MOVING EDUCATION: Moving the Little White Schoolhouse

Valley’s Little White Schoolhouse was moved from its original location to its new resting place in the Valley Fairgrounds to become a cultural center for the town. (KS Brooks photo)

(KS BROOKS/Chewelah Independent)

PRESERVING HISTORY: Little White Schoolhouse moves to new location in Valley Fairgrounds…

July 15, over the course of history, doesn’t seem to be known for much. But in 2020, something major happened in the town of Valley, Washington that will be remembered for years to come. The Little White Schoolhouse, a building designated a Most Endangered Historic Place by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, was relocated from its perch atop a hill amongst the Valley School District facilities offices and the Valley Early Learning Center to its new home at the Valley Fairgrounds.

The effort to save the Little White Schoolhouse began in 2009 when Jackie Franks formed the Valley Historical Society (VHS) in hopes of transforming the historic building into a museum and headquarters for the Society. That was complicated by the fact that the building would have to be moved, and many fundraising efforts occurred over the years.

The Little White Schoolhouse in Valley makes a downhill trek during its move to the Valley Fairgrounds. (KS Brooks photo)

In 2016, Melissa Silvio, who is now the Historical Society’s vice president and was the project…