We ventured over to Parmelee Farm on this coooooold afternoon (I asked for this, didn’t I – just hush) to see the progress on the old Pine Orchard School house reconstruction. The school house was given to the farm by a generous resident and the Historical Society paid to have it moved to it’s current site, where it is in the process of being rebuilt. Originally constructed in 1853 by W. E. Dickinson, Pine Orchard was one of several one-room school houses in the area, operating with approx. 15 students per school until 1948, when all were deemed economically unsound and were closed and sold as private property.
Excerpt by town historian Tom Lentz– The schools then, as now, accounted for a major portion of the town budget. In 1901/1902, the expenses for the Pine Orchard School were $282.80. Wood, kindling, etc. accounted for $10.00, furniture and labor for $55.80, and teacher’s wages for the remainder. The total expenses for all the schools was $2,232.99 amounting to 45.3% of the total town budget of $4,928.07.
Expenses increased in the following years although the number of students did not change significantly. The expenses for the Pine Orchard School in 1921/1922 were as follows:
C. H. French, labor 3.50
L. D. Parmelee, labor 1.25
lock, sash bolts, and repairs on clock 6.10
Martha Buhrer, teacher’s wages 1,000.00
C. H. French, fuel 28.00
Francis Catala, kindling fires 2.50
Mrs. T. B. Perkins, clock, halyards and broom 4.05
Total 1,045.40
