Goodhill One Room Schoolhouse, Roxbury CT

This blog entry is part of an ongoing project called “One Room Schoolhouses in CT”).  If you’re interested in the history of one room schoolhouses in CT I suggest you purchase CONNECTICUT SCHOOLHOUSES THROUGH TIME by Melinda K. Elliott. This book was has been a very helpful resource for me as I did my research. At time of writing this book was available on AMAZON.

Goodhill Schoolhouse
Corner of Tophet & Schoolhouse Rd.
Roxbury CT

Here’s another treasure that has been preserved for our appreciation of yesteryear. Cheryl and I set our sales to Roxbury this November afternoon to photograph the Goodhill Schoolhouse. For anyone not knowing Roxbury it is an absolutely beautiful rural small town.

Built in the mid 1800’s it, is believed, to have seen its first students in 1860. There was one teacher providing instruction for grades 1-8. In 1903, due to a lack of students, the school closed and the towns current elementary school took its place. It’s reported that there were as many as (8) one room schoolhouse in Roxbury in the 1800 – early 1900’s and this is the only one still standing. It was heated by a fireplace, (shown in one of the images), and tended to by the teacher during the winter.

The school was opened for one day this past October to allow residents and students a glimpse into early education. Hopefully this will be a yearly practice by the town.

A donation from actor Richard Widmark, and his wife Anne, it ultimately ended up in the good hands of the Roxbury land Trust. They also donated the surrounding four acres which is known as the Widmark Preserve.

Should you wish to visit this relic please consider contacting the Roxbury Land Trust during a weekday for permission at (860) 350-4148. The schoolhouse is well policed by surrounding neighbors and a quick call could save you a visit from the local Police.

Interior images were photographed from the outside through a window pane. All exterior photographs were taken with a Sony A7RV, 61mp mirrorless camera and a Sony 24-70 F2.8 GMII lens. Interior shots were taken with a Sony E 10-18 F4 lens. ISO 100 was used for inside and out while the aperture and shutter speed varied from shot to shot.