The Goffs Schoolhouse, built in 1914 in Goffs, California, is a significant historical site that represents early 20th-century education in the Mojave Desert. Designed in the Mission Revival style, the one-room schoolhouse originally served the children of miners and railroad workers in a vast 1,000-square-mile area. It also functioned as a community center and housed a branch of the San Bernardino County Library. The school closed in 1937, but during World War II, the building played a new role, serving as a canteen for soldiers stationed at the nearby Camp Goffs, part of the U.S. Army’s Desert Training Center.
After decades of deterioration, the schoolhouse was restored in the 1980s by the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association (MDHCA) and now operates as a museum. The museum showcases the area’s rich history, particularly focusing on mining and the military. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, the Goffs Schoolhouse stands as a reminder of the region’s development and its strategic importance during the war.
Official website: Goffs: School House
