Little Red Schoolhouse

The Little Red Schoolhouse opened in 1877 to educate the children of the Forestdale neighborhood of North Smithfield, many whose parents were employed by the Forestdale Manufacturing Company. While many one-room schoolhouses around the country closed in the early 1900s, the Forestdale Schoolhouse continued operating until 1974. Notice the two doors. The schoolhouse, despite having only one room, still required segregated entrances for boys and girls. When it closed its doors to pupils in 1974 it was taken over by the North Smithfield Heritage Association (NSHA) the following year. Today the building serves as the NSHA museum, gift store, and local school system research center.