PAUL L. HAYDEN / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
The 1914 Larsmont Schoolhouse frequently hosts gatherings large and small.
PAUL L. HAYDEN / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
Larsmont Community Club President Bill Tranah rings the school bell.
eart of a Community: Built in 1914, the one-room Larsmont schoolhouse has always been a community focal point. Children, once homeschooled, were educated here until 1932. Later it became home for a time to the Larsmont Volunteer Fire Department. It’s been the site of community picnics, baseball games, church services and weddings.
Today it’s called the Little Red Schoolhouse and it’s the charming heart of this community. It hosts the annual fundraiser picnic – Larsmont Community Club Fun Day – in August. There are two monthly craft shows from summer into fall, then one in November and one in December during Knife River’s Christmas Julebyen.
Anyone, resident or not, can join the community club by paying $10 in dues. Members get free use of the schoolhouse once a year for reunions or rummage sales. Craft groups pay a $40 fee for the weekend if one person in the group joins the club. Use of the building has risen, thanks to many upgrades.
For locals, the school is a source of pride, says Marlys Wisch, secretary/treasurer of the Larsmont Community Club, which maintains and manages the schoolhouse. In the last 15 years, the club’s projects included a new roof, siding, front porch repairs and a garden addition, all using volunteers and grant money.
“Every year, one side of the school is painted – just one,” says Paul Hayden, club member and newsletter editor. That way, the building is fully repainted every four years.
Many of those helping today are more recent residents who retired here. “A lot of those people … are very active helping with the volunteer work, painting the school and maintaining it,” says Marlys, even those who have moved into Larsmont in the last 20 or 30 years – newcomers by local standards marking time with a 104-year-old school.
The Little Red Schoolhouse
• Find it at the corner of Larsmont Road and North Shore Scenic Drive, 26 miles northeast of Duluth.
• It is on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the application, the first permanent settlers were mainly Swede/Finns who arrived from 1908 to 1913. Larsmont was named for Larsmo parish, a place in southwest coastal Finland.
• Find out about Larsmont at www.larsmont.org.
• The annual picnic, aka Larsmont Community Club Fun Day, is Aug. 4.
Other Favorite Larsmont Stops
• An intriguing Norwegian stabbur is home to B.E. Nelson Design and the quality jewelry work and Scandinavian-style gifts of silversmith Brad Nelson. 583 Scenic Dr.
• Mocha Moose is a cozy coffee shop popular for its scones and other baked goods, as well as its variety of coffee drinks. The work of local artists is on display. 543 Scenic Dr.