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Colchester One-Room Schoolhouses
In the late 1800’s Colchester had 30 one-room schoolhouses,
more than any other town in Delaware County. Each school district size
was between three to five square miles, as most students walked to
school. The school year was generally split between two terms. Female
teachers taught in the summer term when younger children went to school.
Male teachers were preferred for the winter term because older boys
attended in the winter and it was thought that male teachers would keep
better control of the students. Male teachers were paid more for the
winter term, but were expected to split and stack firewood as well as
maintain the woodstove fires in the schoolhouse.
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Colchester One Room School House Locations District # Location 1. Huntley Hollow Huntley Hollow 2. Corbett Hamlet of Corbett
3.
Joint 3 Joint District with
Sullivan Co., Regan Road near the 4. Gregorytown Corner of Fuller Hill Road and Back River Road 5. Pepacton Hamlet of Pepacton 6. Berry Brook Berry Brook Rd. 7. Holiday Brook Corner of Sugarloaf Road and Holiday Brook Rd. 8. Coles Clove Base of Coles Clove, doorstep visible at edge of Pepacton Reservoir, last one room school to close in Colchester, 1948 9. Cat Hollow Clove Road, closed 1869
10.
Upper Telford Hollow Across from Tompkins Road, next to
last one room 11. Upper Campbell Brook Near intersection of State Road 206/30 12. Butternut Grove Russell Brook Road, Cable farm near Trout Pond 13. Lower Telford Near Dann Road 14. Morton Hill Corner of Horton Hill Road and Colin Campbell farm and Lower Spring Brook
15.
Wilson Hollow District included Lindsley
Hollow on NYS Route 206 and 16. Baxter Mountain Baxter Mt. Rd., Spooner Brook 17. Trout Brook Shinhopple close to the outlet of Trout Creek 18. Gregory Hollow Near Fuller Brook Road 19. Tiffany Hollow Bull Run 20. Brock Mountain Cat Hollow Road (NYS Route 206/30) Upper Spring Brook 21. Main Street Upper Main Street, Downsville 22. Tiffany Hollow Gregory Hollow Road 23. Horton Brook Near corner of Horton Brook and Beaverkill 24. Old Rte. 17 (Sprague School) Horse Brook, Middle District on Route 17 at Lambriggers Campsite, Landfield Hollow 25. Gregorytown River On Colchester side of East Branch of Delaware River across from Gregorytown 26. Joint 16 Joint district with Hamden on Doe Brook Road 27. Horton Brook Fuller Brook Cooks Falls School Cooks Falls on Stanley Smith Estate
School Consolidation In August of 1938 Colchester residents voted to form a central school district. The central school district consist of 19 districts: Union Free District No. 21, Town of Colchester; Common School Districts Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 ,9 ,13, and 19 of the Town of Colchester; Nos. 10 and 18, Towns of Colchester and Hamden; Nos. 15 and 17, Towns of Colchester and Walton; No. 30 Towns of Colchester and Andes; No. 3, Town of Hancock; Nos. 7 and 8, Town of Hamden; No. 10, Towns of Hamden and Colchester. The Town of Tompkins was added to the central school district in 1946. Cooks Falls, Russell Brook, Morton Hill and Spring Brook sent students to Roscoe Central School. On May 10, 1966 East Branch District No. 16 was annexed into Central School District No. 1. In September 1965, the State Education Department granted permission to use “Downsville Central School” as the popular name of the district.
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