The Brantling Hill Schoolhouse (known as school No.1) was the last of the rural schoolhouses to close (1955) due to the spread of the centralized school program. The schoolhouse overlooked Mud Pond and a biological garden on Heidenreich road. The location was converted into a 4-H Club clubhouse. However, there does not appear to be a building in this location anymore. The last teacher to work there was Mrs.Ethel M. Sebring, who retired with the schools closing

Description written by John Trutt

The Brantling Hill Schoolhouse (known as school No.1) was the last of the rural schoolhouses to close (1955) due to the spread of the centralized school program. The schoolhouse overlooked Mud Pond and a biological garden on Heidenreich road. The school hosted students up to and including sixth grade. However, some of the other schoolhouses did go through eighth grade. Most children started school at age 5 and immediately entered first grade as there was no kindergarten in most rural schools. A grade typically ranged from 1 student to 4 or more. There were a variety of subjects taught at the schools including, “arithmetic, reading, writing, spelling, social studies, and other basic material … per the educational law.”¹. When particular subjects were to be taught for specific grades. Students that were to take part were called to the front and students in other grades kept quiet and worked on other things in other parts of the room. Once a week, an afternoon would be dedicated to Bible studies with Miss Van Dusen. Miss Van Dusen used figures and a felt board depicting characters from different bible stories. She would also give out prizes occasionally for perfect attendance or for learning a specific number of verses from a book and chapter of the bible. There was also a recess period in which the students could play and eat. Each of the schools were heated by a wood or coal stove. Which was the first thing the teacher would tend to when they arrived at the school. These stoves were also used to dry winter clothes.

The school was voted to close on August, 24th, 1955, in a meeting presided over by the president of the Newark Board of Education at the time Elmer L. DuBois, in a vote of 9-5. If they had voted against the closure of the school there would have been an enrollment of nine students.²

The old schoolhouse was sold at a public auction on June 23 to a 4-H Club for the sum of $1.00. While we do not at this time know the year in which this auction took place it is known that, before this auction, the 4-H Club located in Zurich had shown previous interest in purchasing the location and converting the property into a clubhouse. However, nothing came of that at the time because of legal issues. After the purchase the contents of the building were disposed of for $78. After the purchase, the deed for the school went under the name of Teen-Timers 4-H Club. As of 1983, several purchase offers have been made on the school by multiple individuals since it was sold, but the school cannot be sold again due to what was described by former student Joyce De Rue as legal entanglements.³

Former student of the Brantling Hill Schoolhouse, Joyce De Rue, who worked at the Courier-Gazette Paper for over 20 years is able to provide much insight into these schools specifically with regards to how they operated, in her article “Rural Schools - a Thing of the Past.” published in The Courier-Gazette.⁴ Joyce is not only able to provide some general information for the district schoolhouses 1-20, she also provides a large amount of information regarding the Brantling Hill Schoolhouse specifically due to her past enrollment. Joyce provides a detailed description of what the interior of the school would look like which is quoted below. Due to cropping of the image of this paper some words are cut off. This may be fixed in the future if a better quality copy becomes accessible. However, due to this being the only publicly available copy online, this may not be an exact quote but, significant effort has been made to make sure this information is relayed here as accurately as possible. Any words that could not be confirmed either through context clues or what is visible have been marked over with an ellipsis.

Historical description:

“The one I attended on Brantling Hill was a one-room building, and the east wall was lined with large windows. Past the entryway, you walked in a small nook, which could be separated from the rest by a large, dark blue curtain. The front of the room where the teacher (Mrs. Ethel M. Sebring) sat, as well as the front wall containing a large blackboard, could… curtained off, making three sections from the one room. Generally, the room was left open – except at Christmas time, when an annual program was put on …parents and area residents.”

They describe the large commitment of both the students and facility of the school to create and advertise these programs. Residents regardless of whether or not they had children attending the school were invited. 

“Everyone looked forward to the Christmas programs. Students were given time during the regular school day to make invitations. Other days were set … for children to hand-deliver then to families in the area. All families received invitations whether they had children attending the school or not. For several weeks before Christmas vacation, students practiced daily for participation in small skits. Some … solo parts and recited poems. Even Santa arrived every year at the end of the program – always done by the teacher’s husband, Lavenus, followed by the singing of carols and old-time favorites.”⁵