Last year Nancy Schields and Raelene Eckley decided that they were tired of looking at the old Albrightsville Schoolhouse sitting empty and in need of care. The schoolhouse, located along Route 534, shares the property with the Albrightsville Volunteer Fire Company.

The two will open the schoolhouse up to the public this Sunday morning during the breakfast at the Albrightsville Firehouse, officially kicking off Schoolhouse Central Inc., a 501(3)(c) charitable organization under the Federal Code. As such, it will operate tax free and will be required to serve the public."We want to make the schoolhouse a hub for cultural enrichment and learning," Schields said.Schields is originally from Doylestown and is a teacher by trade."Education is a big part of what we want to do here, not just for children but for adults," Eckley said. "They do not teach cursive writing in school any longer, I would love to use these boards to teach anyone who is interested in learning; adults, kids, it doesn't matter. Everyone can learn side by side in the same classroom."Eckley is a native of the area and can trace her ancestors back to 1744 as a Meckes and 1844 as an Eckley, though Eckley says her ancestors spelled the name various ways throughout the years for which she has a complete listing of her genealogy."As someone interested in history and genealogy, that is one of the things we would like to do here at the schoolhouse," Eckley said. "We could help people tap into different resources and trace their lineage."The two women, along with their treasurer Carl Fricke, have worked long hours getting the school ready for use.The building belongs to Kidder Township and had sat unused for many years. The township spent $10,000 renovating the building and will charge Schoolhouse Central $1 per year rent."We have a number of groups already interested in using the facilities," Schields said. "There will be Bible study, art classes and other similar projects."The group plans on having a monthly Senior Saints luncheon for local senior citizens. The Pennsylvania State Police have expressed an interest in possibly running a number of awareness programs at the center as well."We really have a lot of ideas in the works, but because we did not know when we would be able to open, some of them are on the back burner," Eckley said. "Now we can contact everyone and get the ball rolling."The school is still furnished with some of the original school items. Those will be there for all to see during the open house, but the group plans on moving the furnishings to storage to open up the space for its use. Under the terms of the lease, the group will be responsible for returning all items removed at the end of their lease.People and groups interested in using the schoolhouse can contact Eckley at 570-926-9250 or Schields at 215-285-7882.The mission statement for Schoolhouse Central is:"To have a community based, cultural arts learning center. Its purpose is to serve as an enrichment hub for the community. It is a place that encourages and engages children, youth and adults to pursue education, the arts and history of the area. We are a service-oriented organization and welcome other charitable and community organizations to associate with and get involved in our events and activities. Part of our mission is to preserve and restore artifacts for the purpose of documenting and interpreting the history of the Schoolhouse building and the village of Albrightsville, Pa."