These days, there seems to be a lot of discussion about Windham Schools and there is a fascinating history of these schools if one wishes to dig into it. In the late 1800s, Windham (at least for purposes of education) was divided into 11 districts, each with its own schoolhouse. In 1903, a listing of the schools showed the following: Willimantic West (Windham Street School) – 648 students; Willimantic East (Natchaug School) – 1167 students; West end of Willimantic – 46 students; Jerusalem Road District – 24 students;   North Windham – 36 students; Windham Center – 82 students; (Warner District) Bush Hill Road – 27 students; South Windham – 82 students; Christian Street District (present day RT 14 at Scotland line) – 15 students; Back Road District  – 10 students; Bricktop District  – 28 students. Originally, each school district would hold an annual meeting at which a clerk and a treasurer would be elected. A “collector”, whose duty was to collect taxes in the district, would also be voted upon. Oftentimes, the individual expenses for each school were simply listed on scraps of paper and then paid when submitted to the collector. The curriculum, the teacher(s) and the schedule of class days was the responsibility of the individual district. “The Chronicle” would constantly update its readers as to the names of teachers and the school district’s calendar. In 1879, “The Chronicle” reported, “The school at Bricktop, under the tutorship of Chas. Spafford of this village is said to be flourishing finely, and the pupils speak in high terms of Mr. Spafford. Why will a district that has teachers old and tried, and young ones good and true, persist in going out of its own limits for teachers just to please some few”.  In 1881, “The Chronicle” noted, “Mrs. Bates commenced her school at Chaplin, Charles Spafford his school at Bricktop, and Mr. Avery and Miss Hunt the school in the North Windham district on Monday, the 29th March”. As the town grew and the schools became more centralized, a committee known as the School Visitors oversaw these schools and provided necessary equipment and teaching aids. This week’s photo shows the South Windham District school, located on Babcock Hill Road. This, and several other of the original eleven buildings are still in existence. For questions or comments about this  week’s photo or article, please e-mail us at “threadcity@outlook.com

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