Dutch Hollow and Sauerkraut communities. Today the school lovingly stands renovated by descendants of the builders. It's easy to imagine a school day long gone as this building still stands with some of its original artifacts.

This is a Mountain Heritage Trails project made possible through the support of the Hardy County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area AmeriCorps program, and the West Virginia University Fulcrum Project.

Heritage Trail Project Coordinator: Shefa Nola Benoit

Researchers: Ethan Combs & Shefa Nola Benoit

Built in 1904 and closed in 1949, Maple Grove is located about four miles from Wardensville. Maple Grove was a one-room schoolhouse built up on the property of the Hahn family who own over 250 acres of the surrounding area. Early in the 1930's, two brother John and Wilbur Hahn began a sawmill business. The schoolhouse pops up right at the divergence of Dutch Hollow Road. In older times, the school is referenced as being five miles from US-259 (Strawderman 104). Maple Grove is a small wood frame building. It measures 24 by 36 feet. Prior to the extensive renovations of the school, it featured a cream-colored siding, shingled roof, large-paned windows and was heated through a furnace in the middle of the schoolroom. 

Prior to its closure in 1949, the school offered a place for the students to learn to read and write. Karen Findley, a Hahn descendent and current caretaker of the school claimed that “Most of us were brothers, sisters, and cousins back here in [Dutch] Hollow,”. The students carried water from the nearby stream, all drinking from the same dipper dunked in the bucket. The furnace kept the children warm in the brutal, and stark winters that the Appalachian Mountains face. The typical school day began at 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM for a four-to-six-month term. The school served grades 1 through 8 and all were taught reading, writing, and math (Whitson). 

When school was not in session, it doubled as a place for socials, parties, and worship. It was a center of the community in Dutch Hollow. Wardensville eventually opened a high school and students had the opportunity to further their education. Most students would make the long walk from Dutch Hollow to Wardensville, and eventually transportation services were offered. 

Today, the school is a reminder of the 20th century. The Hahns are proud to feature the school annually at the Hardy County Heritage Weekend. Walking through its wooden doorway, it is as if one is transported to the olden days. Old books decorate the desks, the walls are filled with old report cards, attendance sheets, and family photos. It is a well-preserved historic building. The simple familial love and devotion of the property owners makes the school so unique in the grove of maple trees it stands in. 

Ross, Jamie S., Tom Cogill, and Peter Forbes. “Chapter 7: Dutch Hollow.” Essay. In Listening to the Land: Stories from the Cacapon and Lost River Valley, 93–116. Morgantown WV: West 

Virginia University Press, 2013. 

Combs, Ethan, and Karen Finley. Dutch Hollow and Maple Grove School. Personal, April 2, 2022. 

Whitson, Suzanne W. Early Hardy County, WV Schools: The 1976 Bicentennial Project, 2008.