Guilford to celebrate renovation of Roots Corners school house
GUILFORD – On Saturday, Aug. 4 from noon to 3 p.m., the Guilford Historical Society would like you to help celebrate the end of a five-year project to renovate the Roots Corners one room school house. To give you a sense of the background and the sentimental attachment, here short history of the school that was once attended by many students including Marcia Catherine Alcott. (Marcia later married James A. Carney, parents of Herman and Ken Carney.)
On Oct. 31, 1835 county school commissioners met at the home of George Guy to establish the boundary lines of District #15. It was bounded by Otis Root, John Sherwood, Hawley Brant, James Nickerson, Isaac Dutcher, Isleton Mead, Asa Wiley, Clark Smith and the corner of Livingston Square in Oxford. This area was known as Gospel Hill, so called as it was a tract of land set aside by New York State for religious and education purposes. By April 1836 money collected from the town and county was distributed to each district. District #15 had 45 students and was given $18.67 for the year.
Many changes occurred during the years to the boundaries of District #15. By 1843 the district was listed as Guilford/Oxford and had 45 students and received $32.26. In 1851 there were 27 students. The teacher was paid $34.19 for the year.
An article in one of our scrapbook collections from the Oxford Times dated 1871 states: “Two new school houses are being erected in this town - one in the Humphrey District and another at Roots Corners.” The article did not state why these new buildings were erected. Perhaps, Roots Corner School needed repair, destroyed by fire or was too small for the increasing enrollment. So it is believed that was when our existing school was built.
Sadly, in a letter dated Aug. 27, 1928 it was stated that District #15 was to be closed. After 94 years of education the Roots Corner School was dissolved. Later, the building was sold to Theodore Hoffman, who used it for storage and later deeded to John and Tania Benkovitz. I met with Tania in 2005 and she donated and deeded the school plus one acre of land to the Guilford Historical Society in that year. What GHS acquired was the history of a school that taught students for around 177 years and a building that is 141 years old.
In 2007 restoration work was begun on the Roots Corners Schoolhouse. In the beginning this included two cleanup days by GHS members, the acquisition of school desks, a teacher’s desk, a stove, blackboards, numerous school books, removal of plaster from the walls and ceiling, the leveling of the foundation, the addition of windows and the purchase of a security light. Now, five years later with monetary donations from Herman (Jim) Carney and his family and special thanks to co-chairs Ken Carney and Doug Todd. They and their wives Kathy and Karen and a few GHS members brought the preservation goal to fruition. Now the plans for future use of the school for tours by school children is and perhaps a few oldsters is not just a dream.
What could be better but a schoolhouse picnic to celebrate the completion of the project and an open house? We would like to show off the school to all so everyone is invited on Saturday Aug. 4, from noon to 3 p.m. Refreshments will be available. Hot food will be cooked from noon to 2. Please bring a dish to pass and your own chairs for an old fashioned school picnic. What would really be appreciated is a picture of the school when it was used as a school and maybe even one with the students or of the students. Bring it to the picnic too!
Please note: The school house committee needs help with site cleanup prior to the open house. We are setting up a cleanup on Thursday morning, July 26 at 9. If you are available to help, contact either Ken Carney kcarney95925@roadrunner.com or (336-1154) or Doug Todd dkt8870@frontiernet.net or (895-6142). It should not take long. What we hope to accomplish clearing out the school and cleaning the floors, hanging the blackboards, hanging the coatracks, final cleaning of windows. Bring a heavy bristle broom if you have one. We should be done before lunch.
On Oct. 31, 1835 county school commissioners met at the home of George Guy to establish the boundary lines of District #15. It was bounded by Otis Root, John Sherwood, Hawley Brant, James Nickerson, Isaac Dutcher, Isleton Mead, Asa Wiley, Clark Smith and the corner of Livingston Square in Oxford. This area was known as Gospel Hill, so called as it was a tract of land set aside by New York State for religious and education purposes. By April 1836 money collected from the town and county was distributed to each district. District #15 had 45 students and was given $18.67 for the year.
Many changes occurred during the years to the boundaries of District #15. By 1843 the district was listed as Guilford/Oxford and had 45 students and received $32.26. In 1851 there were 27 students. The teacher was paid $34.19 for the year.
An article in one of our scrapbook collections from the Oxford Times dated 1871 states: “Two new school houses are being erected in this town - one in the Humphrey District and another at Roots Corners.” The article did not state why these new buildings were erected. Perhaps, Roots Corner School needed repair, destroyed by fire or was too small for the increasing enrollment. So it is believed that was when our existing school was built.
Sadly, in a letter dated Aug. 27, 1928 it was stated that District #15 was to be closed. After 94 years of education the Roots Corner School was dissolved. Later, the building was sold to Theodore Hoffman, who used it for storage and later deeded to John and Tania Benkovitz. I met with Tania in 2005 and she donated and deeded the school plus one acre of land to the Guilford Historical Society in that year. What GHS acquired was the history of a school that taught students for around 177 years and a building that is 141 years old.
In 2007 restoration work was begun on the Roots Corners Schoolhouse. In the beginning this included two cleanup days by GHS members, the acquisition of school desks, a teacher’s desk, a stove, blackboards, numerous school books, removal of plaster from the walls and ceiling, the leveling of the foundation, the addition of windows and the purchase of a security light. Now, five years later with monetary donations from Herman (Jim) Carney and his family and special thanks to co-chairs Ken Carney and Doug Todd. They and their wives Kathy and Karen and a few GHS members brought the preservation goal to fruition. Now the plans for future use of the school for tours by school children is and perhaps a few oldsters is not just a dream.
What could be better but a schoolhouse picnic to celebrate the completion of the project and an open house? We would like to show off the school to all so everyone is invited on Saturday Aug. 4, from noon to 3 p.m. Refreshments will be available. Hot food will be cooked from noon to 2. Please bring a dish to pass and your own chairs for an old fashioned school picnic. What would really be appreciated is a picture of the school when it was used as a school and maybe even one with the students or of the students. Bring it to the picnic too!
Please note: The school house committee needs help with site cleanup prior to the open house. We are setting up a cleanup on Thursday morning, July 26 at 9. If you are available to help, contact either Ken Carney kcarney95925@roadrunner.com or (336-1154) or Doug Todd dkt8870@frontiernet.net or (895-6142). It should not take long. What we hope to accomplish clearing out the school and cleaning the floors, hanging the blackboards, hanging the coatracks, final cleaning of windows. Bring a heavy bristle broom if you have one. We should be done before lunch.
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