Area Foundations Help Preserve Oxford One-Room Schoolhouse

The Oxford Historical Society’s Munn Schoolhouse will receive urgently needed repairs, thanks to a recent grant from The Valley Community Foundation and the Greater New Haven Community Foundation.

Located behind the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Museum at 60 Towner Lane, the building was moved to the site from Oxford Road in November, 2019, a donation from Mr. and Ms. Daniel J. Sears. It is Oxford’s last remaining one-room school, the others having been converted into private homes, repurposed, or demolished.

The monies from The Community Foundations will allow the Society to replace a damaged corner post, tie it into the roof plates and install new floor beams. The work will be done by restoration carpenter Eric Iott. The improvements will make the building safe for volunteers to work inside the schoolhouse in the coming months.

Renovated to its present size about 1850 from an earlier building belonging to Elam Beardsley, the structure was used first as a private school for boys taught by Marcus Munn. Aged 5 – 15 years, students received their lessons in the small classroom and boarded in the house beside it at 561 Oxford Road. Using pocket knives, the pupils carved door jambs, window casings and floor beams. Their initials, names, dates and hometowns can still be seen in the cellar.

This private school venture did not last long, but the building was later used for tutoring Oxford students who wished to go on to high school. Mr. Munn also taught those children.

The Historical Society will continue to seek donations and grants and sponsor fund-raising events to prepare the building for future use.when the pandemic restrictions are lifted Exterior clapboards, roofing, and installation of windows and additional door will be added as funds are received.

Once the schoolhouse has been restored, the Historical Society intends to use it to offer children from the Oxford Schools an authentic “Day in a One Room School” experience.