Historic Rhoades School House, Elk Grove

Exterior Cleaned by No Moss Softwash

In 1976, the Bicentennial Year, the Rhoads School was moved from its home on Sloughhouse Road to the Elk Grove Park. Members of the community contributed hundreds of hours restoring the deteriorating building and returning it to its appearance around the end of the 19th century.

With the school in located in the Elk Grove Park, the newly formed Elk Grove Historical Society assumed the responsibility of administering it for the community.

Today the Rhoads School serves two purposes. It is a Living History Program in the Sacramento County area, and it is also a museum that is open to the public during special events and the first Saturday of every month from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

The Rhoads School Living History Program introduces children of today to the education and life of children of the 1890’s. Third and fourth grade classes spend a day at the school, learning what it was like to be a student in a one-room schoolhouse so long ago. Their subjects are the usual reading, writing, arithmetic, and spelling, and also elocution and penmanship. They played recess games that were played at that time: jacks, jump rope, marbles, stilts, and others.

Presently, our six trained docents led about 80 classes during a school year, mostly in the fall. They can request dates by contacting our scheduler at 916-685-8115. Here is a look at the school…