Once again we return to the Town of Bainbridge for a rather brief look at two more of the district schools. However, it is admitted that the information relevant to these two schools is at present non-existent.
District #8 - Dingman Hill as the photo accompanying this article shows is still standing. This writer is unaware of the condition of the building and perhaps on a sunny Sunday afternoon it will be explored as to the condition. We apologize for the faint photo as it was taken from a distance and the caption that we have privilege to states “The white building in the background was the schoolhouse.” If in the future research does reveal new facts, we will return to this early bastion of education again.
Joint District #9 - which this writer has termed Douglas or Shields district as the 1875 map of Bainbridge gives the information that J. C. & W. H. Douglas and F. Shields were early residents of the area near where the school building once stood. The two maps that are shown with this article will give you an approximate location of each school. Joint District #9 would have been located on what is now New York State Route #9 quite near the Kelly Road which bears to the left and ends on Route 7. It is regrettable that the majority of the school buildings are gone, but that is the progress of conserving history - destroy it!
A rather humorous story was related in one of H. H. Lyons articles in The Bainbridge News and Bainbridge Republican in the early 1930’s and it is related below.
“For many years, teachers were frequently selected for their ability to stay in the school house when the big boys commenced coming and his educational qualifications were not always the first consideration. It was then that sometimes the teacher dismissed the school in regular order and sometimes the school dismissed the teacher. If that was the case, he might be dismissed through the window. Frank Phinney was the only man that I remember who would own to having helped dismiss the teacher through the window and that was down in the school house that stood on the church grounds in the corner by the burying ground.
“But, there were times when the boys did not figure correctly. I recall hearing the story of one such case. That too must have been in the fifties or near it. The young man in question lived over in the west part of the town. I could give his name but nor more than two or three would remember him. He hired out over in Coventry in a school that had quite a reputation for ‘throwing out the teacher.’
“A rather short but well proportioned fellow with abilities that were somewhat surprising, he had been in many a squabble and even some fights all through his boyhood days. He knew a few things about coming out ahead. He had been in that Coventry school but a few days when he saw where trouble might develop.
“A leader had boasted, too, that he would ‘have that little fellow out within two weeks.’
“The leader grew more bold and one day, when coming in from recess, he did something unusual and the teacher, John was his name made a grab for him and suddenly had the leader on his back and begging to be let up. He promised and got up.
“The parents, however, weren’t satisfied and they had John arrested. The trial was taken to Greene. (Note: does the Town of Greene have these court proceedings?) The lawyer, in questioning, became abusive and John got somewhat mad. Finally, the lawyer wanted John to show him how he, such a small chap, could handle that big boy so roughly. No sooner than the words were out than John grabbed the lawyer by the whiskers and coat collar and landed him on the floor. The jury understood and John didn’t go to jail.”

With this “memories” of tales of happenings in the early schools we close yet another segment of “Schools of the Past” to continue again at another time.