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Arcadia District 18 Schoolhouse - Hydesville
| Historic Site #: | 01-082 (Gone) Type: E3 | Town: | Arcadia | ||
| Site Name: | Arcadia District 18 Schoolhouse - Hydesville | GPS Coordinates: | 0., 0. | ||
| Address: | Parker Road | ||||
| Description: | |||||
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, Joyce provides some general information for the Arcadia district schoolhouses Nos. 1-20, as well as some information about the Hydesville school.1 Description written by John Trutt | |||||
| Historic narrative: | |||||
The deed for this property predates the Hydesville school, and was in the name of William Stansell. It is uncertain if the property was sold or donated to the district. Originally a Methodist Church which would become a different school before becoming Hydesville school. The church is where the school would get its benches. Built in 1879, the schoolhouse is located on Parker Road, north of the hamlet of Hydesville and directly across from the Spiritualist’s property. The school was a red brick building, with a shuttered cupola with a bell in it over the doorway. The school was originally known as school district 22 but people called it “former school district No.18”.2 Mrs. Clarence Brown would be the last teacher to work there before the schools closure in 1952, she worked there for 23 years and claimed attendance varied from two to thirty eight students. This large variance of student population throughout the school year was caused by the “... influx of farm help.”3 This was according to Miss Hazel Welcher, who also taught at the school for an unknown time. She labeled the school a “floating school” because of this variance. The property was voted to be sold on August 3rd, 1960 but would not be sold at public auction until December 1965.4 General schoolhouse information: 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.”5 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.Historical narrative written and compiled by John Trutt | |||||
1Sorah Devlin, “Joyce Ann Derue,” Finger Lakes Daily News (Finger Lakes Daily News, March 30, 2018),
2Rue, Joyce De. “Rural Schools - a Thing of the Past.” The Courier-Gazette. September 1, 1983.
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