1847 - 1947

520 BOSTON POST ROAD

MERRIMACK NEW HAMPSHIRE

In 1846 the town of Merrimack authorized the purchase of a plot of land in the southeast section of town belonging to John and Isaac Parker. The land was to be used for as building site for a schoolhouse for District #12. The town paid the Parker's $6.25 for the property. The site was described in part in the deed as:

"On the north side of the road between R. D. Bennett's store & Benjamin Kidders house. Said piece of land is about 16 rods southeast of said Kidders house .........contains four and a half rods square or one eighth of an acre by measure - said land is to be for the location for a school house in said district."

David Lund was commissioned to construct the schoolhouse. A one-room schoolhouse in the Vernacular Greek Revival style was built. The clapboard structure rests on a granite foundation and has a low pitched gable front facing the road. Granite steps lead to the front door.

Mr. Lund was paid $272.88 for the construction, to be raised from a tax in District 12. District 12 was comprised of:

"Beginning at the southeast corner of William Patterson's homestead farm thence northerly by the easterly line of the farms of William Patterson, Benjamin Farley, David Lund and Jacob Clark to the northeast corner of the homestead farm of Jacob Thinge, northerly by said Jacob Clark's north line to Amherst line, thence southerly and easterly by the town line to the first bound and comprising all the territory within said limit."

The schoolhouse was finished in time for the winter session of 1847. The first teacher was the Reverend S. Dodge. He taught thirty pupils for a total of 8 weeks and received $15.00 for his services. In the annual report of the Superintendent of Schools, #12 schoolhouse was described as follows:

"In the new district No. 12, they have erected a very neat and substantial school house the past year. The house is large and the interior construction is tasteful and convenient. The facilities for warming and ventilating are such as we should be glad to see in every school house. They had their first school the past winter, which numbered 30 scholars."

The following year, 1848, a summer session of 8 1/2 weeks with 17 students and a winter session of 8 1/2 weeks with 25 students were held. Miss Catherine Carter and Miss Lucy D. Toleman were the teacher for the two sessions.

In the 1840s, female teachers were paid $5.00 per session and male teachers were paid $10.00. By 1853 this payment had doubled. Teachers often received room and board at one or more of the homes in the district.

School was not held in the spring or fall because the children were needed to help with the planting and harvesting on the farms. Merrimack was still a farming community at this time.

Most of the pupils were girls and few were over the age of fourteen years. The school day started with one of the older boys starting a fire in the wood stove and filling the water jug.

The wood stove was situated at the front of the building and the stove pipe ran across the length of the building to the chimney in the back. This was done to provide heat from the pipe as well as from the stove. There was no indoor plumbing until the year 2000. Electricity was not installed until 1931.

During the next few years the following comments were made about the school:

"The committee noticed three things in connection with this school, which they regard as constituting the necessary elements of a good school. First, a good teacher; second, a well constructed school-house; and last, but not least, good scholars."

"This district has the best house in town, and the only one warmed and ventilated upon correct philosophical principles. The only fault in the construction is this - that the writing benches are too far from the seats."

Reading writing and arithmetic were taught to grades one through eight by one teacher with the older children often helping the younger ones. In the 1860s geography was added to the curriculum and a set of Fowle's maps were purchased.

There was no library and no reference books. The students bought their own books, and the teachers sometimes purchased extra teaching materials. Common books used for teaching were: Towne's and Holebrook's Progressive Readers, Greenleaf's National Arithmetic, Well's Grammar, Town's Speller and Definer and of course the Bible. District #12 schoolhouse did have a blackboard.

History was later added to the list of subjects with Goodrich's History being added to the list of books. Music was not added until 1947.

There were few extra books, little blackboard space and no repairs done to the schoolhouse in the 1850s and 18670s. The average class consisted of twenty pupils. Teacher salaries were between $8.00 and $20.00, depending on the length of the term. Parents of the students provided wood for the stove and the older boys did the janitorial work.

With declining enrollment and the schoolhouse in some disrepair, the #12 schoolhouse was closed in 1906 and students attended Schoolhouse #5 until 1910.

Few records for individual schools for the 1900s were found. In 1923, the #12 school was commended by Superintendent Louis Dewitt as follows:

"Although it is contrary to my custom to especially commend any teacher or school, I wish to call you attention to the work being done in your #12 school. It is a pleasure to anyone, whether visitor or inspector, to look into the faces of the children of this school and observe the happy, contented, joyous spirit of the boys and girls. The room is always orderly, clean and attractive and the children busy. The results are such as would be expected under these circumstances. The continuous service of a conscientious, trained teacher is invaluable to the community."

Louis DeWitt

Supt. Of Schools

Union #27

By 1944, there were problems at the No. 12 school. The school building was unsatisfactory and the Superintendent of Schools recommended a committee of concerned citizens be appointed to study the possibility of building a new two-room school. Nothing was done. In 1945 the situation became worse. The No. 5 school had been closed and the pupils transferred to No. 12. This caused overcrowding at the school and the recommendation was made to build a new school once again. A decision was made in 1947 to replace the school. A special appropriation for $11000 to erect a new school house at South Merrimack was made.

The citizens of South Merrimack felt that the community landmark should be preserved. A article appeared on the town warrant and a vote was taken to give the building to the Village of South Merrimack for a community house.

The Community Association of South Merrimack was formed in 1948, and the building was sold to them. Reverend Charles Haynes donated the $1.00 fee for its purchase.

Whist parties, auctions, lawn parties and suppers, as well as meetings were held in the building by the Village Club. The Sportsmen's Club also met at the No. 12 Schoolhouse.

Sometime in the late 1940s, the Community Club added two additions to the schoolhouse. A fully equipped kitchen was constructed and a garage/woodshed moved from the Hall's property and attached to the back of the building. Extensive repairs and renovations were done by the club in 1958. Four windows were removed, eight others were replaced. A new chimney was built, the old restroom became a closet, and a new restroom was built in the shed. New plasterboard and a new ceiling were installed.

The last meeting of the South Village Club was held in 1951. The following years found the building being used by various civic groups and private organizations.

In 1987, the building had been vacant for some time. The Community Club disbanded and the ownership reverted back to the Merrimack School District. The Merrimack Historical Society bought the building in 1988.

In 1989, the Historical Society formed a building committee to research all aspects of the property and estimate its potential. A master plan was compiled, and after much debate, it was decided to renovate the building and use it for meetings, research work, and to display the town's artifacts.

In 1992, most of the renovations were completed and the building opened to the public, with volunteers to staff it.

At the present time, the No. 12 schoolhouse, home of the Merrimack Historical Society, has an extensive collection of historical and genealogical data on the town of Merrimack and houses many of the town's artifacts.

PREPARED BY THE

MERRIMACK HISTORICAL SOCIETY