The Fourth District School is a historic district school building on Old Post Road in
North Branford, Connecticut. Built about 1800, it is a rare surviving example of a late 18th-century schoolhouse in Connecticut. It was moved to its present location from a more rural setting in 1928. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1985.
It is now owned and maintained by the Totoket Historical Society as a museum property.
Description and history
The Fourth District School is located on the north side of the village of
Northford, on the east side of Old Post Road just north of the Edward Smith Library. It is a single-story wood frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. Its long side is set parallel to the street, with two windows and a single door. Some of its exterior features, including the clapboards and plank door, are original, while others are the result of a sensitive restoration in 1965. The interior, including plaster-on-lath walls with wooden wainscoting, also date to the restoration as a recreation of the original features. When used as a school, it was probably originally fitted with benches facing a high teacher's desk.
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North Branford's fourth district was established in 1769, and classes were typically held in the
meeting house
A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place.
Terminology
Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a
* church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...
during the winter months. The present building was built about 1800, and was originally located on Forest Road, in a rural setting about north of its present location. It was moved in 1928 to prevent its demolition, and underwent a major restoration in 1965.
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See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven County, Connecticut
References
External links
Totoket Historical Society website
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
School buildings completed in 1800
North Branford, Connecticut
Museums in New Haven County, Connecticut
History museums in Connecticut