The Ross School 1872-1951: Remembering a simpler time

    LITTLETON, Maine — “It’s just like being back home”, said former teacher Ruth Watson Williams when she made her way recently into the refurbished Ross School where she taught in 1945.
Mrs. Williams sat behind the desk and recalled her days at the school over 60 years ago.     She remembered how the students were always well behaved and cooperative. This statement she supported with a chuckle, as she shared the story of a student that was caught lighting up a cigarette in the attached woodshed one day. Mrs. Williams took the student aside and discussed the issue and how serious it would be if the building caught on fire and what a loss it would be for all the students. That was the extent of the discipline and he never did it again.
She also shared the story of some little boys who loved to play in the dirt at recess time and often sported mud on their faces as they came back to class. She always made sure they got cleaned up after their playtime just in case the superintendent or some parents stopped by; she wanted them to be clean.
Teaching back then didn’t end at 3 o’clock as we know it doesn’t now, and Mrs. Williams burned the midnight oil many nights making up worksheets for each student, art projects and games. Can you imagine the extra work without the mimeograph machine that came later and the photocopiers of today? The bulletin boards had to be changed each month and everything was homemade. The teacher was always responsible for school plays, holiday parties including the ever popular box socials.
Mrs. Williams remembered the students weaving pot holders as gifts for their mothers at Christmas time. The gifts were hung on the Christmas tree and then given to each mother when they arrived for the annual play. She said the children were content with the reward of spending time at the library table when they finished their work, and enjoyed putting puzzles together made from pictures cut out of magazines
Transportation to and from the school included walking, horse-drawn wagons, bikes and later cars. As a student, Almon Williams remembered, the Littleton School Team was a winter sleigh that consisted of a boxy type body on a double runner sled pulled by a team of horses.
Emery Golding and Roy Drake were two of the drivers. They started using the team when the first snow fell and continued until Easter vacation. There were no snow days! School was held whether it snowed or not. If the teacher couldn’t drive through the snow, she would meet the school team at the Golding’s place or the Williams’ house, each located on the Station Road.
Almon recalled what a thrill it was to have the teacher ride with the students. If the snow was too deep for the horses, two of the older boys would get out and tramp it down so the horses could get through. To keep warm, there was a wood stove just inside the door of the covered sleigh. Sometimes the students toasted crackers on it. They were relatively warm and comfortable as compared to the rest of the year when they walked or rode their bicycles. The driver sat inside with the kids. The sleigh had a windshield and a slot for the reins. There were benches on each side and the 18 to 20 students kept their lunch boxes and books under their seats.
Once at school the students played outside and in the fall and spring sometimes played in the road, since there wasn’t much traffic between the years of 1872 and 1951. They used the pot holes to play marble games and the Porter field across the road to play ball. The teacher often took the students on field trips behind the school looking for certain kinds of rocks, flowers or insects.
Another teacher who wasn’t able to attend the recent Ross School Open House was Phyllis McIntosh Nelder, now in her 90s. She lives in Massachusetts and shared her recollections by phone. She loved teaching at the Ross School and remarked about how friendly and helpful the students and parents were. Mrs. Nelder would have loved to attend the Grand Opening and maybe see some of her former students, but she looks forward to seeing some photos and possibly a video of the day’s events.
If you would like to visit the Ross School please stop by Thursday through Saturday from 1-4 p.m. or call for an appointment at 538-9300. The Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum is located on U.S. Rt.1, eight miles north of Houlton. If you were a former student of the school and would like to add to our Ross School History, please contact me at 538-9007 or send a written copy to 139 Littleton Station Road, Littleton, Maine 04730.