Buford School Building – Buford AR

Description

The WPA was established in Baxter County in fall 1935, and the school was one of the first major projects undertaken by the agency in North Arkansas (Story, 1992). The “irregular-plan, single-story building” featured Craftsman influence of “exposed rafters and the ornamental brackets” (Story). The grey limestone block school was constructed in the Plain Traditional style. A community member described it as “…interior consisted for two large classrooms, separated by a moveable partition and several smaller rooms…utilized for a library and cloak rooms. One of the classrooms contained a stage complete with small dressing rooms and passageways. A canvass [sic] screen with a garden scene painted by a Miss Lilly, a young artist in the community, separated the stage from the classroom” (Story). Grades 1-6 were conducted in the building until 1960. It is currently owned by the Buford Community Fire Department and used as a community center.