Building of the Elwood Community and School...
The map above shows Elwood in the late 1800's
Elwood beginnings...
The first settlers came to Elwood, NY in the mid to late 1800's. Not much written history can be found from this time period, but there was a book published in 1874 about Suffolk County, New York. In a text we found it stated that "Elwood was described as a one-and-a-half-mile area southeast of a section called Cuba."(Charlotte Muchnick, Suffolk County Parks) There were some large farmlands owned by a few farmers. Many people who were farmers came to Elwood to work, grow, and produce food, because of the level land and Long Island's rich soil. Elwood may have gotten its name from an early settler named Elkanah Wood; however, this is only a theory. You can check out this book in the Reference page.
As the Elwood community started to grow, there were few students in the schools due to families deciding that farm life and chores came before education. The need for education became more apparent with families wanting their children to go to school. In 1894 a law in New York state was passed so that every child from 8-16 was required to attend school.
Elwood's first Schoolhouse...
The first school in Elwood was a wooden structure with one room, built in 1869. It had bench like chairs around the edges and a stove in the middle for warmth. Students were responsible for tending the fire, sweeping the floor, and fetching water from a nearby pond called Sullivan Pond.
As the population of Elwood increased the one room schoolhouse became overcrowded. Between 1904-1915 a new schoolhouse was built and students began to go there.
The new school's location made it the pride of Elwood. It was on a hilltop with good amounts of natural light. There was a steam boiler powered by coal to keep the students warm, making it a big improvement over the stove for heating. There was no indoor plumbing and electricity, so the students had to use outhouses until 1932 where they remodeled the inside with modern-day bathrooms.
The bars in the graph above are in ten year increments from 1900 to 2010, showing the population of Suffolk County.
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In front of the school at the top, you can see a semicircle dormer that connects to the schoolhouse. That is the bell tower, and it had a long rope that lead to the first floor. The bell would be rung in the beginning of the school day, at lunch, the end of recess and the end of the school day. Teachers would usually ring the bell, but some students had the honor to do this job. After the school closed down, the bell disappeared, and its whereabouts are unknown.
Did you know that the Little Red Schoolhouse wasn't always red? Before the 1940s, it was constructed with aged white cypress pine wood. Then, when the school was getting renovations in 1947, a set of red shingles was placed as part of the improvement for the schoolhouse.
This is an official online map - If you'd like to visit this website, type 330 Cuba Hill Rd into the search.
Facts about the Little Red Schoolhouse
The first floor of the school had an office.
There were two classrooms and six radiators (two in each classroom).
A pump was installed which moved rainwater from roof into the school for drinking and other uses. However, former students said the water did not taste good and the pump was discontinued.
When the school opened, the first floor was only in use because the second story was unfinished.
The second floor eventually had two more classrooms.