Bethel School, located a few miles from downtown Honesdale, is a well-preserved one-room school house, built about 1870. The school sits on county land near the former Poor Farm in Berlin Township. It was closed as a school in 1951, and its stone foundation was beginning to crumble when the Wayne County Historical Society met with the county commissioners in May of 1997 at the building to discuss the possibility of saving it before it collapsed. The commissioners agreed to put in a new stone foundation and paid for a new roof, rebuilt the porch and stairs, and had the exterior painted in historically accurate colors. Much work was provided by the county jail’s work-release program.

Since the summer of 1998, the historical society’s volunteers have organized educational programs and open houses at the Bethel School through an agreement with the county commissioners. Since then, thousands of visitors have walked back in time by visiting the Bethel School.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society 810 Main St., Honesdale, PA, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday beginning April 16. For a schedule of Bethel School programs, see WayneHistoryPA.org or call 570/253-3240.