Reviving Irondale: The Schoolhouse That Outlived Its Students
Ralph Fedele, a longtime Millerton resident, spearheaded the painstaking restoration of the Irondale Schoolhouse, a one‑room building that once educated generations of local children. After locating the structure in a nearby woods, he disassembled it piece by piece, catalogued each timber, and oversaw its reassembly on its original foundation.
Fedele first arrived in the area in 1988, having left New York City for the quieter hamlet of Irondale. Over the next decade he served on the North East Town Board, building relationships that proved essential when he began tracking down former students and gathering archival photographs.
The Last Student’s Story
Among those he found was Mary Leitch, born in Millerton in 1922 and the final living alum of the Irondale Schoolhouse. She attended classes until the school closed in 1930, later recalling the building’s simple charm and the camaraderie of her peers.
Leitch embraced an active outdoor life, spending weekends deer hunting, fishing, and riding with the Millbrook Hunt Club. She remained a devoted member of the Jack Russell Club of America and the Dutchess County Professional Horsemen’s Association, and she married William “Billy” Leitch in 1958; he predeceased her in 2015.
The community’s affection for Leitch was evident in the outpouring of tributes after her death on December 24, 2025, at the age of 103. Her legacy lives on through the restored schoolhouse, which now serves as a museum and gathering place for local history enthusiasts.
The restoration project was supported by several local organizations, including the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse, the Jack Russell Club of America, the Dutchess County Professional Horsemen’s Association, and the Millbrook Hunt Club. Their combined efforts secured funding, archival material, and volunteer labor, ensuring the building’s preservation for future generations.