Paradise School

 school, place with historical importance, interesting place, historical building

The present Paradise School, built in 1875, has remained virtually untouched through the years. The building is a classic one-room country school edifice. It is of wood, "balloon" construction, consisting of a one-room, one- story, bracketed style structure with bell tower, two separate entries in the gable end with bracketed hoods, flanking a joined pair of windows. A small brick chimney Rises near the rear. Bracketed hoods protect the side windows.

The exterior of the building is painted in its original yellow with brown trim and green doors. The bell tower, blown down in the 1954 hurricane, was meticulously reproduced and replaced. The original school bell, mysteriously missing for many years, was found and re-hung. Original inside woodwork, plaster, shutters and blackboards are in place. Original ceiling lights from another old schoolhouse replaced the modern fluorescent lighting.
more - www.middletownhistory.org/pages/paradise_school.htm