Green Corners School

This quaint red brick one-room school house, located at 2140 Potter Road near the intersection with Green Corners Road Extension, is the oldest known unaltered one-room schoolhouse in the Town of Glenville. A typical rural school, it still bears the original atmosphere of open farms and stone fences. A short nature trail runs behind the school and includes interpretive nature signs.

Important Dates:

How old is the School? The deed shows that the purchase of the land was made in1823. Donald Keefer, in an article “History of Old Glenville School Districts”, refers to this District #5 school as having been created in 1815, with 42 students enrolled in 1843. A report from this district has been located in the Schenectady County Historical Society for the year ending September 30, 1859. The trustees’ books were burned in a fire about 1862, and the town historian has the trustees’ records until the closing of the school in 1946.

Background

The desks came from Keeseville, NY, as the original double desks were missing. A few of the present desks were donated by individuals in the community.

We are told that the floors used to be oiled every year, not painted.

A photo of the school and teacher(displayed on the wall), was taken in 1910 by Clarence VanderVeer, a long-time trustee and shows the windows to consist of 12 over 12 lights, an indication of the age of the building.

The entrance to the school appears to have had a Palladian window over it, with a window on each side, which have been bricked over. No records have been found to confirm this.

Many initials and dates have been carved in the soft brick outside the school, some of which date back to 1866.

The stone fence still surrounds the school grounds, and an old outhouse was installed in back of the school, although the original had individual sides for boys and girls with a wood fence fronting it.

The oldest boy was the janitor, and was usually paid by the year to sweep up and start the fire in the stove on cold wintry mornings.

The school had electricity installed in 1938, with one light bulb in the room. This was removed at the time of the  restoration to make the school look as it  formerly did.

Drinking water was carried by pail from the nearest farmhouse by the best-behaved students.

There used to be a flagpole to the  right, outside of the school, where the telephone pole stands today. Faithfully, the teacher and pupils put the flag out and took it down at the end of each school day.

Grades one through eight were taught here. One year there were 35 students attending this small 20’ X 24’ school.

There used to be a combination coatroom and woodshed next to the door, but the partition was removed when the large number of students attended, and the woodshed built outside.

The owners of the property kindly deeded the school and land to the Town of Glenville for use as a historic site.

For directions: Google Maps, address: 2140 Potter Road, Amsterdam, NY