From The Connecticut River Valley in Southern Vermont and New Hampshire: Historical Sketches by Lyman S. Hayes, Tuttle Co., Marble City Press, Rutland, VT., 1929, page 202:
EARLY SCHOOLS IN ROCKINGHAM
The erection during the past two years of the new Bellows Falls High School building at an expense of $275,000 marks a long step from the primitive school system, buildings and practices, of the early settlers of this town and others in the Connecticut river valley.
The town records show that the first effort to establish a school in Rockingham was unsuccessful. In the warning for the town meeting of December 12, 1774, was an article,-
"4th, to see if the Town is willing to hier a School Master to Teach our Childering three months this Winnter and to Chuse a Committee for that purpose and to see if the Town will raise any Sum of money or Grane for that purpose, " and it was" Voted In the Negative."
In 1794 the town was divided into ten school disstricts, and later into eighteen. The territory now covered by the incorporated village of Bellows Falls was at first known as the "South-east District" and later as "District No.1." The first movement for organizing district No.1, and establishing a school, dates from March 24, 1800, when the following paper, which is still in existence, was circulated:
"We the subscribers being desirous to have a School Kept in our neighborhood the insuing season do hereby appoint Daniel Farrand and Quartus Morgan a Commmittee to hire some sutable place to be by them provided for six months from the time shall begin and we severally engage and promise to pay the Committee our proporrtion of the expense of hireing & boarding such woman and of preparing a Room for the purpose according to the number of Scolars we subscribe for."
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This was signed by 10 citizens having 19 pupils. Mr. Farrand, who was a Judge of the Vermont Supreme Court in 1813-4, paid for two, and Mr. Morgan, who was an early tavern keeper here, also paid for two. The first school building was later erected north of the villlage, about ten rods southeast of the two dwellings now owned by Arthur B. Anderson. The location is shown by a slight depression which was a few years ago temporaarily marked, later the post removed. It was beside the old highway, as it ran previous to the building of the Rutland railroad, five or six rods east of the present highway.
The records of the district now known as the "Lawrence Mills District" on the Williams river, show that district to have been organized in 1801, and the school was kept in the dwelling of Samuel Emery, who then owned the mills. In 1822 a new building was proposed and it was "voted to build a school house twenty -six foot long and twenty feet wide with a poarch six feet square, " but, later in the same meeting the size was changed to twenty-four feet long and twenty feet wide, the voters evidently feeling the first dimensions were extravagant to aecommoda te the eighty scholars then in the district. The contract was let to Robert Finlay to erect the buildding. for $218.00, some of the specifications being to be of brick, the main room eight feet high, with two fire places one at each end, "Swinglass windows in the body of the house twenty lights in each window two rows of seats on each side Suitable for writing Scholars one ditto for small scholars * * * Said rooms to be ceiled overhead and the walls not plastered The house and poarch to be finished by the first of December next in a [204] plain workmanlike manner Suitable to teach school in pay to be made in graine in the month of January next. To be shingled with good white pine Shingles."
The total expense of the school in this district for the year 1852 was $97.65, made up as follows: "12 weeks school taught by female at $1.25 per week, $15, 12 weeks by male do $39. Cost of board, 36. cost of wood 7.65" The number of scholars in the district in 1853 was fifty-five, while at the present time there are only a few pupils in the district and they are being transported to other schools.
The records of the school meeting October 8, 1853, show the following action:
"10 Iy Voted to set up the board at auction and the lowest bidder to board the teachers. Alby Buss has the first two weeks at $1.75. Lucious Estabrook 3 and 4, 1. 74-1/2. George W. Morrison 5, 6, 7, 1.75. Timothy Lovell the remainder 1.90 Raymond Brockway boards the female for $1.25 per week"
The question of heating the school house was much discussed. Some years the district voted not to furnish wood to the heat the building. In 1807 they voted $14. for "getting wood for the support of the school, and voted that each and every person taxed should have the privilege of paying his or her rates in good merchantable hard wood, cut three feet long and split suitable for the fire in said school house if delivered at said school house by the 10th day of January, the price to be $1.00 per cord. "
The teachers usually "boarded around," the board being credited on the taxes in place of so much cash. In 1822 it was "voted that the board of the master and [205] mistress be set at $1.00 per week and if any man would rather pay the money than board, let him pay it."
These early records are typical of those in all the districts of the town, and show a great contrast with those of the town in the present day, with its more than a thousand pupils this year, and an expenditure of over a quarter of a million dollars for one school building last year, added to an annual cost of the town schools of over $83,000.00.