The fifth annual Linden Loop on Sunday offers bicyclists, walkers and runners the opportunity to enjoy a scenic five-mile course while raising funds for the restoration and preservation of the historic Rock Hill School.
Bicyclists may choose an optional 28-mile supported bike ride. Free tours of the school will be offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The certified five-mile course is a loop around Brush Valley, Rock Hill and Linden Hall Roads near Boalsburg. Starting times are 11:30 a.m. for registration, 12:30 p.m. for 28-mile ride, 1 p.m. for the five-mile family bike ride, 1:30 p.m. for the walk, and 2 p.m. for the run, with an awards presentation at 3 p.m.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Rock Hill School, which was built in 1893, and secured its place in history as the one-room school where William G. Waring, one of Penn State University’s founders, taught in the 1840s. Waring was also the great-grandfather of Fred Waring, the band leader for the Pennsylvanians.
After the school closed in June 1937, the building served as an unofficial community center and a storage area, then fell into disrepair and neglect.
In 2005, after hearing that someone might buy the property and tear down the school, Linden Hall residents Len Rockey and Ron Kriedler decided to intervene.
“Ron and I had to pay $100,000 for the one and a quarter acre corner lot in the historic district of Linden Hall,” Rockey said.
Rockey and Kreidler recruited other concerned citizens and formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Rock Hill School at Linden Hall Association.
“The school was in atrocious condition,” said Dave Guss, assistant treasurer of the association. “It was almost but not quite beyond repair. What saved it was the tin roof.”
Rockey, the association’s president, said the group cleared away the brush and trees obscuring the building. They removed extensive debris and wildlife from the interior, including four wheelbarrow loads of walnuts from the coal room alone, and an angry mother raccoon and her offspring.
Amish workers helped them lift the building and repair the damaged foundation. The association replaced a section of wall damaged by a leak, and painstakingly disassembled, repaired, and reassembled the historic windows and doors. The new tin roof was patterned after the roof in a photograph from the early 1900s. They replaced the crumbling wainscoting and painted the building.
The restoration project won a 2010 Historic Preservation Award from the Centre County Historical Society.
“All the renovations were done according to Centre Region code,” said Rockey. “We went through all the procedures and inspections, and we worked with an architect who directed us according to what we could and couldn’t do, while respecting the school’s historic integrity.”
He said the building is handicapped accessible, and much of the major work is now complete.
Kreidler, the association’s secretary, said they have raised $180,000 from donations and grants, including two $10,000 grants obtained through Rep. Kerry Benninghoff and Sen. Jake Corman.
Rockey said they are working to become recognized as a bicycle rest stop because the school is on the Pennsylvania Route G of the Governor’s Bicycle Routes.
With the encouragement of Harris Twp., the association will soon complete the process of classifying the school as a community center.
“This will allow us to have weddings, birthday parties, just about anything. The great thing is you’re rewarded every time someone uses it. It really supports and reinforces the significance of the community.”
The Linden Loop registration fee of $20, or $10 per additional family member, will be waived for each participant who raises a donation of $50 or more. All donations are tax deductible. To register online, visit https://bit.ly/LindenLoop2012. For more information, contact Jill Swanson, jsjillann@aol.com or call (814) 466-2805.
