SOUTH DISTRICT SCHOOL, NORTH HAVEN
Also known as the Village School or Thoroughfare School
Students with teacher Addie Bates outside the original South District School, circa 1895
The original schoolhouse at the village…was heated by a box-shaped stove long enough to take cordwood cut in four foot length. The stovepipe extended nearly the length of the room to the chimney at the rear of the building…The task of building fires and sweeping was taken care of by the older pupils…Building the fire was no easy task, especially in the winter months. The wood was piled out of doors, and became wet with the fall rains and winter snow, which made it very difficult to ignite…The floor was laid with soft wood, and by sweeping with a corn broom, the dust was raised so thick that, by the time the floor was half swept, one could hardly see across the room.
Harold M. Crockett reflecting on school in the late 1800s, Our Island Town, 1941
The original South District schoolhouse was located close to the road, along Upper Main Street. By 1899, the building, in poor condition, was torn down. The same year, a new schoolhouse was built for $1,100 and located farther back from the road. Three years later, a north wing of the school was built at a cost of $939.03. The school superintendent noted a bell tower was also built, but was “by subscription and cost the Town nothing.” Commonly known as the Village School or Thoroughfare School, classes were held there until 1973. The building remains standing and serves as home to North Haven’s town government offices. At over 100 years old, it is one of the two old island schoolhouses still in existence.
Harold M. Crockett reflecting on school in the late 1800s, Our Island Town, 1941
The original South District schoolhouse was located close to the road, along Upper Main Street. By 1899, the building, in poor condition, was torn down. The same year, a new schoolhouse was built for $1,100 and located farther back from the road. Three years later, a north wing of the school was built at a cost of $939.03. The school superintendent noted a bell tower was also built, but was “by subscription and cost the Town nothing.” Commonly known as the Village School or Thoroughfare School, classes were held there until 1973. The building remains standing and serves as home to North Haven’s town government offices. At over 100 years old, it is one of the two old island schoolhouses still in existence.
Students outside the South District School, circa 1900. Photograph shows the school prior to the addition of north wing in 1902
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The South District School, also known as the Village School or Thoroughfare School, 1941
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