School supplies

When Washington High School closed its doors in the 1980’s the school’s main building, which was constructed in 1934, along with the school’s gymnasium became nothing but a 40,000 square foot desolate space. The cheers that once reverberated throughout the gym and the school bells that once rang across the campus could no longer be heard. The hallways where thousands of children once roamed in between classes had become darkened and silent.
The unknown of what would come of the schoolhouse once that served as the setting of childhood memories for so many did not last long, however.
By 1988 a buyer was found who had a unique vision for what the school could and would eventually become. An attorney by the name of Kermit Doucet did not want the property to go to waste, therefore he took it upon himself to purchase the schoolhouse and have it turned into an antique mall.
If you stand today in the center of the gymnasium at the old schoolhouse you are still able to see a portion of the original lion head that was painted on the floor when the gym was built in the 1950’s. The other portion of the lion head is hidden under the antiques that now fill the gym that once found itself packed with spectators observing basketball games, graduations, plays, and pageants.
The halls, classrooms, and even bathrooms at the old school now experience busy traffic from the flocks of people that make their way to the schoolhouse turned antique mall to shop through just over 100 vendor’s collections.
When you visit the schoolhouse, you are able to shop for your antiques within an antique itself. The Old Schoolhouse Antique Mall is not only unique because it is within an old school but also because according to the antique mall’s current owner Jennie Rainwater this particular antique mall “is the only one to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in Louisiana.”
The 25 classrooms in the two-story brick school building along with the gym and the classrooms inside of the gym and the home economics department now are nearly completely filled with antiques for sale. One of the girl’s restrooms has even now been completely converted into a coin shop that has antique coins from all over the world for sale. Rainwater said, “This place literally has something for everyone.”
From a Civil War soldier’s canteen to decorative furniture, the wide array of items for sale at the school house have even begun to attract movie industry people. Rainwater said, “Recently we had a movie company come in asking to purchase primitive items to use as props on the set of the movie The Free State of Jones.”
After becoming an antique mall, the school house was able to once again provide entertainment to people just like it had done during its time as an operating school. Entertainment, however, comes in different forms than it once did. People are no longer coming to the school grounds to witness state winning basketball teams play or to learn their reading and arithmetic. Instead, large crowds of people are assembling at the school house to enjoy events like the semi-annual fairs.
The semi-annual fair event is one Rainwater said “you do not want to miss.” The event happens twice a year, once during the second weekend in April and the other during the second weekend in October.
The 100 vendor’s booths that already fill the schoolhouse and gym are nothing compared to what you will experience if you attend the semi-annual fair. “For the event, outside vendors set up on the lawn to sell their items,” Rainwater said. “The lawn is almost completely full with extra vendors selling stuff plus you are still able shop the booths inside. We utilize as much of the grounds as we can because this is our biggest event.”
Or, during your trip to the schoolhouse you may find better entertainment that comes in the form of the spirits that Rainwater said have been detected in the school. “What is also interesting about this place is that we have had ghost hunters come and they did audio and video testing and apparently we have spirits that reside here,” said Rainwater.
No need to be scared if you run across one of these spirits that have chosen to make the schoolhouse its home according to Rainwater who chuckled as she said, “But all of the spirits are friendly.”
While many visitors visit the antique mall in search of the perfect item to purchase, some visitors go through the old building remembering their days as students at the school. “Classes that graduated from high school here still like to come by and take class photos at the school when they have class reunions,” Rainwater said.
Judy Johnson, an employee at the antique mall, said, “I love when people that have connections to the school come in and tell us their stories because we are able to learn things about the school that we may have not known.” Johnson then continued to say, “I had never noticed the lion head painted in the center of the basketball court until the person who painted it pointed it out to me one day while I was working.”
The old schoolhouse began with the purpose of providing an education and today, the Old Schoolhouse Antique Mall is able to continue educating visitors with local school history as well as with the dated items that fill the property.
The only way to ever fully understand the treasure that is the Old Schoolhouse Antique Mall is by experiencing it yourself. “I left working in the corporate world to buy this place,” Rainwater said. “It is just a good place to be.”