West Union woman wins Page Affairs painting in ACRTA fundraiser

Susie Adamson of West Union walked away with more than a painting when the Adams County Retired Teachers Association drew its fundraiser winner. Adamson won Page Affairs, a work by local artist Lonnie Moore, and the prize quickly turned attention back to the Page One-Room School, the little schoolhouse at Page School and Vaughn Ridge Roads that ACRTA owns and is working to keep in the public eye.

Adamson’s connection to the school made the win especially fitting. Some of her family attended Page School over the years, and she grew up only a few miles away, giving the 1827 schoolhouse a personal meaning that goes beyond the raffle. The building stands on a .25-acre parcel that Nicholas and Dorcus Blake deeded to School District 4 for $4, and it remains one of the few one-room schools still standing in Adams County.

That history matters in a county where preservation carries real weight. Adams County was established on July 10, 1797, named for John Adams, and was one of the first four counties created in the Northwest Territory. It is also home to Serpent Mound, one of Ohio’s best-known historic sites, putting Page School in a broader landscape of places that tell the story of the county’s past. ACRTA’s stewardship gives residents a local landmark that is still physically tied to the road network and family memories of the area.

The fundraiser also points to work that is still unfinished. A 2024 report noted that retired teachers Mary Fulton and Phil Rhonemus were already seeking grant funding for repairs to the school, underscoring that preservation remains an active task rather than a finished project. ACRTA has said it plans to open the school in June and again in September for America 250-related observances, part of Ohio’s preparation for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

The statewide effort is being led by the America 250-Ohio Commission, formed in 2022, with the semiquincentennial culminating on July 4, 2026. Against that backdrop, ACRTA’s work at Page School does more than preserve a building. It keeps a local teaching site in circulation as a place for education, memory and public use, including a September 22 open house that will feature apple bobbing, old-time games, nature crafts, refreshments and a nature trail walk.

That same civic mission extends beyond the schoolhouse. ACRTA also runs a $500 scholarship for an Adams County graduating senior entering education, showing that the group’s reach includes both the county’s past and its next generation of teachers.