HAWLEY, Pa. — With a complete kitchen, loft, living and dining room, it's hard to tell that this vacation rental near Hawley used to be an old schoolhouse.
"It's been a long process of renovations and kicking some critters out. you can imagine what happens after 20 years of vacancy, but now there is some life back into it," said Tiffany Hoffman the homeowner.
For years, Hoffman wanted to buy the Uswick schoolhouse, but it wasn't until 2019 that she and her husband actually pulled the trigger.
Since the school closed in 1943, the building has been used as a Rod and gun club, antique shop, and commercial space.
With so much history, Hoffman said it was only right to continue to share it with the community, just in a new way.
"All of the children that would of gone here are from the immediate area. This was sold to the school district in 1893 from the Purdy family. We happen to be on the corner of Purdytown Turnpike and Crane Road. Crane Road is also a local name which were the school teachers that were here," Hoffman said.
While preserving a lot of the history, the homeowner did have to make some big changes. Like converting the attic into an area that sleeps 6 people.
"I just love the old buildings, and I hate to see them become dilapidated and rundown and eventually get lost," Hoffman said. "You know, at one point in time, somebody put a lot of time and effort into creating this and the memories and the education that these kids would have had. It's where they went and I just think that things like that need to be preserved and also bring some life back to it. Let other people experience it."
Hoffman hopes those who stay at the Schoolhouse leave with a new appreciation for this historic space.