Number 7 Schoolhouse
New Ipswich Historical District
One Room Schoolhouses
New Ipswich had a number of one room schoolhouses. The society is planning to have a lecture about one room schoolhouse in the near future. Stay tuned for more information.
The 161st Children’s Fair - Billy Kivela
The 161st Children’s Fair was held on August 20, 2022. Carl Toko took this photo of Billy Kivela, the jack-of-all-trades at the fair.
On this day - August 23, 1908
James Roger diary entry
23rd (Sunday)
Fair and cool. Mr. Peacock preached on “Truth & Freedom”. S.S. after present Mr. & Mrs. Cummings, Mr. & Mrs. Corbett, Mr. Berthold, Mrs. Ferrin, Mrs. Eastmeere, Mrs. Obear, Mr. Wheeler, C.E. at 7pm. Mrs. Thayer leader topic: “Vacation Religion”. A fairly good attendance. Hamish came at 5pm. Alice went for him. David at Club and Academy.
On this day - August 23, 1897 (Monday)
William Jurian Kaula diary
Mauvais* temps. Very changeable weather with much rain. My favorite walk or ride is up the valley along the course of the little river (which in spite of its name the Grande Morin it is not a majestic stream and its banks are not boarded with palisades like the Hudson nor does its breadth in any way suggest the Amazon). Yet it winds through verdent [sic] fields that are charming in rural simplicity and not at all tiresome as more sublime effects are often apt to be when there is a grand piece of nature before us. At La Chapelle the river winds away from the town and by the time we reach Serbonne it flows close under the hill. Yet one must turn and look back toward La Chapelle as it receeds [sic] in the distance as each turn in the river affords a new situation, not great in variety except to anyone who is fond of seeing the same place under different aspects. Across the meadows, through lines of straight lines of populars [sic] up the road, and down the river. Foregrounds of wheat fields, of grass, and along the banks a maze of rushes, bushes, wild flowers, reflections of flying clouds, and perhaps there may be a canal boat laboring up stream drawn by horses. The old church loses much of its dignity by being situated in the deepest hollow and owing to the danger of previous inundations in the past the floor inside had to be raised over ten feet which of course lowered the edifice in effect. Externally it is a mass of buttresses and a squatty tower that hardly assumes proportions large enough to deserve the name of a steeple.
Serbonne I know best from the view on the rocks above the town. Large rocks are exceedingly rare in this part of the country and these few have remained untouched from the demand for building purposes. I presume that the stone used for the houses and walls is quarried or dug somewhere in the neighborhood. It is all limestone and soft so that it is only obtained in pieces but as lime is so common a great deal of it is used in construction and plastering smooth the projecting ends of the stone. There is so much lime in the soil that it is firm and hard and difficult at times to be able to plant an umbrella staff firmly in the ground. The view from the rocks extends up the valley toward the distant hills where the river ceases to be nagivigable [navigable] for canal boats. The small villages of Tigeaux, Dammartin-en-Brie, and other hamlets are clustered about the lowlands and slopes. There are two chateaux visible - the work "Chateau" in this neighborhood is applied to any building that is the residence of anyone who has more money and servants than the average resident. These edifices do not resemble the descriptions and pictures of what is generally called a chateau.
*Mauvais = wrong or bad
Nice photo of Billy Kivela. Billy deserves to be acknowledge for all time he put in setting up and taking down setups at the Children's Fair. I worked with him in 1960 at Tricnit. My grandfather lived on Page Hill. I'm wondering which schoolhouse my father may have attended?
School House No. 6 was at the corner of Binney Hill and Poor Farm Rds. No. 7 was I believe in Davis Village.