Glen Erin School – first in the Black Hills
My favorite thing about living in the Black Hills is that there is always something new to discover. Last weekend some family and I were out for a drive in the southern Black Hills, when we happened upon a surprising little building.
Nestled quietly along the western border of Custer State Park, sits the historic Glen Erin School – the first public school building in the Black Hills. I’d never heard of this before, so had to stop to check it out.
It is the original school house, built in 1882, which has been carefully restored by the Custer County Historical Society. A new roof and entrance to the building have been added on to help protect it from the elements, but most of the logs in the side walls and the foundation are original.
Rustic benches and desks have been added to the inside to try to re-create the original atmosphere as much as possible. The Glen Erin School is a really unique little place in the Black Hills and is well worth a visit.
It is located on Lower French Creek Road, east of Custer a few miles and south of Stockade Lake. I took several photos of the school and have posted a few of them here to pique your interest.
Just another one of the hidden gems in the Black Hills. What’s your favorite “off the beaten path” discovery in the area?
Have you been to the ghost town of Spokane? There is a neat old schoolhouse there that is falling in on itself, but you can still make out what was written on the blackboard.
I haven’t explored Spokane yet – but now it’s on my to do list. Thanks for the heads-up, blackhillsfun!
Where is Spokane located? Would love to see it.
Chris – Spokane is down in southern Custer County. Our friend Chad, over at the Dakotagraph blog, recently posted some great directions and images of the Spokane area at http://www.dakotagraph.com/2009/11/spokane-ghost-town.html
There is a tombstone there of a guy who got shot over a gold claim. It’s kinda spooky. We ride our horses there quite often and they act a little skittish around that area. Really.
Thanks so much. Going to head up therethis weekend with the fam and get some pics.
Thanks to a heads-up from some of our readers, we’ve come across some new helpful information. It turns out that the sign outside of the Glen Erin school isn’t entirely accurate. Although this building does claim to be the home of the first country school in Custer County, it was not, necessarily the first school in the Black Hills. There are records of earlier schools in the Lead/Deadwood areas and possibly else where in the hills, but the Custer County Historical Society stands by it’s claim that the Glen Erin building was most likely the first in their area of the southern hills. Our apologies for any confusion.