The Seven One-Room Schoolhouses
One-Room Schoolhouses
The one-room schoolhouse was the original backbone of New Fairfield's public education system. According to this 1867 map, the town was divided into seven districts with one schoolhouse per district to serve students. Home location determined what district a family belonged in and which schoolhouse their children would attend.
These seven schoolhouses were named Great Hollow, Centreville, Great Meadow, Ball Pond, West Centre, East Centre, and Wood Creek.​
Note: School location indicators are not on the original map.
Click to zoom into the map.
Great Hollow School
Close to the Connecticut/New York State boundary line going north on Rt. 39 to the town of Sherman. This building no longer exists.
Centreville School
Located at the corner of Rte. 37 and Pine Hill Rd. The building is now part of a private residence.
Great Meadow School
Candlewood Lake currently covers the location of this school. The building, if not moved at the time the valley was flooded, would be under water.
Great Meadow School, 1930s This schoolhouse was built after the flooding of Candlewood Lake, as the original school of this district was lost to the lake. Town records show that, in 1880, there were 32 students in New Fairfield Schools. A teacher's salary in that same year was $26 per month. Before the construction of Consolidated School in 1941 there were seven one-room school districts in New Fairfield.
Photo courtesy of New Fairfield Free Public Library.
Source: https://www.preservenewfairfield.org/single-post/2017/02/05/old-houses
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Ball Pond School
Located on Ball Pond along Rte. 39. This building was moved and relocated to Bigelow Rd. It is now part of a private residence.
West Centre School
Located at 19 Brush Hill Rd. The school house is maintained by the Historical Society as a Living History Museum
known as The Little Red Schoolhouse.
East Centre School
Located on Saw Mill Rd. This building was moved further back on the property. It is now a private residence.
Wood Creek School
Annexed to Brookfield in the 1960s. This schoolhouse became a private residence. It was torn down in recent years.
Being a teacher in New Fairfield in 1872 meant navigating the challenges of rural education with limited resources, adhering to strict social expectations (especially for women), and providing not only academic but moral instruction to students. Teachers were community figures, but their profession was often undervalued in terms of pay and status. Despite this, they played a crucial role in shaping the future of their communities and the nation at large.
1872 was a time of reconstruction and growth for the United States, just a few years after the Civil War. Connecticut, while far from the conflict, was affected by national changes in industry, politics, and society. Schools were seen as important institutions for fostering national unity and educating future generations.
Carolyn Rogers Diary
The Diary of 15 year old West Centre student, Carolyn Rogers chronicles the life and times in New Fairfield during the year 1861. Her first entry relates her anguish over the loss of her 2 year old sister Emma on Christmas Day 1860.
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Death of a young child was commonplace in New Fairfield during the 19th century when diseases like scarlet fever spread amongst the townspeople. The young and the very old were susceptible to losing their lives before the discovery of antibiotics.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1861
One week tonight since dear little Emma left us for the "Happy Land" of which she loved to sing. "O! blessed happy child to find the God of Heaven so near and kind."
Minutes from a Lawful Meeting of ye South Society of New Fairfield 1756
The inscription was taken from a meeting at the "South Society" of New Fairfield, CT in December 1756. At one time, New Fairfield encompassed the boundaries of both New Fairfield and Sherman, CT. The South Society was within the town boundaries of current New Fairfield. The "North Society" was within the current day town of Sherman. The Societies were separate entities when they split into two towns in 1810.
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This is the first mention of the town supporting schools in the Society's archives. It mentions Ball Pond (the pond), Beaver Bogs (Centreville,) and Wood Creek (wood Crick) as schools existing in town in 1756. The earliest record of West Centre School appears on an 1852 map of New Fairfield.
