South Bristol Historical Society




S ROAD SCHOOL RESTORATION The formal re-opening and dedication of the restored S Road School took place on Saturday, June 26. Located at the intersection of Route 129 with the S Road, the one-room building was constructed in 1860 and was an elementary school until 1943. It has not been used since then except for a brief attempt at restoration in the "70's"; all the furnishings were discarded or given away many years ago. The Historical Society expressed appreciation to all those who contributed to the S Road School Restoration Fund, to the many individuals who donated furnishings and supplies, to the contractors who worked with care on the building and the site, and to the Society members who directed the effort. More than $93,000 was raised in donations from over 210 individuals, 9 Foundations, and the Town of South Bristol at its Town Meeting, a sum sufficient to complete the restoration and establish a fund to assure the future of the building and the educational program.
Now that the restoration is complete, the only remaining one-room schoolhouse in the Town of South Bristol is ready for use as an educational and historical resource. The environment experienced by students and teacher in a small fishing village in the 1930's has been re-created, opening a window on life during an important but often overlooked period in our town's history, the Great Depression. Present-day students will spend several days at the school just as it was in 1930; no central heating or indoor plumbing, no computers or audio-visual equipment, no water fountain or gymnasium. Lessons will be taught by one teacher for all grades using the same textbooks some of their grandparents used, many of which have been found on site and still bear the names of those who used them in the 1930's.
In addition, a small portion of the building is devoted to exhibits and documents related to education in South Bristol over the years. The building is open to the public from 1 to 4 pm on Friday during July and August. The Thompson Ice House Museum, located within walking distance from the Schoolhouse, is also open at that time, providing visitors with two unique opportunities to experience what South Bristol was like more than 65 years ago.

HISTORY OF THE S ROAD SCHOOL
The S Road School, also known at various times as District 5, the Neck, Main, or Roosevelt, was constructed in 1860 for the sum of $600. This building replaced a "poor schoolhouse" that was on the 1857 Map of Lincoln County. "By 1895, enrollment was about 16 but rose to the mid-twenties after other schools closed in the early 1900's. The place was fixed up in 1901 and again in 1918. Upon the death of the teacher in 1943, the school was closed due to lack of a replacement and never reopened." from Woodstoves & Backhouses, by Philip Averill.
Sarah Emery taught at the S Road School in 1906 and possibly 1907, then at the school on Rutherford Island in 1908, '09 and '10. She received a degree from the Eastern State Normal School at Castine in 1912. As related by Sarah Emery in interviews with Richard Hawkins in 1975, she attended Castine Normal School in the summer of 1914 and learned how "to make teaching rural children more interesting. They studied such things as how to operate a Victrola." Upon returning to teach at the S Road School in 1915, Sarah recalled in the 1975 interviews that "electricity had been in. I went to the [Thompson] hotel down here and they gave me lamps to go around, probably a half dozen maybe not too many, but it would light the room." Before electricity, "there were no lights. When it was a thunderstorm we couldn't see to study." Miss Emery continued teaching at the S Road School through the 1935 school year, with the exception of 1923 when she was on leave.

S ROAD SCHOOL BECOMES AS ART GALLERY!

The South Bristol Historical Society honored local artists, both past and present, with an art exhibit at the S Road School in August of 2011. The event furthered the Historical Society's goals of using the unique building as a resource for the whole community and connecting the past with the present. More than 130 people visited the exhibit over the two-day period.

Many forms of artistic endeavor were included - drawing, painting, fiber, wood carving, metal work and sculpture. Representing today's younger generation, a mural created by South Bristol elementary school students during their 2011 artist-in-residence week was on display.

Artists from days gone by whose work was shown were: Jane Sewall, Wilfred Hamlin, Martha Marden King, Audrey Maxcy, Willard Metcalf, Mattie Whittemore, Kathleen Thorpe, Everett A. Poole, Arletta Thorpe, Marj Farrin, Clarence L. Collens, Ralph R. Norwood, Mansfield Hunt, and Ted Prescott.

Today's South Bristol artists were also well represented, including some whose work is easily recognized and others less well-known but talented and interesting in their own right. Those visiting the exhibit enjoyed work created by: Tom Block, Steve Busch, Sally Loughridge Busch, Kat Farrin, Edmund "Ipper" Collens, Susan Bartlett Rice, Duncan Halm, Sam Hamlin, Ted Hanks, Consuelo Hanks, Marlene Hosey, Betty Humphries, Patrick McCarthy, Dick Miller, Kay Miller, Michele Moran, Maude Olsen, Diane Prescott, Gina Riddiford, South Bristol School, Joyce Scott, Tenley Seiders, Priscilla Smith, Joan Post, Shelia Morrell, Joy Vaughn, Don Thompson, Burke Johnson, and Nancy Houseworth.

CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST

The smell of fresh-cut pine and balsam; the sound of Adeste Fideles from the wind-up Victrola; the taste of old-fashioned sugar cookies and Crackerjacks; the sight of toys from yesteryear under the tree - that was Christmas in August at the S Road School as created by the South Bristol Historical Society in 2012.

Christmas memories of the 30's and 40's from local residents were printed on red and green cards and displayed around the room. Several former students at the old schoolhouse, including Amy Rice Poole, Ramona Thompson Gaudette, Arolyn Thompson Gilbert, Cynthia Thompson Dodge, William Rice and Kathy Poole Norwood, came to see the recreated Christmas schoolroom and to share stories with each other and the more than 100 visitors who came to catch a glimpse of the past.

Vintage Santas watched from the window sills as youngsters crafted candy canes from red and white pipe cleaners, glued paper rings together, and sprinkled yellow stars with glitter to hang on the tree. Some played Pick-Up Sticks and Tiddly Winks. Stacy Winnick of Three Dollops Cookie Studio made fabulous "Christmas Moose" cookies with red and white striped ears for sale, and donated all the proceeds to SBHS.