Old Matt School, c. 1945, Forsyth County, GA

Photographer facing SW, Bannister Road

The "Old" Matt School, named for the Matt Community, was constructed in 1945 and was used as a school until 1968. The northern part of the county that the school served is now served by Matt Elementary School which was built in 2001. The old school has since been used as a commercial structure, most recently as a retail mattress store that I'm not sure is open any longer.

According to the Matt Elementary School website, students walked to the old school and got their drinking water from a spring. An interesting concept for its time, the students didn't use desks, but sat on benches around an open fireplace.  

Photographer facing SE

In just about every community, there are old schools like this that are no longer in use. Many school systems turn them into administrative offices, and some, like this one, are used for businesses.

The old William Robinson School (where I attended the 7th grade) in Augusta, GA has been turned into residential housing. You can read about it here.

Photographer facing east

In these old structures, I'm sure any proposed renovation or restoration activities present challenges in dealing with hazardous building materials such as lead paint and asbestos.

However, the end result could be the preservation of structures that played such a large role in the shaping of this community's children, as well as providing housing for the increasing number of young professionals that are calling Forsyth County home.

Anyone have an extra million dollars laying around?