District 5 - Ratlum Mountain School
District # 5 was in the south-east corner of town and was often called the Ratlum Mountain district. A school, built near the corner where Ratlum Road meets Warner Road, operated from before 1810 to about 1917. The classes were often quite small but the terrain was so rugged that it was just too difficult to transport the kids to a larger school. At least four bar-ways had to be opened and closed to reach the next nearest school, South Hollow. Consequently it stayed in operation much longer than the town fathers would have preferred. Louis Mills, who was the state appointed supervisor of rural schools in the 1920s, reported that he frequently got stuck in the mud when trying to visit the school. When the local roads were improved, the students were moved to Pleasant Valley School. The building was removed in 1950.
These kids seen here seem to be the same ones as seen in MD-06; the clothes are the same. The names given for the kids in MD-06 are taken from an article written by Catherine Hogan and are different from those given here. I’m inclined to go with the MD-06 set of names.
Sitting on step: Madeline Lavender; tall girl is Mary Lavender, sitting in doorway are Margaret Lavender; John and Paul Lavender. In doorway: Mary Humphrey, Louise York, Pearl Smith. Others (left to right) Ethel Pease, Eva Humphrey, David York, Wolcott Humphrey, Raymond York. The BHS copy has a note on the back saying that it was taken April 1906. Catherine Hogan was the teacher that year.
Digital Image: MD-17.
Class Photos & Schoolhouse Memories Archive
Ratlum School, 1906 or1908
Back row: Wolcott Humphrey, Raymond York, Eva Humphrey, Catherine Hogan (Teacher), David York. Front row: Mary Humphrey, Louise York, Ethel Pease, Pearl Smith.
This picture was used in an article written by Katherine (Hogan) Emonds for The Lure of the Litchfield Hills entitled “Ratlum School in Barkhamsted” (Vol. XIV #3, 1958, p. 11). The names given above are taken from the caption used with the picture in that article. The photo was taken by Lewis Mills.
Digital Image: MD-06.
Ratlum School, 1911
The teacher in 1910-1911 and 1911-1912 was “Miss Case”
Digital Image: MD-28
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Please note that there are images of school groups in this collection about which we have no current information. Also, not every student in every picture is identified: sometimes the handwriting is too hard to read. So, consider this a first step in locating the available pictures of your ancestor. There may be more in the collection if you dig a bit deeper.
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