The present Weber-Blaess one-room school was built in 1867 in Section 17, on Ellsworth Road in Lodi Township. A simple wood structure was built on the same stone foundation as its predecessor, a log school that had burned a year earlier.

The school’s name has been changed over the years. Originally, it was known as the Downer School, taken from the name of Abraham Downer, who was the director of schools for many years. Mr. William Blaess bought the Downer farm in 1899. He was the school director for 14 years and so, the school’s name was changed to Blaess.

This quaint one-room schoolhouse was donated to the Saline Area Schools by the Milton Weidmayer family.  In 2002 it was moved to its current site, beginning the historical preservation.  The schoolhouse has been made into an interactive museum with many historical artifacts, including desks and furnishings. Teachers from Saline Area Schools have developed individualized curriculum for Weber-Blaess enabling students to experience different eras and a rich, varied sampling of the early days of education in a one-room schoolhouse.