The school life of a student was very different in the days of the one room schoolhouses compared to today. Sometimes an older student would be paid from 6 to 15 cents to go to the schoolhouse early and start a fire in the stove, usually located in the center of the room. Children would put their mittens on the hot area on top of the stove to dry them and sometimes scorch them as well. I would guess that the smell of wet wool on a hot pipe was pretty common.

Kids in those days would walk to school, and it didn’t seem to matter the conditions one had to trudge through. Be it rain, snow or sunshine, the daily trek was the same. The teacher was simply expected to get through no matter what. The bathroom facilities were located outside and most were of the “two-holer“ variety. In -as - much as multiple age groups were represented in the student body, numbering probably 15 or less, the older kids would be expected to help the younger ones, if required. In the wintertime, I’m sure gloves, boots and coats were required equipment in making the trip to the “restrooms”.

There were daily chores that had to be done such as dusting the erasers, erasing the chalk board at the end of the day, Taking out the ashes, emptying the waste baskets etc.

Usually water was provided via a large water jug kept near the entranceway. This may have come from a nearby spring or a home. Students probably drank from the same cup.

A students writing instrument was a pen and desks had individual inkwells usually located in the upper right hand corner of the work surface. Ink was provided in powdered form and students simply added water for their daily supply. Using these must have been an art in itself. Using the correct pressure was important as the ink would tend to flow out of the pen rapidly and the pen would even puncture the paper quite easily.

Mrs. Florence Smith, one of the town's long time and most loved teachers recalled that parents were very involved and interested in what their children were doing at school and sometimes would even accompany them and help out as required.

The first school was built in 1747 and it was located on the town green next to the first church and possibly physically connected to that meeting house.

Around 1750 a second school was opened on the east side of town.

About two years later another opened on the west side of town.

Raymond Bentley reported that there was no record of where those additional schools were located but he believed they were actually in private homes.

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