Returning once again to the Township of Bainbridge we take a brief look at the small district located in the southwest corner of the town. This small district, for which we have no information this writer has applied the names Newton/Doolittle, as the settlers’ names appear in close proximity to the location of the school site. You will note by the district lines that part of this district lies within the Town of Afton. As the school records for this small district have not surfaced, the only possibility is if in researching deeds (at another time) pertinent information will surface. As this writer has stated many times before, it is somewhat of a crime that it was not dictated that when the centralization of the schools, which first surfaced during the 1930s, the school records from these buildings were not maintained in one specific place, but that is the course which was taken at the time. The many records of all the one-room schools throughout the county have more or less been scattered to the wind. What a shame!
Once again we return to the District #14 (15/11) for pertinent and at times humorous bits of history of the establishment of the school in the village. Beginning with the year 1813 it was voted that the new site for the Common School to be the same site as the school that was in existence. Proceeding to 1821 it was voted to move the schoolhouse and a committee formed to locate ground for a new school. A tax of $20 was voted on for the moving expense and repairing the school. 1822 would see $10 tax dollars raised to repair benches and hire a stove, $5 to repair the backhouse. By 1825 a tax of $250 was to be raised to build a new schoolhouse. Note: Apparently this was never done in the previous years. By 1825 apparently still no new schoolhouse as $400 was to be raised on the taxable inhabitants of said district to purchase site t build school. 1829 would see a temporary wood house and stove to be built and purchased. Shades of the library existence - by 1839 the trustees voted $8 for the library, this would be increased to $5.96 by 1841. Proceeding to the year 1846 the trustees suggested an amount of $210 to repair the school, this was rejected and $120 was decided as sufficient. By 1849 the trustees voted $16.50 to purchase wood, a chair for the teacher and one lock for the outside door. Do we assume the building had been the site of vandalism?
During the 1850s they made the decision to pay Chester Redfield $5 “provided he delivers to the trustees a correct catalogue of the books in time for the said Trustees to make their annual report.” Apparently Mr. Redfield fulfilled his obligation as the next year he was paid another $5.00. Also during that decade the surplus library money of $5.55 is applied to the present benefit of the library.
During the decade of the 1860s $30 was raised to purchase new stove and wood and on October 15,1865 a historic date the district number #15 was changed to #11. Through the years this last change was the third number assigned. And finally on March 30,1868 it was voted to change the district to a UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT with no person voting against this measure.
Thus we close this brief history of two of the one-room school districts in this township and will continue once again at a future date.