Fagalele Boys School
Historic building in American Samoa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fagalele Boys School, in Leone, American Samoa, is a historic building that was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1] It is a church school built by the London Missionary Society, perhaps as early as 1850–1856, but before 1900. It was the first secondary school in what is now American Samoa, and it perhaps is the oldest surviving building on Tutuila Island.[2]
Fagalele Boys School | |
1971 photo | |
  Location within American Samoa | |
| Nearest city | Leone, American Samoa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 14°20′31″S 170°47′10″W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001446[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 16, 1972 |
It is a U-shaped building fitting within an 80-by-60-foot (24 m × 18 m) rectangle, apparently built of reinforced concrete or of rocks with a cement-plaster exterior. [2]
The LMS Fagatele Boys School was built in 1855, the same year that the Samoan version of the Old Testament was printed for the first time.[3][4] Originally, it consisted of schoolrooms and living quarters for the pastor. It was here that students were trained for entry to the LMS Seminary in Western Samoa. It is possibly the oldest building in American Samoa.[5][6] It is the oldest European-style building on Tutuila Island.[7]
