Lower Cabot School Restored

Cabot, Vermont

Photo Credit: Bonnie S. Dannenberg

District # 3 - Lower Cabot School -

The Lower Cabot Schoolhouse was built in 1880 by True TOWN.

Notes from Fred BLODGETT'S 1951 History of Cabot: Quotes - Source "Cabot, Vermont A Collection of Memories From The Century Past" A Publication of the Cabot Oral History Committee - 1999 Excerpts from pp - 115, 116, 118 & 119.

Book available. $20.00. Order from the President of the Cabot Historical Society.

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"The first school house at Lower Cabot, at least the first frame one, is still standing and occupied as a residence, a Mr. SCOTT and wife are living there. It stands on the south side of the turn that leads to South West Hill [Lapan residence, burned about 1990]. About the time I was born, 1874, after much debate and the occasion of much hard feeling on part of some, it was voted to build a new school house which was accordingly done on the spacious lot where it has since stood. As though to add injury, a steeple and bell were mounted on top. The total cost was $600. Instead of desks, made on the spot, there were polished maple desks, mounted on cast iron foundations, and window shades on rollers to be pulled up and down by a cord on the end of which was a beautiful wine colored tassel as big as one's fist.

"Soon after it was completed, the bell and its iron standards came up missing. I suppose some of the opposition thought they at least would not be reminded, every time it rang, that they had been outvoted. After a few years, Mr. James CALDER, who lived in the small house still standing across the river at the lower end of the village, was working in his meadow beside the mill pond, and looking down into the water, saw something that attracted his attention. Closer investigation showed that it was the long-lost bell. He succeeded in pulling it ashore together with one of the iron standards. It was much rusted, but cleaned and restored to the belfry. A wooden standard was constructed to take the place of the lost cast iron one, and for 70 years it sent its call over the countryside until now it has been silenced by the abandoning of the school in that district.

"It would be but natural that I should feel somewhat partial to old District No. 3 at Lower Cabot, but it certainly sent out into the world at least its full quota of those who made some mark of distinction for themselves. To name a few, Burnham COBURN who led a business life in New York City and left an estate of nearly a quarter of a million. Walter SMITH, who graduated from Dartmough College and practiced law in Minn. His brother, Selden, my neighbor and playmate, likewise graduated from Dartmouth and became a wealthy and prominent citizen of Oakland and San Francisco, Cal., and one of the partners in the firm of Ginn & Co., a large publishing house. A sister, M. Pansy SMITH, now retired, has held a responsible position with that firm. Then there was Prof. George N. MCDANIEL, whom I have already mentioned, who graduated from Harvard with highest honors. Also Prof. Wilfred E. DAVISON, who was Dean of English at Middlebury College when he died at the early age of 42. He is buried in the upper village cemetery. Another was Prof. Archie W. STONE, who was Principal of Derby Academy, and from then until his death, was Supt. of schools in Essex Co., Vt. He was a poet of considerable ability and a volume of his poems has been published. He also had ability as an artist. He is buried at Lower Cabot. Dr. Carl W. FISHER, a graduate Veterinarian was, the major part of his professional life, a professor in the University of California at Berkley. He and his brother, Dean, who is a high salaried officer and director in the General Ice Cream Co., often attended at Lower Cabot, living with their grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. M. P. WALLACE. Dr. Carl HARVEY is an eminent surgeon in Middletown, Conn. Prof. Abbie SMITH, now Mrs. Babitt, graduated from Boston University, had her Ph.D. from Columbia and holds a responsible professorship in a high school in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Pres. Royce PITKIN of Goddard College and his brothers, some of whom I believe are in educational work, were pupils in the Lower Cabot school for some time as their family moved from Marshfield to a farm in Cabot. Drs. Carleton and Gerald HAINES, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Leon HAINES, who still own the old Haines homestead in Lower Cabot, were born there and began their school life there. They are both just completing post graduate work in surgery. Rev. and later Prof. Wesley ATKINS was born in the Lower Cabot district and his three sisters, all teachers, attended there most of their school days. . .If there is another school district of equal size in Vermont that can make an equal showing, we would like to know its location."

"I started school in Lower Cabot in 1918, and Eva CLOUGH was my teacher. She used to walk from Cabot down there to the schoolhouse. Anywhere from 38 to 42 children, and we had outdoor toilets and a pail of water there and we drank from that pail of water. . .Our folks would take us in the morning, down, and then we'd walk back home in the afternoon. School begun at eight o'clock and the first three grades could go home at ten-thirty and that way the teacher had more time to work with the older grades. Then the afternoon it began at one and we come home at two-thirty. The other ones stayed until four. . .The little ones, we had a big table and chairs around it. We didn't have a desk at that time. The older ones, if they got their work done, they could help the little ones read. I know I done it a lot because I thought it was a big deal--a big shot with the little ones. I remember once the teacher didn't realize how late it was getting--we were practicing on the play--and I got home late at night and I think I got a spanking. The teacher had to tell my parents what happened. We were supposed to be home on time. 'Course it got dark in those days, too, if you didn't walk right along home. We couldn't be fooling around on the road. . ." Blanche LAMORE

"As you got older you could study that man [Emersom LANG]. Because he had two suits of clothes--he had a brown suit and a blue suit. And if he wore that blue suit you wanted to pay attention. When he'd tap his foot on the floor, by God you wanted to behave. . .But the days he come to school with that other suit on he'd be just as good as any man there ever was." -- Carlton DOMEY

"They had an upstairs in that school and they had a little theater and an upstairs hall. And they had just one piano. I can remember this very plain. They had just one piano and when they wanted the piano upstairs they'd pick the oldest of us biggest boys--seven or eight of us--and we used to have to lug that piano up the flight of stairs. Then when they wanted it downstairs we'd have to lug it downstairs. One time it come tumbling down the last seven or eight stairs all the way to the bottom. Didn't help it much, but it played the same afterwards." -- Carlton DOMEY

There was a special town meeting held in 1948 to consider the future of the Lower Cabot schoolhouse. "The town went on record, 130 - 43, to maintain the school; even so, officials proceeded to close it and the Plains at the same time." (Town Report)

According to a newspaper report at the time, the theme of the town meeting was "stop spending." However, townspeople were upset that the district schools had been closed: "Many felt the Lower Cabot School should not have been closed inasmuch as the sentiment of the voters was against its closing."

"All the parents down there was interested in that school and there was no reason for it being closed only there was some children that couldn't learn to read very well and the parents thought it was the teacher's fault. It wasn't, the child just wasn't up to par to learning that good. If you had a name I think in those days quite often, like politics today, you got your way. . .It was a loss to Lower Cabot. . .All the parents were disgusted and didn't care whether they went to anything up to Cabot, and they didn't have as much going on up to Cabot." -- Blanche LAMORE

Charles and Barbara CARPENTER bought Lower Cabot schoolhouse about 1960.

"Charles filled it from gunwale to gunwale with antiques and then Albert MAY was our auctioneer and we made a good deal off it--great auction." -- Barbara CARPENTER

Bill SCOVILLE lived in part of the building for many years, and had a gunsmith shop there.

Now, Lower Cabot School is privately owned by Mark and Jackie BROMLEY. A wonderful restoration is underway. This summer, (2001) the cupola and bell will be restored.

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