19th century school benches

My mom, dad, older brother, and sister attended one-room school houses in Wisconsin, probably built in the late 1800s, where the desks had cast iron frames with a folding seat and looked like this. I don't think this style was used until after the Civil War.



Earlier versions I have seen looked like this.



This was Wisconsin. I don't know how much this varied by location.

Perplexity AI offered this:

Unfortunately, the search results provided do not contain any specific plans or pictures for building period-correct two-person benches with a writing surface and cubby for an early 1800s schoolhouse restoration project. The results are mostly general information about various historical societies in Maine.

However, here are some suggestions based on typical schoolhouse furniture from that era:

- Simple plank bench seats, around 12-14 inches wide and 12-18 inches high, to accommodate two students.
- Bench lengths could vary, but 4-6 feet was common to fit multiple benches across a classroom.
- The writing surface or desktop should be hinged or attached to the wall, angled slightly for writing.
- Desktops were often a single long plank, around 12-16 inches deep, running the length of the bench.
- A small cubby, box, or trough underneath the desktop provided storage for books, slates, etc.
- Benches and desktops were typically made of plain wood like pine or oak.

- Use traditional joinery like mortise and tenon for sturdy, period-accurate construction.
- Wood should have a simple, rustic finish or be left unfinished as was common.
- Avoid any overly ornate designs or modern materials that would be inaccurate for the early 1800s period.

Your best resource may be to research existing examples of early 19th century one-room schoolhouse furniture in museums or historical societies. Consulting with the group on their specific requirements and reviewing primary sources from that era would help ensure an authentic recreation.

Images I found:
https://www.alamy.com/nineteenth-century-schoolhouse-long-island-museum-stony-brook-brookhaven-new-york-usa-image226207797.html
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/19th-century-school-desk

I was recently researching early schoolmasters desks, and as I recall there were a number of references to early student desks common to early eras. Google is your friend, you can find examples of the earliest desks online, then take your pick. I'm currently restoring what I think is a schoolmasters desk that a BIL rescued in pieces from the aftermath of the Buffalo Creek flood in 1972 in southern West Virginia.. It appears to be earlier than the late 19'th century desks that I have.