Eight years ago I caught a glimpse of a stone school building, nestled against a rising hillside across a creek. Of course, I turned around and went back to get a picture, and wrote about the one-story former school, which appeared to be the work of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Last week, I heard from a reader that the former Burning Springs school burned in December 2025, and only the outer stone walls remain standing. This is such a sad loss of a sturdy, well-built piece of history.
The remains of the Burning Springs school. Photograph courtesy of Margy Miller.
Some 1,758 education-related building projects were completed across Kentucky between 1930 and 1939 as part of the WPA. Schools constituted a large percentage of that number, and these buildings changed their rural communities.
I couldn’t find a mention of the Burning Springs school in the digitized archives of the Goodman-Paxton Collection at the University of Kentucky, but the form, materials, and design all strongly suggest a WPA link.
The facade and north elevation of the Burning Springs School, circa 2018. Photograph by author.
I am so grateful for readers like Margy Miller, who take the time to let me know about historic buildings (and their sometimes dismal fates) across the Commonwealth. As I’ve said before, if you can’t save them, at least capture their stories before they’re gone.
Another view of the former school, March 2026. Photograph courtesy Margy Miller.
I’d still like to know more about the story of this school – when it closed, some of the teachers and students, and the role it played in the community. You can comment on this post or send me an email at gardens2gables@gmail.com.
I’ve written about other WPA schools in Kentucky:
The WPA Builds: Swampton School, Magoffin County, Kentucky
The WPA Builds: Big Rock School, Breathitt County, Kentucky
The WPA Builds: Concord School, Elliott County, Kentucky
The WPA Builds: Farmers School, Rowan County, Kentucky
The WPA Builds: Charleston School, Hopkins County, Kentucky
The WPA Builds: Cayce High School, Fulton County, Kentucky
