The Historic Goshen School Building is Coming Down

If you’ve ever driven down Route 55 to Route 47 on your way to the Jersey Shore, you know the experience of passing through quaint, historic towns that have stood the test of time.

These towns, each with their own unique character, have served as landmarks and memory markers for generations of families making their way down to the shore. One such town, steeped in history, is Goshen.

First settled in 1693, Goshen is among the oldest communities in New Jersey. With over 330 years of history, it boasts some of Cape May County’s most significant historical structures.

Two of the most iconic are The Tavern House, built in 1725, and the Goshen School, constructed in 1872.

The small, tight-knit community has always taken pride in preserving these architectural gems, which serve as tangible connections to the past.

The Goshen School was constructed in the late 19th century, serving as a one-room schoolhouse where generations of local children received their early education.

For nearly 80 years, the schoolhouse was a bustling center of learning until it closed its doors in the 1950s.

At that time, the property was handed over to the local Goshen Volunteer Fire Company, which maintained the building and used it for community purposes but the building has been now vacant for decades and was starting to fall apart.

In a movement to save the building, the Goshen School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

This designation was due to its notable architecture and its important role in the educational history of Cape May County.

As one of the few remaining 19th-century schoolhouses in the area, it stood as a testament to the simpler, community-driven education system of a bygone era.

This designation also allowed it to get grant money to help preserve it. While it did receive some of this money over the years, it wasn’t enough to restore it.

The Goshen Volunteer Fire Company did do a great job in keeping it standing while also encouraging someone to take the building off their hands to restore it.

At times, they even advertised that they would give it away for free but no one stepped up.

Now the building is being raised as safety concerns started echoing in the city.

This past week demolition of the building started as the bell tower was secured and lowered to the ground. Crews they started tackling the building in the back by tearing down the steps and the back wall.

It is the town’s hope that they demolish this building and turn it into a new top of the line fire station. We reached out to the city for blueprints on the building but as of yet haven’t heard anything.

Before the building was fully demolished the Wildwood Video Archive stopped by to tour it one more time.

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