History
The first school building on this site was a wooden one constructed after the Rev. Nathanael Emmons took a 900-year lease on the land. The school was built at the corner of Maple Street and Main Street, although the later is now called Lincoln Street and the school building is number two. The "Meeting House School" building and the 900-year lease were taken over by the town authorities. At this time it was known as the "school at the crossroads", although it was also used by the Congregational church for their children's Sunday-school classes. The school's early association with religion was strong. In 1792 it was agreed that no school master should be appointed who did not "promise to pray in the school each day.The red bricks
The bricks that gave their name to this school building were shipped via oxen from Boston. This school was built on the foundation of the older, wooden schoolhouse in 1833. By 1835 Mortimer Blake was running a high school in the building that was proving so popular that it was overflowing despite the charges of 25 to 35 cents per week. They had to move the lessons to larger premises. In 1852 the church stopped having Sunday school at the same building. The administration attempted to shut down the school during thePublic school tradition continues
In 2008, after 175 years of regular use, the Red Brick School, which was serving as a kindergarten for Franklin's Public School System, was deemed to be "surplus" by the Franklin School Department. The school committee voted to close the school and turned the Red Brick School over to the control of the Town Of Franklin. The town, with community support, worked closely with the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School to incorporate the little Brick School into their educational offerings. Today the tradition of public education continues in this one room classroom, viewed by many as a town treasure. The school remains a large tourist attraction and is rarely used by the town of Franklin in an effort to let the school remain in clean shape.Dispute over record
The Town of Franklin claimed that the Red Brick School was the longest continuously-running one-room brick school house providing public education in the nation. That record was disputed by several members of Franklin's community when the decision on whether or not to close the school was being weighed by Franklin's School Committee. A town employee and public school parent discovered that the town ofSee also
*References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts 1780s establishments in Massachusetts Defunct schools in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in the 1780s Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts One-room schoolhouses in Massachusetts School buildings completed in 1833 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Schools in Norfolk County, Massachusetts