Plumtrees School was built in 1867 as a one-room schoolhouse for the Plumtrees District of Bethel and served the community from 1867 through 1970, when it closed as the last operating one-room schoolhouse in America. Land for the school was donated in 1866 by Eliza Benedict, and at that time Bethel had five school districts. Grades one through eight were taught in the same room, and the teacher arrived very early to start a fire in the wood-burning stove, while children often gathered sticks for the fire. In 1881, a cupola and bell were added, and because the school had become overcrowded, the building was enlarged. In 1939, parents formed the Plumtrees School Association to help provide school materials and maintenance, and the association hosted the Plumtrees Lawn Party as a social event. In 1957, the school closed for renovations after ninety years of students using an outhouse and hand water pump; electricity, indoor plumbing, and a new entrance facing Taylor Road were added. In 1962, the school reopened as a kindergarten. In 1970, it closed, and a new school in the Educational Park was named after Anna H. Rockwell, who had taught at Plumtrees School for 43 years. Afterward, the building was used by the Visiting Nurse Association as a children's health care clinic. In 2006, the Plumtrees School and Landmark Preservation Committee was formed, and in 2007 the school was placed on the State of Connecticut Registry of Historic Places. In 2008, renovations began to restore the building to its original condition, including a new wood shingle roof; the original bell had been lost and was replaced with an 1896 bell purchased by the Plumtrees Preservation Committee. In 2009, Plumtrees School was rededicated as an educational museum and now serves the community in that role.

Photo: Michael Herrick

Photo: Michael Herrick

Photo: Michael Herrick