Living History in Nashua, NH
"Report Card"
Nashua's Little Brick Schoolhouse
Welcome to the
District #1 School
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Located in the Old South Burial Ground in Nashua, New Hampshire, the 1841 District #1 Schoolhouse stands as a testament to the 80 years it served as a suburban public school. Since its restoration in 1976 for the Bicentennial of the United States, the little brick schoolhouse has welcomed scholars from Greater Nashua for a two-hour re-living history program. Members of the King's Daughters Benevolent Association volunteered their time and resources to the renovation of this schoolhouse treasure in 1976 for the U.S. Bicentennial. They continue to curate the school and sponsor 4th grade classes.
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Each spring and fall, 4th grade students from Greater Nashua return to the days of reading, writing, and arithmetic, the wood burning stove, dip ink pens, slates and slate pencils, recitation lessons, and in some cases, the hickory stick! The "schoolmarm" or "schoolmaster" is at the head of the class to instruct the scholars, who once spanned a range of ages, grades, and ability levels. Here at the schoolhouse, history comes alive and visitors often say, "This is the best field trip I've ever been on!"
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Homeschoolers Fall 2023: Unfortunately, due to the large number of classes we serve and our limited seasonal schedule, District #1 has filled its schedule for Fall 2023. Future homeschool groups will have to LIVE in the Greater Nashua area as we have been reminded recently of this covenant for using the schoolhouse.
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This website is dedicated to the District #1 School, the devoted teachers who educated children in similar schools across the nation, and the countless scholars whose parents dreamed of better lives for their children.
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Explore the history, photographs, and timeless tales that help us bring the one-room story to our visitors
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Learn of the renewed interest in the preservation and restoration of our remaining one-room country schools in the United States. You'll agree that Nashua preservationists were ahead of their time!
District #1 Schoolhouse
1841 - 1921
(near) 217 Daniel Webster Highway
Nashua, New Hampshire
Life in a Country School
Schoolhouse Videos
"One-Room Schools of the Past"
What was it like to attend a one-room country school over 100 years ago in the United States? What were the buildings like? Who were the teachers? What did scholars learn? Why were there so many schoolhouses? What learning materials did students use? How did one teacher teach all those ages and grades in one room? How was the day organized?......and many more questions answered.
WATCH BEFORE YOUR VISIT TO THE SCHOOLHOUSE!
Nashua and the Schoolhouse -1841
Here is a short history of early Nashua, the District #1 Schoolhouse, and the decision to build the school in 1841. Learn who curates the schoolhouse today and what visitors will see when they experience schooling in the past.
WATCH BEFORE YOUR VISIT TO THE SCHOOLHOUSE!
"Our Resilient New Hampshire Schoolhouses"
Here is a 6-minute tribute to a number of preserved schoolhouses of NH. It was produced for "Strawbery Banke" Museum in Portsmouth, NH for their 4th of July on-line celebration in 2020. The theme was, "Resilience," as we all battled to come back from COVID-19 and could only visit "Strawbery Banke" virtually. Interpreters made videos of themselves as historic figures telling their stories of overcoming hardship.
I chose to highlight preserved schoolhouses that have survived the ravages of time, many to live again and tell their stories to appreciative visitors. I wish I could have featured all our NH schools, but the time was limited to 6-minutes. I hope you enjoy our beautiful New England schools and my heartfelt message about them....
Note: All the buildings identified with titles are in New Hampshire. Not all the general schoolhouse photos used are from NH schools: interiors, groups, items.
Historic Gravestone: September 5th, 1724
One of the most interesting gravestones in the Old South Burial Ground tells the story of Thomas Lund, age 42, who with seven more men buried beside him..."were all slew in a day by the Indiens (sic)." Native Americans and Nashua settlers were at odds with one another in 1724. Read the story of this incident below on the PDF reader!
Contact us...
For additional information contact:
Susan Fineman at scfineman@aol.com
The schoolhouse is located in the Old South Burial Ground on the Daniel Webster Highway.
Use the address for Walgreens' (next door) for GPS directions.
217 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, NH 03060
Country School
Association of America
The District #1 Schoolhouse is recognized by the Country School Association of America, a national organization promoting the preservation of the remaining one-room country schools across the nation.
The CSAA is dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the country school experience. The group is for those who are involved in one-room school preservation, history, or reenactment.
The schoolhouse has been placed in the CSAA Registry as a Landmark Schoolhouse, one that has contributed in a positive way to the understanding and appreciation of the country school experience.
