This was formerly the "new" Damascus School. The June 29, 1949 edition of the Freeport Journal-Standard told the history of the school, which first began nearby as a stone building erected on the Phillips family's property along what is now Cedarville Road. Elizabeth Phillips was the first teacher when the school district was formed in 1860 and operated out of a nearby house. The stone school was constructed in 1861 and ready for occupancy on December 31st of that year.

As enrollment increased, the building in this photo was constructed in 1919. The old stone school sat empty until 1937, when it was razed for construction of the Cedarville county road.

By 1956, Damascus School was part of Freeport District 145. Enrollment had declined to 18 for the 1955-56 school year, because about 1/3 of the district had been annexed to a neighboring district. In April 1959, voters approved the sale of the school property. On July 18, 1959 the school building was sold at auction to W.B. Reed for $4,500.