Back in 1858 General Jesse Carter built this selective school for girls, the Old School House now on the University of Tampa campus. Built in 1858 by General Jesse Carter as a selective school for girls, this structure began life on the west bank of the Hillsborough River in what is now Plant Park. Over time it changed roles: in 1886 Henry B. Plant acquired it for the Tampa Bay Hotel, repurposing it as a tool shed, workshop, and pharmacy until the hotel's closure in 1930.
The house has been relocated twice from its original site, and in 1931 it was donated to the Daughters of the American Revolution and moved to this present location. Since 1931 the DeSoto Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has supported the School House, and in recognition of its cultural and historical significance it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1974. Today it is open for viewing by appointment and during semi-annual open house events.
Imagine its layered past still resting quietly within the University of Tampa campus that holds it today.