Address: 39 South Main Street
Contemporary Building Name: 39 South Main Street
Historic Building Name: Center School, Centre District No. 1. School
Current Use: Residence
Historic Use: Schoolhouse
Architectural Style: Vernacular
Date of Construction: 1860
Description: The gable end of the school faced the Congregational Church. It was situated on a hill, so that a cellar was most likely included. The simple structure had a door and one six-over-six window facing the Church, and four six-over-six windows on the west side. No photos are available of the south and east facades. A brick chimney extends out of the gabled roof, near the northern end of the building, and a cupola/bell tower (with gabled roof) is at the southern end of the building.
Significance: The Center School was one of the last one-room schoolhouses in Marlborough, closing in 1949, when the new Mary Hall School opened. There are references to a “Center” school in the early 1840s when the town listed five school districts. This school had structural analysis done, and it was determined that its date of construction was 1860. Students from the South School District came to the Center school when that school was closed in 1902. More students from the North school came when that school closed in 1932. When the new Mary Hall School opened, the Center school was deserted, and was turned into a private residence (as of 1984).
Sources: Schwarzmann, Vi. “History of the Marlborough Schools,” in Know Your Schools, Marlborough, CT: September, 1970. A report published under the direction of the Principal of the Marlborough Schools.
Fowler, Janet. A History of Education in a Small New England Town—Marlborough, Connecticut. Storrs, CT: I.N. Thut Education Center, The University of Connecticut; c.1984.
Notes: Image taken c. 1870.