Historic one- and two-room schoolhouses dot the rural countryside throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Many of the buildings have been converted into homes. Others are used for storage or have been turned into businesses.

The unfortunate ones have been left to rot and decay.

Clyde and Christine Hosfeld closed their general store, which housed their home and the Stony Run Post Office, along Route 737, Albany Township, in 1999.

They also owned the nearby one-room schoolhouse, built in 1882, which Clyde purchased in 1965.

The Albany Township School District, which during district consolidation around 1958 became part of the Kutztown Area School District, had owned the building.

Albany Township had 12 one-room schools. The Stony Run building was No. 11.

When the store and schoolhouse were later auctioned off by Ralph W. Zettlemoyer Auction Co., Fogelsville, the late Edward Najarian, of Lynn Township, obtained the schoolhouse, which he left to his son, David.

Having sold the schoolhouse, David, decided to donate the school bell to the Albany Township Historical Society.

Jon Bond of the historical society and the Hosfelds' daughter, Carolyn Hosfeld Seegers, of Coatesville, attended the recent presentation.

David Najarian displayed the attendence books kept by the teachers, and the chalk drawings Carolyn did of the four seasons, which still remained on the blackboards.

"I am shocked the drawings are still here," she said, while looking around her former school she attended for fourth through sixth grade.

For fifth and sixth grades, Carolyn attended school in Kempton. She graduated from Kutztown High School in 1966.

Bond said the bell would go inside the historical society headquarters.