Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 15, 2002

Lake Clear News

By DEBORAH J. DONALDSON Enterprise Correspondent

More one room schoolhouses discovered around region

…Dean Montroy called and said he had a wonderful map dated 1874 and guess what? There were more one room schoolhouses on that map. Now I see what Frank Martin said about the one room schoolhouses each being three miles apart.

Off Route 3 at Merrillsville, on the east side of the cemetery, is a schoolhouse that still exists.

Starting down the Alder Brook Road a short distance off Route 3, there was a one room schoolhouse on the west side of the road. From Alder Brook go to Catholic Corners and there was a one room schoolhouse that is still there.

Upper Franklin Falls, halfway from Reardon Hill and Catholic Corners, was a one room school-house. Margaret (Hogan) Buckley taught there.

On the old road that went to Franklin Falls, on the east side of Franklin Falls Flow was a one room schoolhouse. The teacher there was Elizabeth Martin.

Back to Vermontville. At the Route 3 end of Swinyer Road toward Bloomingdale there was a one room schoolhouse. Also there was the town hall which was across from where the town garage is now.

That town hall building was one room and used as a school-house; third, fourth and fifth grades were taught there. Teachers that taught there were: Linda DelBel, Edna Wright Swinyer. The children liked using that building, as when election day came they had a day off from school. That town hall and one room schoolhouse were taken down when the new road was built.

Next we have the present Vermontville Town Hall building that was once a two room school - house. On one side of the building was first and second grades and the other side had sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Some of the teachers remembered there were Helen Demong, Louise Cronkhite, Beatrice Morrison, Grace Collins, Mrs. Tierney, Lita Lynch. Gussie Pedroni went there with Helen Tyler and she remembered Emma Rooney and Phoebe Lenaghan as teachers. This was in 1922-1923.

Unfortunately we also missed the Bloomingdale schools. At the end of West Main Street in Bloomingdale, there was a school-house, built in 1837, that took in grades first through eighth. This was located above the Overlook Apartments. That building was taken down in 1914.

A women, who wishes to remain anonymous found a commencement exercise program from the last class to graduate on June 23,1914. There were three girls, Mildred Norman, Annie Laura Putman, Lucy Wallian Towne.

The Union School located on School Street was built in 1915 in Bloomingdale. This was two stories high. On the first floor was a large hall with classes first and second in one room, third and fourth in another room and fifth and sixth in another. The second floor had classes seventh and eighth along with the library, lab room, principal's office and a study hall room that was used by grades 9th through 12th. In the basement there were two rooms used for classes. This building later burned down.

A special thank you goes to Dean Montroy for the use of his map, to Gussie Pedroni, Florence LeFleur, … and Mary Ellen Keith. I couldn't have done it without all of you. I would like to apologize to the residents of Vermontviile and Bloomingdale for overlooking your important schools.

Saranac Lake Central School District Proposed Saranac Lake Central School District, from the Master Plan for School District Reorganization, New York State Education Department, 1958 An unidentified school house, possibly in Onchiota. Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 22, 1996 Malone Gazette, January 8, 1897

School Commissioner Bizel,of the first district, will hold teachers' examinations for the year 1897 as follows: First grade, March 4 and 5, August 12 and 13, at Malone; second and third grade certificates, January 14 aud 15, March 4 and 5, April 23 and 24, August 12 and 13, at Malone; June 3 and 4, at Chateaugay ; Sept. 24 and 25, at Saranac Lake.

See Saranac Lake Schools and Saranac Lake Central School District

Regional Public Schools

Private Schools

History of Clinton and Franklin counties, New York, p. 393

The common schools of Franklin for the year ending Sept. 30, 1878:

BRIGHTON. Four districts; 7 teachers employed,—1 male and 6 females; number of pupils of school age, 90; number attending school, 71; average daily attendance, 47; value of school-houses and sites, $2850.

FRANKLIN. Thirteen districts; 19 teachers employed,—3 males and 16 females; number of children of school age, 441; number attending school, 337; average daily attendance, 162; value of school-houses and sites, $2995.

HARRIETSTOWN. Three districts; 5 teachers employed,—3 males and 2 females; number of children of school age, 247; number attending school, 182; average daily attendance, 98 ; value of school-houses and sites, $3545.

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