Killingly Grange No. 112

View of the Grange Hall retrieved from the website www.ctstategrange.com.
Historic/Common Name:
Killingly Center Schoolhouse
Address:
801 Hartford Pike
Town:
Killingly »
Year:
1848; Enlarged 1877
Historic Designation:
LHP, SR
Property Authority:
Historic Properties Commission
Features:
Buildings, Open space
Historic Use:
School
Present Use:
Social Club
Architectural Style:
Vernacular/ Greek Revival details
Era:
Mid 19th Century
Map:
{# if eligible_for_tax_credits}
Eligible for Historic Home tax credits:
Yes
{/if #}
General description:

The Killingly Center Schoolhouse, now known as Killingly No. 112, is located at the intersection of Route 101 and Dog Hill Road. The building was originally built as a one-room school in 1848. The structure was doubled in size in 1877. The main section of the Schoolhouse can be seen from the west elevation. This long side of the structure is facing Dog Hill Road and is seven bays wide with the entrance in the center. The entrance is sheltered by a small roof supported by large scroll brackets, c. 1877. The windows have a six-over-six sash. The corners of the structure are finished with simple pilasters, with plain entablature extending across the building. The north elevation is finished with vertical board siding and has a modern entrance porch on wrought-iron braces over the doorway. Across the rear of the structure is a one-story flat-roofed addition, c. 1960. The north elevation of this section has a group of three windows and a parapet in imitation of battlements. The roof in this area has been renovated and is similar to the one over the west doorway. [2]

Significance of the property:

This building is significant as a relatively intact example of an important historic resource, the small district school. In the 18th, 19th and the early 20th centuries, Connecticut towns provided for elementary education on an extremely localized basis, with each area of town having its own school district, maintaining its schoolhouse, and hiring its teachers. These district or 'one-room' schools represented the educational experience of the majority of Americans for many generations. This school house was built in 1848 by Killingly fourth District, called Killingly Center, an area just east of Dayville. Originally just one room, it accommodated a single teacher and about 30 scholars; there were two terms of about eighteen weeks duration. The district included some of the textile mills on the Whetstone Brook, and growth in the school population necessitated the addition of a second classroom in 1877. The buildings remained in use well into the 20th century. In 1984 it was sold to the Grange for use as a social hall. [2]

Relationship with the Surroundings:

The 0.49 acres property is located at the intersection of Route 101 and Dog Hill Road, in a mixed use area with scattered buildings visible from the site. It is sited on a heavily travelled highway, at the intersection with Dog Hill Road, just east of a major commercial area. Many of the nearby houses include simple Greek Revival detailing. [2]

Ownership:
Private
Owner:
Killingly Grange No. 112
Sources:

[1] Historic Property information retrieved from the town website http://www.killingly.org/.
[2] Killingly Grange No. 112, Killingly, Clouette Bruce, Historic Resources Inventory, 1987, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[3] Killingly Grange No. 112, Killingly, Historic District Study Committee Report and historic property ordinance, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[4] Assessor information retrieved from the website- http://killingly.ias-clt.com/parcel.list.php?parcel.list[page]=1.
[5] Photograph of the Grange Hall retrieved from the website www.ctstategrange.com.

Map of the historic property retrieved from the study report, SHPO library, Hartford.

View PDF
Date of Compilation:
12/31/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation
Other links: