Oakdale School
BOCS preserves the Oakdale School House, located inside the fence on the south side of the refuge, near the old JPG buildings and the Jefferson County Highway Department facility.
This school serves as an interpretive site, and is used as an educational resource for joint programs with the local area school systems, Big Oaks Conservation Society (Annual Ice Cream Social each August), and Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge.
This project includes:
• Restoration of the exterior and interior structure. This includes stabilization of the limestone base and walls, restoration of the windows and sashes, replacement of the original shake-shingle roof, and repair of interior plaster walls and ceiling (supported by a grant from Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County)
• Historical and genealogical research of the community originally surrounding and served by the school (supported by a grant from Jefferson County Genealogical Society).
• Development and installation of a kiosk delineating the significance of the school, the families, and the community it served (supported by Jefferson County Genealogical Society).
