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History Lesson

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An abandoned Edisto schoolhouse gets a family-style facelift, transforming old-school academia into a rest-worthy retreat

Photographs by
Larry Monteith
One of the school’s original blackboard frames hangs in a corridor adjacent to the kitchen, a nod to its former life in the same spot.
Though the home is now surrounded on two sides by 60 feet of screened porches and elevated to boast sweeping marsh views, the building retains much of the same dimensions as it did in its original use.
Two exterior doors to the old structure mark the entrances to the two-room, single-story schoolhouse.
In an effort to preserve as much of the original structure as possible, much of the beadboard on the walls and ceilings is original, since painted a pluff mud color to sync up with the home’s marshy surroundings.
A handsome dining area, light-filled kitchen, and cozy sitting area—shown above with Thompson girls Bel, eight, and deRosset, six—share space in what formerly were the building’s two classrooms.
An exposed staircase to the newly added second floor offers a bright, geometric backdrop to the open dining area punctuated by a pine farmhouse table.
Beadboard taken from a wall that formerly divided the building into two rooms was recycled and used in the master bedroom.
By separating the schoolhouse into two floors, the Thompsons were able to build in dorm-style sleeping quarters for the girls.
Bel and deRosset make use of the blackboard downstairs, one of several in the residence.
Cabinetry in the master bath “hovers” over original yellow pine floors.