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Built on New Germany Road (ca. 1810-1830), Compton 's One-room School was relocated to Spruce Forest in 1989. Restoration made possible by a loan from Maryland Historical Trust. The school was donated by Cora Broadwater.
This is the last and only log school house in Western Maryland to be preserved and on display. Esther Yoder, who was the general manager at Spruce Forest at the time the school was brought here, was largely responsible for outfitting the school with furniture, books and supplies depicting the history of schools in the Casselman Valley . The building was built and used as a school, was occupied for a time as a dwelling, and again as a school, and finally as a blacksmith shop and then a car garage in the years before it was completely abandoned and left in a state of near-collapse.
Compton School was likely built by Robert Compton whose family came to this area from New Jersey after the Revolutionary War. As a child Compton had been an errand boy for George Washington. After his father died, Compton left Washington 's service, but continued to correspond with the general and president. George Washington, having served in the Alleghenies during the French and Indian War, may have encouraged the Comptons to move to Western Maryland. |
