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}} Rittenhouse Elementary School, built in 1925, is a well-preserved historical schoolhouse located in Queen Creek, Arizona, approximately southeast of downtown Phoenix. The school closed in 1982, and was subsequently used for storage by the Queen Creek Unified School District. Since 1994 the building has been the home of the San Tan Historical Society Museum.〔 In 1990, the building was placed onto the Arizona Register of Historical Places. This list includes Arizona’s historic districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation.〔 On June 21, 1994, the historical society signed an agreement with the school district, which allowed them to oversee the building’s restoration and start a historical museum. The society immediately began the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination process for the building, while simultaneously raising funds for its restoration. This application was approved, and the building was listed on February 5, 1998.〔 == History == From 1920 to 1922, the first classes in the Rittenhouse/Queen Creek area were held in a small board-and-batten building that had previously been used as a cook shack by employees of G. R. "Gid" Duncan. Duncan was a partner of land developer Charles Rittenhouse, after whom the school was named. Duncan allowed the use of the building and land for the school.〔 In early 1923, school officials acquired the use of a wooden church building, constructed circa 1921, which served as the community school until 1925.〔 With increasing development and population growth in the 1920s, area school officials realized that a permanent building was needed. In 1924, construction began on the new structure, a three-room, U-shaped red brick building. Although completed in 1925, the first classes in the new school were not held until 1926.〔 Initially only classes for English-speaking students were held in the new Rittenhouse Elementary School. In the meantime, the wooden church building continued to be used as a school for children of Mexican descent, where they were taught English in preparation for entering the main classes. The Mexican-American children’s school schedule was different than that of the other children, who didn’t attend school until after the cotton harvest was complete, usually sometime in February.〔 Sometimes as many as 60 students were taught in a single room.〔 In 1947, the residents changed the name of the community from Rittenhouse to Queen Creek, but the school retained its original name. In 1948, school district officials realized that population growth in the area necessitated an expansion of capacity. In February 1948, officials authorized a bond issue for construction of a new building . Completed in 1952, the new school (name it) operated simultaneously with the older campus until its closure in 1982. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rittenhouse Elementary School」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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