Schools of the Past: Greene District #19: Stillwater
The district numbered above has the same active life as the East River Road in which both districts were formed in 1830 and were closed in 1941. When you contemplate that for one hundred and eleven years these two buildings were in use, compare that use with the educational buildings that are being constructed today. A prime example here in Chenango County would be the building in Oxford which only was in existence about twenty years or maybe less.
The Stillwater District School which has the distinction of being the only brick school of its day to be erected in the Township of Greene! The photo of this school credit has to be given to Margaret (Peg) Ross, the historian for the Town of Greene. This writer has other photos of this school however this is the only one in my possession showing the students (all males) in front of the building. Were there any females attending when this photo was taken, who knows?
Not to be repetitive of the statistical facts relevant to the history of the district schools, all that is given as far as boundaries were concerned it is located on the East Bank of the Chenango River and is now a private dwelling- In the extensive research by Mrs. Folsom (Cochran) the farm of Oliver Hoyt was taken from District #7 (Hotchkiss) and annexed to #19 (which is located in the southern section of the township). Again in 1847 the west half of lots #96, 97, 98 and 99 were taken from District #13 (Harbor) and given to #19 (Stillwater). This district was luck in the event that these two line changes were the only ones that Mrs. Folsom found in her extensive research. In the deed research nothing was found as to who sold or donated the land for this schoolhouse.
This school district building is not the original one as the brick schoolhouse was constructed some time before 1876. The brick were made at Stephen Delmarter’s brickyard on the Stillwater Road south of the school site. His farm (now J.B. Anderson’s) (1969) is where the water pipe still flows continuously with spring water from the hillside, at the east side of the road. This writer will state, the last time that I traversed this road that spring is still there! You have to drive rather slowly by the spring or you will miss the site. After closing the school I will assume it stood vacant until on May 19,1944 this building was sold at auction to Charles Hollenbeck for $400 at which time he converted it to a dwelling. The photo that this writer is fortunate to have shows the school in 1968 looking much different than the photo shown with this article. A sun porch type was added to the front and the trees provide shade so that the photo is rather dark in appearance.
The scholar population varies greatly throughout the years from 61 in 1830 to a high of 69 and decreasing to a low of 32 in 1877. After the year of 1904 the number of scholars was not found. Trustees who served during this district’s lifespan include F. Terwilliger, John Storm, N. Houghton, John Pearsall, John Bartle, Nathaniel Walker, John Stevens, S. Walker, Lyman Beach, Ellis Lewis, William Barker, Darius Beach and Lorin B. Robinson in the early years to 1869. From that year to 1903 there was no documentation. Beginning in 1904 the names of Johnson Burroughs, M. M. Talbott, H. P. dark, Bert Rogers, Will Ingraham, Lorenzo Beach, Will Ingraham, John Furman, Fred Wheeler, J. R. Wilkie, George Forman, Fred Niles, Floyd Ingraham, J. E. Burroughs, Harriet Finch, Ray Gates, Leroy Barnett, Neal Elliott, Deforest Ingraham and Mrs. James Finch appear as serving at multiple times till the school was closed in 1940.
Teachers serving this district from 1911 on included Lulu Hubbard (Finch), Lena Merrell Thomas, Cora Wells, Julia Hackett, Louise Copeland (Adams) Helen Copeland (Handy), Gladys Gainsway (she passed away at age 30), Esther Curtis, Mable Harrington, Ruth Curley, Freda Anderson, Rosadell Mitchell and last from 1937-8 Jennie Webster.
With this we close another chapter in the diversified history of Greene’s District schools of “Schools of the Past.” And once again, it would be greatly appreciated for any “school days’ memories” and if you have school history information, no longer wanted, do not throw away, forward it to a historian, historical society, library, etc. for safe keeping. Once this information is lost, it can never be retrieved. Or if preferred forward it to news@evesun.com. It will be forwarded to the proper resources.
The Stillwater District School which has the distinction of being the only brick school of its day to be erected in the Township of Greene! The photo of this school credit has to be given to Margaret (Peg) Ross, the historian for the Town of Greene. This writer has other photos of this school however this is the only one in my possession showing the students (all males) in front of the building. Were there any females attending when this photo was taken, who knows?
Not to be repetitive of the statistical facts relevant to the history of the district schools, all that is given as far as boundaries were concerned it is located on the East Bank of the Chenango River and is now a private dwelling- In the extensive research by Mrs. Folsom (Cochran) the farm of Oliver Hoyt was taken from District #7 (Hotchkiss) and annexed to #19 (which is located in the southern section of the township). Again in 1847 the west half of lots #96, 97, 98 and 99 were taken from District #13 (Harbor) and given to #19 (Stillwater). This district was luck in the event that these two line changes were the only ones that Mrs. Folsom found in her extensive research. In the deed research nothing was found as to who sold or donated the land for this schoolhouse.
This school district building is not the original one as the brick schoolhouse was constructed some time before 1876. The brick were made at Stephen Delmarter’s brickyard on the Stillwater Road south of the school site. His farm (now J.B. Anderson’s) (1969) is where the water pipe still flows continuously with spring water from the hillside, at the east side of the road. This writer will state, the last time that I traversed this road that spring is still there! You have to drive rather slowly by the spring or you will miss the site. After closing the school I will assume it stood vacant until on May 19,1944 this building was sold at auction to Charles Hollenbeck for $400 at which time he converted it to a dwelling. The photo that this writer is fortunate to have shows the school in 1968 looking much different than the photo shown with this article. A sun porch type was added to the front and the trees provide shade so that the photo is rather dark in appearance.
The scholar population varies greatly throughout the years from 61 in 1830 to a high of 69 and decreasing to a low of 32 in 1877. After the year of 1904 the number of scholars was not found. Trustees who served during this district’s lifespan include F. Terwilliger, John Storm, N. Houghton, John Pearsall, John Bartle, Nathaniel Walker, John Stevens, S. Walker, Lyman Beach, Ellis Lewis, William Barker, Darius Beach and Lorin B. Robinson in the early years to 1869. From that year to 1903 there was no documentation. Beginning in 1904 the names of Johnson Burroughs, M. M. Talbott, H. P. dark, Bert Rogers, Will Ingraham, Lorenzo Beach, Will Ingraham, John Furman, Fred Wheeler, J. R. Wilkie, George Forman, Fred Niles, Floyd Ingraham, J. E. Burroughs, Harriet Finch, Ray Gates, Leroy Barnett, Neal Elliott, Deforest Ingraham and Mrs. James Finch appear as serving at multiple times till the school was closed in 1940.
Teachers serving this district from 1911 on included Lulu Hubbard (Finch), Lena Merrell Thomas, Cora Wells, Julia Hackett, Louise Copeland (Adams) Helen Copeland (Handy), Gladys Gainsway (she passed away at age 30), Esther Curtis, Mable Harrington, Ruth Curley, Freda Anderson, Rosadell Mitchell and last from 1937-8 Jennie Webster.
With this we close another chapter in the diversified history of Greene’s District schools of “Schools of the Past.” And once again, it would be greatly appreciated for any “school days’ memories” and if you have school history information, no longer wanted, do not throw away, forward it to a historian, historical society, library, etc. for safe keeping. Once this information is lost, it can never be retrieved. Or if preferred forward it to news@evesun.com. It will be forwarded to the proper resources.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks