Current photo of Norwich Bridge one-room school house in Huntington. (Courtesy of Huntington Historical Society)
HUNTINGTON – The Huntington Historical Society has announced the open house schedule for the Norwich Bridge School Museum at the intersection of Worthington and Little Roads, next to the parking lot of the Huntington Country Store.
The first open house will be held this Sunday afternoon, June 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. The museum both stores and displays historical papers, documents, photos, books, period costumes and furniture, as well as portraying its service to townspeople as a school.
Historical Society treasurer Vicki Mayhew said there will be no formal program, but society members will be on hand to answer questions about artifacts in the museum. Mayhew said additional open houses are planned for the last Sunday of each month through the fall.
The Norwich Bridge School was built circa 1800, and classes were held for students in grades one through eight in the building until 1919. The record suggests the Norwich Bridge School never held more than 16 students during any one term.
Over the years, the little schoolhouse was utilized in many non-school capacities, often for club meetings, bridal and baby showers, art classes and various organizations’ general use and meetings, as well as for storage.
There were different efforts to save and preserve the building and create a living museum beginning in 1971. In 1976 a Bicentennial grant was used to more fully restore the schoolhouse to its original condition as a one-room district school with desks and blackboards.
More restorative work was undertaken in 1981, and in 2017, a new roof was added with funds from the Pettis Fund and the Huntington Historical Society. The last reunion of still-living former students from the Norwich Bridge School was held in 1985.
Additional information about the school house is available on the Huntington Historical Society website at www.huntingtonma.us/historical-society.
