Bullet Hill School (one room schoolhouse), Southbury CT -Updated 6/17/24

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.

Bullet Hill School
215 Main St. North
Southbury CT 06488

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UPDATED – JUNE 17th, 2024

Thanks to an invite from the President of the Southbury Historical Society, Melinda Elliot, Cheryl and I were given a personal tour of the inside of the Bullet Hill School.  As I didn’t have access during my first visit this was a real treat.  We spent a full hour with Melinda and  enjoyed every minute of it.  She is a wealth of historical information.  Not only with respect to this schoolhouse but to the Town of Southbury as well.  I haven’t photographed more than a dozen or so one room schoolhouses at time of writing but the interior of this one is at the top of the pack.  There are some reproductions of furniture, although you’d never know it, but the historical data presented is all original.  It had to have taken Melinda and her team months to do the research and put their hands on this kind of documentation.  It even included class room photographs of every student that attended this school.  Can I just say Wow!  I’m sure for folks that had family go here and it quite a treat to see their classroom pictures hanging on the wall.

Thanks to hard working volunteers such as Melinda we can enjoy visiting over 100 one room schoolhouse that still stand today throughout CT.  For pictures and locations consider purchasing Melinda’s Book on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Connecticut-Schoolhouses-Through-Time-America/dp/1635000564

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This school served Southbury residents from 1762 until it’s closing December of 1941 at which time 206 students were transferred to the Southbury Consolidated School.

This was certainly a well designed and constructed school in its time and is holding its own in the 21st century. Locally manufactured bricks were used. The school is maintained by the Town of Southbury and the Southbury Historical Society. It has taken its rightful place amongst the National Registry of Historic Places and has the distinct honor of being Southburys oldest public building.

This building has been operating as a living museum since 1987 where it has seen over 5000 students spend one day a year living the life of an 1850’s student. The students are encouraged to dress the part, bring lunches of that era and utilize all the in class tools, such a quill pens that were from that time period. Should your school be interested in this program reach out to the Southbury Historical Society for information.

All images photographed with a Sony A7RV, 61mp mirrorless camera. Both a Sony 90mm f2.8 macro and a Sony E 10-18 f4, OSS lens were used.