Greenfield Park One Room Schoolhouse
Encyclopedia
The Greenfield Park One Room Schoolhouse is located in the town of Wawarsing
in Ulster County
, New York
, United States
. This one-room schoolhouse was built in 1830 and was home to grades one
through eight
. It was operated by one teacher and one school trustee. Its former students restored it to its present condition after forming the "Greenfield Park Historical Association" in 1960.
It became a museum on June 27, 1965 and named the "Greenfield Park Museum" or "Greenfield Park One Room Schoolhouse Museum". Many pieces of the memorabilia contained in the schoolhouse are original. The building is about 30 feet wide by 45 feet long. It has a large Pot bellied stove
for heat, but has no electricity or water. The original two student desks with fold down seats are there, as well as ink wells and slate blackboard
. There are small two-seater outhouses (boys and girls separate) on the outside, for girls on the left side and for boys on the right side of the building. Among the preserved memorabilia is a teacher’s contract of a $5 a week salary, plus 3 weeks paid vacation in the summer if the trustee felt like it. The names of all the teachers over the years were tabulated on a wall roster.
The schoolhouse is located on Oak Ridge Road, right off New York Route 52
, in the center of its Greenfield-Park stretch in the Catskill Mountains
.
for this community, known then as Greenfield, included this one room schoolhouse for all eight elementary grades, with one school trustee and one teacher
.
All the children of the community attended the one room school. Their number varied yearly but often there were more than 35 attending school. They ranged from the tiny tot, just entering first grade, to the teenager who had advanced to the eighth grade, all taught by the same teacher.
School taxes as late as 1893 ranged from four cents to $8.90; and the school teacher who was usually unmarried, lived either at the home of the trustee or with one of the families in the school district, and received then a salary of $6 a week.
The building was still in use in 1938 but ceased functioning shortly after when it moved to more modern facilities.
Many of those boys and girls continued beyond the Greenfield school to become lawyers, doctors, and surgeons, some of national repute. Many others entered the hotel and resort business and are equally well known in their field of endeavor.
The initial step to restore this schoolhouse was taken by Morris Kanfer, a pupil of this school. With the help of David Levinson and under the guidance and supervision of Ben Miller, both one time students of this school, the project was completed. Aaron Feldherr, postmaster of Greenfield Park was advisor, advocate and secretary-treasurer of the project from its inception.
It was dedicated in June, 1965 and its oldest living pupil, Mary Patmore who was 96 at the time, cut a ribbon marking the official opening of the museum. Another pupil, Dr. Samuel Standard, a prominent surgeon and teacher, delivered the principal address.
The first settler came to Greenfield in about 1790. Within a year several families had moved there from the vicinity of Westchester County and were followed by others within a few more years. They belonged to the "Society of Friends" and were known as "Friends" or "Quakers".
As the early Quakers died and their descendants moved away from Greenfield, before 1900 weekly services were replaced by one annual service, then abandoned entirely. In 1966 ownership was transferred to the town of Wawarsing who restored it to its present condition.
Wawarsing, New York
Wawarsing is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 13,157 at the 2010 census. The name means "a place where the stream bends" in the Warwarsink language and refers to the geography of the land; particularly the joining of the Ver Nooy Kill and the Rondout Creek. The...
in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This one-room schoolhouse was built in 1830 and was home to grades one
First grade
First grade is a year of primary education in schools in the United States and English-speaking provinces of Canada. It is the first school year after kindergarten...
through eight
Eighth grade
Eighth grade is a year of education in the United States, Canada, Australia and other nations. Students are usually 13 - 14 years old. The eighth grade is typically the final grade before high school, and the ninth grade of public and private education, following kindergarten and subsequent grades...
. It was operated by one teacher and one school trustee. Its former students restored it to its present condition after forming the "Greenfield Park Historical Association" in 1960.
It became a museum on June 27, 1965 and named the "Greenfield Park Museum" or "Greenfield Park One Room Schoolhouse Museum". Many pieces of the memorabilia contained in the schoolhouse are original. The building is about 30 feet wide by 45 feet long. It has a large Pot bellied stove
Potbelly stove
A potbelly stove is a cast-iron wood-burning stove, round with a bulge in the middle. The name is derived from the resemblance of the stove to that of a fat man's pot belly. They were designed to heat large spaces and were often found in train stations or one-room schoolhouses...
for heat, but has no electricity or water. The original two student desks with fold down seats are there, as well as ink wells and slate blackboard
Chalkboard
A chalkboard or blackboard is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Chalkboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone...
. There are small two-seater outhouses (boys and girls separate) on the outside, for girls on the left side and for boys on the right side of the building. Among the preserved memorabilia is a teacher’s contract of a $5 a week salary, plus 3 weeks paid vacation in the summer if the trustee felt like it. The names of all the teachers over the years were tabulated on a wall roster.
The schoolhouse is located on Oak Ridge Road, right off New York Route 52
New York State Route 52
New York State Route 52 is a long state highway in the southeastern part of New York in the United States. It generally runs from west to east, beginning at the Pennsylvania state line in the Delaware River near Narrowsburg, crossing the Hudson River on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and ending...
, in the center of its Greenfield-Park stretch in the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
.
History
The date given when this building was erected is 1830, and records indicate that this schoolhouse was already in use prior to 1836. In those days, as throughout rural America, the school districtSchool district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
for this community, known then as Greenfield, included this one room schoolhouse for all eight elementary grades, with one school trustee and one teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
All the children of the community attended the one room school. Their number varied yearly but often there were more than 35 attending school. They ranged from the tiny tot, just entering first grade, to the teenager who had advanced to the eighth grade, all taught by the same teacher.
School taxes as late as 1893 ranged from four cents to $8.90; and the school teacher who was usually unmarried, lived either at the home of the trustee or with one of the families in the school district, and received then a salary of $6 a week.
The building was still in use in 1938 but ceased functioning shortly after when it moved to more modern facilities.
Many of those boys and girls continued beyond the Greenfield school to become lawyers, doctors, and surgeons, some of national repute. Many others entered the hotel and resort business and are equally well known in their field of endeavor.
The initial step to restore this schoolhouse was taken by Morris Kanfer, a pupil of this school. With the help of David Levinson and under the guidance and supervision of Ben Miller, both one time students of this school, the project was completed. Aaron Feldherr, postmaster of Greenfield Park was advisor, advocate and secretary-treasurer of the project from its inception.
It was dedicated in June, 1965 and its oldest living pupil, Mary Patmore who was 96 at the time, cut a ribbon marking the official opening of the museum. Another pupil, Dr. Samuel Standard, a prominent surgeon and teacher, delivered the principal address.
Quaker Meeting House
Also as part of the museum is the Quaker meeting house right across the street from the museum, erected in about 1818 it is the oldest public building in the town of Wawarsing.The first settler came to Greenfield in about 1790. Within a year several families had moved there from the vicinity of Westchester County and were followed by others within a few more years. They belonged to the "Society of Friends" and were known as "Friends" or "Quakers".
As the early Quakers died and their descendants moved away from Greenfield, before 1900 weekly services were replaced by one annual service, then abandoned entirely. In 1966 ownership was transferred to the town of Wawarsing who restored it to its present condition.
External links
- County Alive
- Greenfield Park Museum - listing on I Love NY
- Wawarsing, by Pamela Kuhlmann, page 19