Center School
Center School in District #1 evolved from earlier buildings dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. As with many ancient buildings, it has changed and evolved over the years. The first Center School was a two-story building on the Green in the old center of Town, (“The Hollow”) probably built around 1821. As with most school buildings of that time, it was poorly maintained, and by the 1870s was in desperate need of repair. In view of the greatly reduced population, the old building was reduced in size to one story and moved a short distance to a new site
Here it remained as a public school until 1936. By that time, the one room schools were being eliminated in favor of a Consolidated School in Pleasant Valley. The old schoolhouse was sold to Metropolitan District Commission to be used as a storage facility.
In 1980 the old schoolhouse was acquired by the Barkhamsted Historical Society and moved from its original location to a new site of Center Hill Road. Since that time efforts have been to restore the building and turn it into an education museum. The Barkhamsted Historical Society is working to preserve this important slice of our history and to provide future generations with a view of what school would have been like in the early years of our community. Our efforts to identify and share information about the early schools are an on-going project. We welcome new information and would appreciate an opportunity to copy any old photographs and/or documents that relate to education in Barkhamsted. We can be contacted at bhs@barkhamstedhistory.us.
Class Photos & Schoolhouse Memories Archive
Center Schoolhouse, 1905-1906
BHS owns two copies of this image. On the back of one is the notation, “Dec. 1905. To Cara and Olive Case from Miss Phelan”. The other gives a list of names which we assume identifies the people in the picture, and lists the teacher as Mabel Church. The list does not identify the people noted above as 17, 18 and 19. Miss Church did not become the teacher at Center School until 1912. Miss Phelan was the teacher at Center School in 1905-1906 with an enrollment of 18. Many of the names listed here are the same as the list of students we have for the 1902-1903 class. This leads me to believe that this picture shows the class of 1905-06.
Digital Image: MD-22
1) Dorethea Goddard, 2) Miss Susan Phelan (Teacher), 3) Guy Roberts, 4) Cora Case, 5) Leslie Cawl, 6) Bertha Case, 7) Lillian Goddard, 8) Mary Goddard, 9) Olive Case, 10) Paul Roberts, 11) Alfred Howard, 12) Harold Burlou, 13) Morton Goddard, 14) Ruth Burlou, 15) Hazel Case, 16) Carl Burlou.
Digital Image: MD-22
Center Schoolhouse, 1908
1) Harold Birden, 2) Olive Case, 3) Mary Goddard, 4) Lillian Goddard, 5) Bertha Case, 6) Catherine Paine (Teacher), 7) Perhaps Pauline Church, 8) Hazel Case (?), 9) Marion Cawl, 10) Gladys Case, 11) Martha Church, 12) Ethel McCauley, 13) Merton Goddard.
A note on the back says, “Catherine Paine, Tr. About 1908.”
Digital image: MD-15.
Center Schoolhouse, 1910
Pictures MD-1 and MD-2 were apparently both taken on the same days; the clothes all match. Some copies of this image refer to it as the class of 1911-1913, but Town records indicate that Miss Frederick was the teacher at Center School for only half of the 1910-1911 school year. But Harriet reported starting school in 1911. (Nov. 13, 2014)
Digital image: Item MD-01.
1) Merton Goddard, 2) Penrose Cawl, 3) Harriet Day, 4) Cecil Dougherty, 5) Ernest Ellis, 6) William Day, 7) Harry McCauley, 8) Ethel McCauley, 9) Gladys Case, 10) Miss Frederick (Teacher), 11) Pauline Church, 12) Marion Cawl, 13) Ruth Cawl, 14) Hazel Case, 15) Martha Church, 16) George Day.
Center Schoolhouse, 1909
1) Miss Catherine Paine (Teacher), 2) William Day, 3) Dyer Davis, 4) Mary Goddard, 5) Lillian Goddard, 6) Bertha Case, 7) Marian Cawl, 8) Gladys Case, 9) Martha Church, 10) Ethel McCauley, 11) Hazel Case, 12) Cecil Daugherty, 14) George Day, 16) Penrose Cawl.
A note on the back suggests that the picture was taken by “A. R. Case” in June of 1909 and that the teacher was Catherine Paine.
Digital Image: MD-18.
Center Schoolhouse, 1910-1911
1) Hazel Case, 2) Lillian Goddard, 3) Gladys Case, 4) Flora Teeter, 5) Ethel McCauley, 6) Gladys Wright, 7) … Goddard, 8) … Goddard, 9) Pauline Church, 10) … Goddard (or perhaps Cecile Dougherty), 11) Marion Cawl, 12) Merton Goddard, 13) Ernest Ellis, 14) Penrose Cawl, 15) William Day, 16) George Day.
A different note says this is the class of 1910-1911 and identifies them as follows. We have four copies, two photos 3” x 4” (2014.007.003), the other a mounted photo 4” x 6”. Names written on the back are: “Hazel, Lillian, Gladys, Ethel, Gladys, Pauline, Martha, Flora, Ernest, Mary, ….cot, Martha, George, William, Penrose.”
Digital Image: MD-16.
Center Schoolhouse, 1913
Back row: Harry McCauley, Ethel McCauley, Marian Cawl, Earnest Ellis, Martha Church, Harriet Day, Gladys Knight, Ruth Cawl
Front row: Penrose Cawl, Pauline Church, William Day, Bertha Case, Edward Day, Leroy Teeter, Gladys Wright, Mabel Church (Teacher)
The original of this image is held by Doug Roberts. Images MD-3 and MD-4 were taken on the same day; the clothes are the same. (Nov. 29, 2014)
Digital image: MD-03.
The back of post card says “1912-1913 – Miss Mabel Church.” A post card, originally owned by Harriett Boutelier, with this image exists but that picture cuts off the feet of the front row.
Digital image: MD-04.
Center Schoolhouse, 1927-28
Back row: David Day, Ellsworth Tupper, John Wright, Elizabeth Case, Charlie Day
Middle row: John Pranka, Marjorie Day, Emily Case
Front row: Robert Hart, Charlie Pranka, Katherine LeGeyt, Mary Ellen LeGeyt
Digital Image: MD-21.
Center Schoolhouse, undated
4 boys, 7 girls, male teacher. The doorway of the brick building suggests that this is the Center Hill School. The teacher looks somewhat like Hollis French who taught in the area (he was in Washington Hill in 1915), but he is not listed as having taught there.
Digital Image: MD-38.