Pullen Schoolhouse – Lincoln RI

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.

I visited the Pullen Schoolhouse in Lincoln RI on June 9th. Upon my arrival I was welcomed by a lovely lady by the name of Linda Robertson Jennings. Ms.Jennings serves as the Education Director for the Great Road Heritage Campus. She, along with (3) other volunteers, were adorned in 1800’s period clothing and certainly looked the part. It was a pleasure meeting Ms. Jennings as she filled me in on the schools history and showed me around the interior. She explained to me that the school desks were covered with the American Flag because today they were honoring Flag Day.

The school was built in 1850 and saw its last students in 1922. Grades 1-8 were taught here by one teacher. The school itself is one room and there is a small vestibule, or perhaps it was a coat room, as you enter through the front door. Like all other one room schoolhouses it was heated by a wood burning stove that the teacher tended to throughout the day. In one of my exterior photo’s you can see the wood shed on the far right.

Originally located in the north/west part of Lincoln it was moved in 1916 to it’s present location. The next two years were spent restoring it both internally and externally. In 2018 it became open to visitors.

Fun fact: The schools nickname was “Hot Potatoe School” because one of the teachers was in the habit of baking potatoes for the students on top of the wood burning stove. The story has it that she wanted to make sure the kids had a warm meal each day.

This schoolhouse is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

For more historical buildings in Lincoln RI go here: https://greatroadheritagecampus.org/visit-folder

Pullen Schoolhouse Video # 1 titled “A Day at the Schoolhouse”, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K_pXj4L-B4

Pullen Schoolhouse Video #2 titled “Recess and Lunches”, go here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPfV2jgxHXk

The images were all photographed with a Sony A7RV, 61mp (in 26 mp mode), full frame mirrorless camera and a Sony 24-70 f2.8 GM II Lens:

#1.  Schoolhouse with wood shed – Shot at 24mm.  1/500th, f11, ISO 800, Aperture Priority

#2.  Schoolhouse from the left side – Shot at 30mm.  1/640th, f11, ISO 800, Aperture Priority

#3. Inside looking at the chalkboard – Shot at 24mm. 1/60th, f5.6, ISO 3200, Aperture Priority

#4.  Inside teaching about the hat – shot at 24mm.  1/40th, f5.6, ISO 3200, Aperture Priority

#5. Inside with U.S. Flag draped on desks – Shot at 24mm.  1/50th, f5.6, ISO 3200, Aperture Priority