Update: The money was raised and the restoration project was completed in 2007.  Thank you to all the generous contributors who made this project possible.   Below is information about the purpose of the restoration.

If you would like to contribute to the ongoing maintenance and operation of the Little White Schoolhouse, Birthplace of the Republican Party, please see below or email chamber@ripon-wi.com

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The purpose of the "Rediscover Our Little White Schoolhouse" fundraising campaign and celebration was to carry out much needed maintenance and restoration.

Ripon's Little White Schoolhouse is a 151-year old wooden building.  It was extensively remodeled to be a house and then restored.  It has been moved six times (leading one person to quip that it may have been the nations first 'mobile home').  At its present location it receives over 3,000 visitors a year.  The Little White Schoolhouse draws visitors to Ripon from all over the United States as well at making a notable contribution to the local economy.  All this has led to considerable wear and tear on the building.  On the other hand, funds for its upkeep and operation have been limited and necessary maintenance was long overdue.

More important, the capacity of the Little White Schoolhouse to serve as a tourist attraction or as an educational focal point for our children has been limited by the lack of climate control facilities in the building and the lack of funds needed to carry out a complete and authentic restoration.

A complete restoration and conservation of the Little White Schoolhouse, birthplace of the Republican Party, was completed in 2007.  The project restored the Schoolhouse to its 1850s condition and added mechanicals allowing for environmental controls which will preserve the building and its collection of artifacts from the rigors of Wisconsin's humid summers and cold winters.

The Jeffris Foundation of Janseville, Wis., provided a $60,000 challenge grant for the restoration project.  An additional $120,000 was raised from other sources, principally from the Ripon community, to insure that the Jeffris funds could be applied to the restoration. 

The Jeffris Foundation also provided a substantial grant which allowed completion of a historic assessment report on the Little White Schoolhouse.  From this document, plans were made for the total restoration of the facility which annually attracts visitors from around the United States and several foreign countries.

Now that the restoration is complete, the facility has the capability of being open year-round providing schoolhouse simulations for fourth and fifth gade school children in a Prairie School Experience program.  This program element of the Schoolhouse includes the development of curricular matierials which will allow public, private and home-schooled students within an hour's drive of Ripon to compare and contrast life in the 1850s from their lives and educational experiences in the 21st Century.

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Little White School House
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