District #

District #5 Merritt School -

[Note: If you have a photo of Merritt School you'd be willing to share, I'd love to add it to this page. BSD]

This school was at one time referred to as Rogers' school, and later Smith's. It was located about three miles from the village, on the South Walden Road. After the turn of the century, and perhaps when the new school was built across the road, it was called Merritt School (located where Payson CHURCHILL now lives.)

"Well, there used to be a school across the road before they went to using that [newer] one, you know. It was a small, low building. Some of Hattie AMADON's brothers and sisters lived there, and her father I think --- her mother died. They lived where the schoolhouse used to be. The old one. They were living in that." -- Donovan HOUSTON

Earle PIKE attended Merritt School in 1917 when his parents, Harry and Adela (CARPENTER) PIKE lived on the South Walden Road. Addie ARTHUR taught at Merritt School a few years later. She was Earle's age and eventually became his wife. Addie was paid $17 a week to teach, and she paid $7 a week for room and board.

In the early 1930's, Eunice FIFIELD was teaching there, and had children from AMADON, HOUSTON, O'BRIEN, and GOCHEY families; Anna, Dorothy, Helen, Philip and William PIKE; and Marion, Marjorie, Earl, and Gordon SEARLES. At that time there were between 20 and 25 students, but later that dropped to only 15.

"When I got in the third, fourth grade, I had my chores to do before I went to school and when I got back at night. [my sister] Dot worked in the barn, and Ann worked in the house because Mother worked in the barn . . .There weren't very many of us [in school]. There were practically two families. There was one HOUSTON girl that went for a while, and there was an O'BRIEN girl who lived down where the town farm was, who went for a year or two, and then a few transients that would come in and stay a year or part of a year, but basically it was PIKES and SEARLES. There was a little rivalry there." -- Phil PIKE

"Howard [HOUSTON] got to cutting up, so [the teacher] Mr. PHELPS, he takes him right by the collar and swings him around and around. He was swinging him around, and there was a pail we used to bring our water in from the spring -- and Howard's feet hit that pail and Myrtie SALLS -- she was getting a book or something, and she was on her knees and that pail of water whipped right over her. We didn't dare laugh. It didn't hurt anybody, but that's the way he'd punish them . . . When Dora ENNIS taught there, she used a ruler. The weapon she used was a ruler. She had a big wide ruler that she used to use. If you didn't get your lessons she used to use it, too. Hit you right on the palm of your hand.

"I remember when Doris LAWSON, Merlin LAWSON'S sister died, school was in session and they took us school children up there to see her laid out at home. She must have been a dozen years old at that time. Appendicitis. Today they would have saved her." -- Donovan HOUSTON

"There was about 20 kids there . . .Typical one-room school -- had a clock that I watched continuously for 4 o'clock. Sometimes a teacher would stay longer than another -- there was Leona PIERCE, I think she was teaching when I was in the eighth grade. Then my Aunt Elsie taught when I was in the fifth or sixth grade. That I remember very distinctly because I couldn't call her 'Aunt', I had to call her 'Miss WALBRIDGE'. I was told very emphatically. Discipline varied from teacher to teacher. Some were pretty good . . .Some you'd get away with murder, and some you'd get murdered if you tried anything!" -- Howard WALBRIDGE

Electricity was not installed in this school until about 1940. There were 15 students at that time. Other repairs and updating took place to try to bring the building up to standard; however, it was closed in 1943. It was sold for $500 in 1947.

Quotes - Source "Cabot, Vermont A Collection of Memories From The Century Past" A Publication of the Cabot Oral History Committee - 1999 Excerpts from pp - 137 & 138.

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

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