South School, Shutesbury, MA

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

South School

6 Schoolhouse Rd.

Shutesbury, Massachusetts

The South School is a historic one-room schoolhouse at 6 Schoolhouse Rd. in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, owned by the Sirius Community. Shutesbury is a hill town in the Pioneer Valley, part of the Connecticut River Valley in western Massachusetts. It was settled in 1735, and incorporated as a town in 1761. Early settlers were a farming community of small homesteaders. By the early to mid 1800’s the inhabitants included small farmers, mill workers, and the owners of many small cottage industries, whose sons and daughters attended the 10 one-room schoolhouses in town. Most of the young “scholars” walked to school or rode horseback, or in a carriage. The schools were placed in local neighborhood “districts” to be within a 1-2 mile walk or ride of local residences.

     South School is one of two such schoolhouses remaining in Shutesbury, and is a rare example of a side-gable construction. Its date of construction is uncertain, but is estimated to be about 1830, although some records indicate that it may date to the 1790’s. Yet, because of the simplicity of the building, the presence of both Federal and Greek Revival elements in its design, and the comparatively late adoption of Greek Revival styles in the rural community, the school may have been built at a later date.

     The schoolhouse sits about 15 feet off Schoolhouse Road and 50 feet from Baker Road, with its gable end facing the street. The ​1 1⁄2-story building sits on a granite slab foundation, and has a chimney on its western wall. It measures about 25.5 feet by 18 feet, and there is a shed structure attached to the east wall. The main entrance is set in the right side of the south wall. The entry leads into a vestibule area, from which there is then entry into the schoolroom. There is a closet in the northeast corner, from which a hatch provides access to the attic area. The walls of the interior have a bead-board wainscoting, with horizontal tongue-and-groove boards rising to the ceiling. The classroom floor is wide pine, while that of the entry is narrow fir strips.

     By the early 20th century many of these schools had been replaced by more centrally located schoolhouses which were facilitated by modern transportation. From its construction until 1928 the South School building served as a school, and was known as the District 8 School or the Moses S. Bartlett School, after a nearby resident. Its use declined after 1881, when the town abolished its districts, but was occasionally used due to fluctuating enrollments. The district schools were permanently closed in 1928, and elementary classes were centralized. The town sold the school for $200 in 1939, and it was converted to residential use. In 1993 the property was given to the Sirius Community, a nearby spiritual and educational organization, which has since undertaken the building’s rehabilitation. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.  Historic South School’s web page has a wonderful write-up on education and rural life in the 19th and early 20th century.

Convention Attendance: Preparation for the Next School Year

3/30/2021

Biblical Homeschooling

Convention Attendance: Preparation for the Next School Year

by Wendy Hilton, The Old Schoolhouse magazine Conventions Coordinator (Jan. 18, 2013)

Every year toward the end of winter, I become tired of the cold weather, the children are bored and are suffering from cabin fever, and it seems like spring will never arrive! I’ve discovered that one of the best ways to get refreshed and revived is to begin planning for the next homeschool year. My excitement is increased if I keep in mind the fact that once the planning is over I will be ready to purchase everything I need for the next year. After all, what other activity lifts the spirits of a homeschooling mom more than shopping for new materials?

Plan Your Curriculum Early

By beginning my planning in February or March, I avoid lots of stress. I have plenty of time to carefully consider what has worked well during the current year and what could use a change. I don’t want to wait until time for school to begin in the fall to make my curriculum choices. When I wait that late, I feel pressured to buy something soon, and therefore I might not make the best choices for my family.

I am also able to place my order rather than waiting until the summer months, when the possibility of my items being placed on back-order is much higher. I remember one particular year when this very thing happened to me. I had carefully planned and chosen my curriculum, but I procrastinated when it came to buying it. When I finally did get ready to make my purchases, many of the items I needed were back-ordered. I was so disappointed! There is not much that thrills me more than a box full of brand-new (or new-to-me) schoolbooks for a new school year. Forget reading a novel on the seashore under a beach umbrella! Give me a box brimming over with literature, math, science, notebooks, workbooks, and unit studies any day!

Read more:

https://www.crosswalk.com/family/homeschool/resources/convention-attendance-preparation-for-the-next-school-year.html

Norwich Bridge School, Huntington Historical Society, Huntington, MA

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

Norwich Bridge School (Huntington, MA)

Huntington Historical Society

72 Worthington Road

Huntington, Massachusetts 01050

During the late 1700’s, early settlers arrived in the area of Huntington, Massachusetts, with some bringing their families to the Plantation #9’s land area.  Once dwellings and means of sustenance were established, they turned their attention to the education of their children.  In 1769, it was recorded at the Murrayfield Township April Town Meeting, “not to raise any more money for schools.”  However, a month later, something had caused a change of feeling, and four pounds was voted for schools, and in June, eight more pounds.  In 1780, four hundred pounds was raised to support schools.  Schools were built in this year in the districts by the inhabitants.  Dimensions were uniform: 20 ft. by 18 ft. at one story tall.  There were seven districts and their names:  Middle, North End, Eggleston, Abbott, East, South, and West Branch. A committee of interested land-owning taxpayers, hired a teacher and acted as overseers of the district’s buildings and curriculum.

     Although not as yet historically verified, it appears that during this period of school construction, the Norwich Bridge School was built.  Information from different sources suggests that the Norwich Bridge School was built circa 1800.   During a school committee meeting in 1872, there was a discussion about the preference of employing female teachers because “they are less apt to visit the village tavern.”  Generally, classes were held for students in grades one through eight in the Norwich Bridge School until 1919.  At first, school was usually broken into two terms, the spring and winter, that lasted about ten weeks per term.  Eventually, there were three [fall, winter, spring] terms ranging from 10-12 weeks in length and then finally, four terms, including late spring and fall breaks for planting and harvesting.  It was common for teachers to be boarded in townspeople’s homes. Some taught for an entire year, and others taught for just one term and then moved on to another school, or community.  It seems that the Norwich Bridge School, never held more than 16 students during any one term.

     The first Murrayfield School was built in 1892, and eventually the Norwich Bridge School closed its doors as a town schoolhouse in 1919, and its students attended the larger school closer to the new center of the town.  Over the years, the little schoolhouse was utilized in many non-school capacities, often for club meetings, bridal and baby showers, art classes, and various organizations’ general use and meetings, as well as for storage.  There were different efforts to save and preserve the building and create a living museum beginning in 1971.  In 1976 a Bicentennial grant was used to restore more fully the schoolhouse to its original condition as a one-room district school with desks and blackboards. Once the efforts of many dedicated and skilled volunteers were completed, the schoolhouse-museum came to life once again. 

     Today, it serves as the Norwich Bridge School Museum and is overseen by the Huntington Historical Society.  The museum both stores, and displays, interesting historical papers, documents, photos, books, period costumes and furniture, artifacts, as well as portraying its service to townspeople as a school.  More restorative work was undertaken in 1981.  In 1985, there was a reunion of still-living former students of the Norwich Bridge School held there. Home of the Huntington Historical Society and now open to the public, this one-room schoolhouse showcases a collection of books, artifacts, maps, clothing, tools, and other historical artifacts to discover.  Visitors are invited to come and visit the museum during one of the society’s widely advertised open houses.

Wapping Schoolhouse at Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, MA

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

Wapping Schoolhouse at Historic Deerfield (Deerfield, MA)

136 Main St.

Deerfield, MA 01342

For over 130 years, one-room schoolhouses like the one in the Wapping section of Deerfield, Massachusetts, were where most Americans received their education. The Wapping school was one of fourteen schoolhouses in Deerfield at the time. School houses were at nearly every dirt road’s intersection. In the 1830s this simple design with its many windows (for light and ventilation) was widely replicated around the country as the result of an early 19th century organized education reform movement centered in New England. Generally schoolhouses were painted either red or white, as these paint colors were the least expensive. Schoolhouse repairs, teachers’ pay, and “boarding-round” were the responsibilities of the families living in each one room school’s “district.”  By the mid-1890s, although women could not vote, they could serve on school committees. Only unmarried women were allowed to teach.  The Wapping School, originally located on Greenfield Road, South Deerfield, in Franklin County, MA, was moved to its present site in Historic Deerfield.  This one-room schoolhouse, built in 1838, is open for visits during special events and school field trips.

Boyden One-room Schoolhouse, Conway, MA

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

The Boyden One-room Schoolhouse (Conway, MA)

Conway Historical Society

24 Fournier Road

Conway, MA

The Conway Historical Society was incorporated in April 1973 to collect and preserve historical records and artifacts that document persons, places, organizations and events in and associated with Conway, Massachusetts. The Society maintains a museum at 50 Main Street, open on Sundays (2-4 p.m.) in July and August (or by appointment) and during the Festival of the Hills, and the one-room Boyden Schoolhouse, adjacent to the Conway Grammar School and open during the Festival.  The Boyden Schoolhouse would remind a fan of the L.M. Montgomery classic “Anne of Green Gables” of Miss Stacy’s one-room schoolhouse.

     The Conway schoolhouse was built in 1881, and up to 20 children of various ages attended school there at any given time. There they learned the “3 Rs”–reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic – as well as lessons about nature.  The children read aloud from a reader, perhaps using a small slate and a slate pencil or a quill they had dipped in an inkwell and a hand-sewn copy book to write their lessons. They played tag or roll the hoop at recess, fetched water and filled the wood box and took turns using the outhouse. They walked to and from school, carrying their homemade lunch in a basket or pail. Children came to school from the same small, tight-knit area and knew every one of their classmates.

     The schoolhouse, located on farmland near a bend in Roaring Brook Road, was named for the Boyden family, a family whose members have lived in the town for several generations. It was used as a school until 1922.  The 25-by-18-foot grey clapboard building was later used for storage, and for several years during the Great Depression a family whose house had burned down called it their home. In 2000, owners Merrill and Muriel Antes donated the building to the town of Conway. That November volunteers used a team of oxen then a tractor to move the old schoolhouse to its current location on higher, drier ground adjacent to the Conway Grammar School.

John Greenleaf Whittier School, No. 33, Indianapolis, IN

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

John Greenleaf Whittier School, No. 33

1119 N. Sterling St.

Indianapolis, Indiana

John Greenleaf Whittier School, IPS No. 33, is a historic school building located at Indianapolis, in Marion County, Indiana. The original section was built in 1890, and is a two-story, rectangular, Romanesque Revival style brick building with limestone trim. It has a limestone foundation and a decked hip roof with Queen Anne style dormers. A rear addition was constructed in 1902, and a gymnasium and auditorium addition in 1927. The school was converted into an apartment building in 1971.  It was listed on the National register of historic places on May 28, 1981. This location was nominated as a historic location by State Government based on Architecture/Engineering and its significance in Education Architecture and is a protected historic place because of historical significance relating to Education, more specifically a School.

Cliff Island Elementary School, Cliff Island, ME

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

Cliff Island Elementary School

20 Church Rd.

Cliff Island, ME 04019

Did you know that Maine’s largest city, Portland, has a one-room schoolhouse? It’s located on Cliff Island, which has approximately 60 year-round residents.  Cliff Island School is a one room school house serving grades Preschool through 5th. The school was established in 1880 and is part of the Portland Public Schools District.

Little Red Schoolhouse Museum, Sterling, NY

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

Little Red Schoolhouse Museum

1294 Route 104A

Sterling, NY 13156

In 1974, in response to the national effort to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, the Sterling, NY, Town Council appointed council member Dorothea Field as chair of Sterling’s Bicentennial Commission.  The town made space available for a museum on the second floor of the Little Red Schoolhouse.  This had not been used as a school since the 1950s and at the time was being used as the Town Hall.  The second floor was cleared and cleaned.  The Old Classroom exhibit was set up by Hazel Fralick and Jeannette McIntyre.  

     On June 28, 1976, a decision was made to form The Sterling Historical Society to stimulate an interest in the history of the town and perpetuate the Sterling Museum.  Beginning in 1976, additional exhibits on the second floor of the Little Red Schoolhouse were created depicting early American themes.  These included a working model of a mill by Erwin Fineout, an exhibit about house moving by Erwin Fineout and George Sheldon, a barber shop, a kitchen, early hunting and fishing activities, the Civil War, Hunter’s store, musical instruments, a signature quilt, a school exhibit and more.  Parts of an old barn were used to frame exhibit areas.

     The Sterling Historical Society Museum, housed in The Little Red School House, has collections primarily created from donations from local citizens. These collections include Civil War items, Indian artifacts, and displays consisting of an old store, a barber shop, an old kitchen, an old blacksmith shop and the area.  There are two floors of early American and Age of Railway exhibits. The museum showcases a blacksmith shop and old-time kitchen, Indian lore artifacts, documents, military and industrial items, and decorative arts as well as model train exhibits, and a railway display.. Adjacent to the schoolhouse museum is Sterling Heritage Park which consists of a signal tower and an exhibit building along with a 1917 New York Central Caboose that is being restored.

Jackson Township # 3 School (1869), Eaton, OH

OLD SCHOOL OF THE DAY

Jackson Township # 3 School (1869)

Westville Rd. (4 miles south of OH SR-320)
Eaton, OH

According to an article posted on August 29, 2020, by the Eaton, OH, Register Herald, the Preble County Historical Society presented its very first historic plaque to the Jackson Township District Three Schoolhouse on Sunday, Aug. 23.  Carolyn McWhinney and her husband, Norlan, restored the school in the 1980s. Four generations of her family were there to accept the plaque in their honor. 

The plaque reads, “This one-room red brick schoolhouse was built in 1868 with the first term beginning in 1869. Schoolhouses served as the first interaction pioneers had with their neighbors on the frontier. They helped established friendships and a sense of community among Preble County residents. The building was restored in the 1980’s by Norlan and Carolyn McWhinney. The schoolhouse now serves as a meeting place for viewing original school furnishings and gazing through the McGuffey Readers.” 

Harold Niehaus, board President, hosted the event along with Directors Lisa White and Alyssa Stark. Special Speaker Cody Miller talked about the upcoming fall events.  Guests were invited to tour the school and learn just a little more about the history of the school.

Give Your Child an Adventurous Elementary Education

3/23/2021

Biblical Homeschooling

Give Your Child an Adventurous Elementary Education

by Lindy Abbott (Tuesday, July 30, 2013)

Learning should be exciting, but few students are enthusiastic about school. Many adults, recalling their school experience, realize they learned more after they were out of school. As homeschoolers we can do things differently by providing more opportunities for real learning. Elementary years should be adventure years instead of drudgery. I consistently reminded my children, “Be your utmost for God’s highest.” I have tried to provide the richest environments, opportunities, and resources within our means, but I foolishly adhered to graded-schooling methods. While my underlying goal was to equip my children to become the person God created each one to be, my daily lesson plans did not support this goal.

Every now and then a nonconformist soul dared to ask: “Why must we do school? What is the purpose or goal? Can we try something different?” Thankfully, I began to question my method of teaching my children.

Traditional elementary schools condition children to succumb to group culture by coloring within the lines, thinking inside the box, responding to bells, and copying a teacher’s model. Parents desiring to help their child become who God created them to be should not try to emulate conventional schooling, because it reduces a child’s natural passion, innovation, and industry. Let me explain.

Read more:

https://www.crosswalk.com/family/homeschool/resources/give-your-child-an-adventurous-elementary-education.html