Property Record
W11619 CTH V
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Okee School |
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| Other Name: | Okee Community Center |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 153061 |
| Location (Address): | W11619 CTH V |
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| County: | Columbia |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Lodi |
| Unincorporated Community: | OKEE |
| Town: | 10 |
| Range: | 8 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 8 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1853 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2009 |
| Historic Use: | school-one to six room |
| Architectural Style: | Front Gabled |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Aluminum/Vinyl Siding |
| Architect: | Ezra Fowler |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. One-room school constructed in 1853, with later small additions at front and back. Small belfry and prominent square brick chimney at front of original building. Body of building currently clad in vinyl siding. Belfry clad in wooden clapboards. School was enlarged in 1882: original building raised 10" above foundation, new walls and floor constructed; 8' addition constructed to north end; chimney raised; roof reshingled. 2011- "The Okee School House is a simple one-story, front-gabled, wood frame building with a stone and concrete foundation, faux-wood-grain vinyl siding, and an asphalt-shingled roof with slightly overhanging eaves. In plan, the building consists of three masses, all of which are front gabled: a small entry wing (added in 1866 and enlarged in 1882), the original 1853 main school room, and a smaller rear addition (constructed c.1920). The building has 1-over-1, double hung windows on two sides (north and west) and entrances on the north and south elevations. A small bell tower is centered at the northern end of the main/center gable. The bell tower has clapboard siding, an asphalt-shingled pyramidal roof, and open arches on all four sides. A red brick chimney stands on the western slope of the entry gable; this chimney was moved from its original location at the south end of the main/center gable around the time the entry wing was enlarged (1882). A contributing storage shed is located just east of the schoolhouse, and likely functioned as an outhouse or pumphouse (now relocated) during the school's period of significance. The shed is clad in wood clapboard siding and has a pyramidal metal roof and a wood paneled door on its south side. Two noncontributing storage sheds stand near the fence line on the south side of the building; these sheds are of modern plywood and plastic construction. The Okee School fronts north onto County Highway V; a paved parking strip runs parallel to CTH V with angled parking spaces along a curbed sidewalk. A chain-link fence separates the parking area and sidewalk from the school building and yard. A flagpole stands along an L-shaped concrete sidewalk that connects the front door of the schoolhouse with the public sidewalk through an opening in the fence. The Okee School sits on the eastern edge of the historic schoolyard which consists of an open lawn and a noncontributing playground containing a swing set, teeter-totter, merry-go-round, as well as a noncontributing play set with wood-chip surround. The property is surrounded on the north, east, and south sides by a chain-link fence; several mature trees stand along the south, east, and west edges of the schoolyard. The north (front) elevation of the Okee School faces County Highway V and is symmetrical with one 1-over-1 double-hung window on each side of a central entry door. The front door is of metal construction and contains one large plate glass window. Mounted to the siding above the front door is a painted sign that reads "OKEE COMMUNITY CENTER: 1853 I THIS HISTORIC SCHOOL HOUSE, KNOWN AS THE LAKE OKEE SCHOOL, OPERATED FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS (1853-1959). IN EARLIER DAYS IT ALSO SERVED THIS VILLAGE AS A CHURCH AND A PLACE WHERE WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS WERE HELD." A small electric light is mounted just below the gable to illuminate the sign. The east elevation of the building has no windows or doors. An electric meter is attached near the northeast corner of the building. A metal gutter runs the length of the eave with downspouts at each corner." -"CTH V: STH 113 to CTH J", WisDOT#5843-00-01, Prepared by Gail Klein and Justin Miller (2011). |
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| Bibliographic References: | Browning, John Sr. "Lake Okee School." unpublished manuscript in collection of West Point Area Historical Society, 2003. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |