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Arts & Entertainment

Historical Society Opens Schoolhouse Exhibit

Historical Society holds open house to celebrate state's 375th Anniversary.

Writing slates, hornbooks, and hickory sticks were all on display inside the East Village and Barn Hill Road Schoolhouse during a recent exhibit hosted by the Monroe Historical Society.   

During the four-hour open house, residents had a chance to go "back in time" to get a glimpse of what school days meant to the town's earliest settlers.

The one room schoolhouse - built in 1790 and used to teach students between first and eighth grade - was originally located at the intersection of East Village and Barn Hill Roads.

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The schoolhouse closed in 1935 with the opening of Monroe Elementary School but was maintained by the Monroe Methodist Church until it was donated to the historical society in 1968.

The historical society moved the school building to Wheeler Road and converted the schoolhouse into a living museum and is currently used by the Monroe School District as part of the school curriculum.  

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On June 12, Nancy Zorena, president of the Monroe Historical Society, dressed in a bonnet and petticoat during the open house, explained what school was like in the 19th century and displayed many of the original tools used to teach the town's students.

Zorena said the school building housed up to 45 students ranging from first to eighth grade with only one teacher, who was not paid but provided room and board by neighbors.

Students learned from a sheet with the alphabet, vowels, sounds, numbers and the "Our Father" laminated onto a hornbook, which is a flat piece of wood with a handle so it could be easily held.

"The main reason children learned to read was so they could learn the bible," she said.

Lessons also included students perfecting their manners, math and handwriting skills using slates and chalk to demonstrate their work.

Because residents were farmers or tradesmen, children were required to work with their parents during the harvest and planting seasons.

Therefore,  schooling mostly took place during the summer and winter months.

In addition, students were also required to do their home chores before and after school.

Punishment for misbehavior in those days was much more severe than today's standards.

In addition to the traditional "dunce cap," teachers carried hickory sticks or ferrules, which are long sticks that produced a loud crack when slammed against the desk to get students attention.

The ferrules were also used to  spank a student who was breaking the rules.

"In those days, discipline was expected and the norm," Zorena said. "If parents found out about their children misbehaving in school, they were additionally punished at home."

During recess, students played games with toys created by tradesmen with leftover supplies for their products.

 Games like "Rounders" involved children hitting a large barrel hoop with a stick to make it roll, or "Graces" which required students to toss a small hoop gracefully to their partner.

The event was sponsored by the Monroe Historical Society in conjunction with Connecticut Open House Day to celebrate the state's 375th birthday June 12.

Zorena said although students get to use the one room schoolhouse as part of the academic curriculum, parents rarely get to see the inside of the building.

Zorena said the open house was a great opportunity for residents to experience Monroe's rich history.

"We decided to do it and we are really glad we did," she said.

The Monroe Historical Society room at the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, 733 Monroe Turnpike, is open on Fridays between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. or by appointment.

The Historical Society's mailing address is P.O. Box 212 Monroe, CT 06468. 

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