Simsbury’s Old Schoolhouses: Then and Now

The modern Simsbury Public Schools system has been a core component of the town for several decades now. Before the large buildings we know today, most standardized education was often done in one-room schoolhouses around town. Many buildings and properties are still around and serve a different purpose, such as a home or office space, while others have been demolished. With these “past and present” photographs, we hope to capture another remarkable snapshot of Simsbury’s long and fascinating history!

Established sometime before 1845 and with a newer schoolhouse built in 1855, the old East Weatogue School was located at roughly 19 East Weatogue Street, near what is now Rosedale Farms. During the period when it operated, the school was typical of those in the area, in that the residents of the district voted on almost every aspect of the school’s management. As there was no school board in those days, the district’s voters decided such things as when the school year was to begin (for the 1846 winter term, the Monday after Thanksgiving), who was to be hired as a schoolmaster and for how long (three months, with the option for another four-month term), and how much (four cords, at $1.75 per cord) and of what grade of firewood (walnut) would be required to compensate him.

Established before 1825, the West Simsbury schoolhouse was one of the last ones to close when its final year ended in 1932. It was built next to what is not Tulmeadow Farms at 259 Farms Village Road. At the time of its construction, it was notable for being one of two schoolhouses in the town built of stone instead of timber. In 1831, the compensation for the schoolmaster for the school term totaled $37.50, paid in cash, firewood, and a broom. This quantity would have been determined and paid by the local school district – there was very little town or state oversight of secular schools at the time, and many aspects of running the school would have been done on an ad hoc basis depending on what the prevailing opinion was at any given time.

Established sometime before 1873, the West Weatogue School closed in 1913, when it was consolidated into the district for the new Central Grammar School. Available records give its location behind the White Memorial Fountain. More Specifically, the intersection at US 202 and Hartford Road, West from Abigails Restaurant. Much of the location is now blocked off by woods. As a result of this dearth of information, not much is known about this particular school’s history.

The Hopmeadow School District used several different buildings at several different Locations throughout its long history. First bought under town supervision in 1797, the first proper schoolhouse was built in 1799 and was located near the present Simsbury Firehouse. In 1862, it was moved to 200 Firetown Road, and later across the street. While many schoolmasters were men, especially in the winter terms, women were commonly hired (at lower rates) for the summer and autumn terms, when men would have been needed in the farms that made up most of Simsbury’s economy at the time.

The New District School was established sometime before 1852, with a new building constructed in 1855, and was located at 87 Great Pond Road/1 Schoolhouse Road, in what is now a housing development. At the time, many students were expected to pay school fees to attend, although the rate varied by district. Some districts used these fees to pay the schoolmaster or maintain the schoolhouse, other districts included them as part of the ordinary tax system, and others did not charge at all or subsidized students in low-income families.

The Union School District was founded sometime in the early 19th century, and had a new schoolhouse constructed in 1843, on what is now the corner of Firetown Road and Holcomb. The old building was sold off to the highest bidder. As was typical for the time, surviving records show that the decision to build a new schoolhouse was made during a school committee meeting held at the private residence of one of the committee members. Given the informal, ad hoc basis of much of the old public education system, it should not come as a surprise that no dedicated buildings or offices existed for those in charge of education.

Unrelated to the modern Tariffville School, the pre-modern District was founded sometime before 1846 and was the most populous district for much of the 19th century. It was located next to what is now the Tariffville firehouse at 7 Church Street. The size of a given district was not closely tied to its population, but instead was based largely on the ability of students to walk to school every day. If the population of a given district became too dispersed and too many children were unable to walk to school in a reasonable time, then some of those families would be assigned to a newly created and administered district split off from the old one. The first contract for school bus service was awarded to Salter’s Express for the 1929-1930 school year. This coincided with the closing of most of the old schoolhouses and their consolidation into the few larger districts known today. Since children no longer needed to walk to school, districts could be much larger and more centralized.

Based on existing records, the Middle District was founded before 1798 on what is now 8 Firetown Road. At the time, the school year was broken up into short, seasonal terms to accommodate the need for students to work on farms and family businesses; for example, the 1799 spring term began the 3rd Monday of April, and ran until June or July. It was common for schoolmasters to be hired for one term at a time, and for students to only attend one or two terms a year. (Special Thanks to Jason Kennedy).

The Westover Plains school was founded before 1853, near what is now the Wagner Ford dealership at 1285 Hopmeadow Street, and closed in 1926 to be absorbed into the Tariffville School district. At the time, public education in Connecticut was undergoing a slow change from the informal, local model of the colonial and early national periods to one more recognizable to students and parents today. By the 1860s, some state oversight had begun to emerge, in the form of attendance records and a Superintendent of Common Schools in Hartford, and the teaching field was showing the first signs of professionalization by the 1880s, through early certifications and the first teaching colleges.

Founded sometime before 1873, the Meadow Plain school operated until 1930, when the combination of state laws mandating consolidation and the introduction of busing allowing larger school districts made the old one-room local schoolhouses obsolete. During the early 20th century, the school was used after hours as a night school for Polish and Italian immigrants (many of whom were employed at Ensign-Bickford) to learn English and prepare to become naturalized citizens, using materials provided by the Hartford YMCA. According to one account, the night students were transported to Hartford by the schoolteacher’s husband to take their citizenship test. For a time, the school passed below the minimum number of students necessary to continue regular day classes but reopened in 1914.
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