History embraced in restored schoolhouse

For Jim and Toni Wolfe, history fills their Oakwood Street home.

It was built as a schoolhouse in 1879, replacing another school built in 1855 that burned at the same location. At that time, the Finley School was south of Oakwood. Jim Wolfe's great-grandmother, Lizzie Bridgeman, attended school there.

Toward the end of the 1880s, town namesake Henry Oakwood converted the building to a home, and it's been one ever since.

But that's not the only history that drew the Wolfes to buy the house in 2000. Jim Wolfe's grandparents lived there for about 50 years between the 1940s and 1990s, and his mother was born there. But in the 1990s, the house was sold to another family.

When Toni Wolfe got a job in Champaign, she and her husband started thinking about moving from Danville so she'd be closer to work. So Jim Wolfe called the home's owners and asked if they'd consider selling – and suddenly, the old schoolhouse was back in the family. Wolfe committed to buying the house without discussing its selling price, and his wife had never seen it.

"It's just one of those things that's meant to be," Jim Wolfe said. "I think everybody just wants to go home again."

The Wolfes started extensive remodeling while living with Jim's father next door. And in 2006, they dramatically altered the home's appearance, adding a wraparound porch with a gazebo. This summer, Jim spent a lot of time adding landscaping to the front and back yards.

Through those projects, Oakwood residents have filled the Wolfes in on their home's history, which just goes to show how important the structure is to Oakwood's history.

"It's a historic house, and it's worth preserving," Toni Wolfe said. "It was a good project for the community's benefit and ours."

Said Jim Wolfe: "We fixed the house up not only for ourselves, but for our community. We're fond of Oakwood, and we're proud to be able to have saved the first schoolhouse."