Early Days ~ Schools in Hampton Falls
Before 1712, all of Hampton Falls, Seabrook and Kensington was part of Hampton and there was a school in 1721 near “Prescott’s Fort” which is near the Little Common on Exeter Road at Sanborn Corners.
In 1742, Mesech Weare, was hired to keep school for 6 months. This school was probably near the Town Common.
By 1760 there were two schoolhouses, West School on Drinkwater Road, the Cock Hill School, and the second, the North School, on Exeter Road further north near the Taylor River crossing.
In 1780, there were three schools that ran for 6 months.
About 1800 a school was located near Kenney Brook, between Brown Road and Rte 1, but it was moved to the Town Common.
In 1805 the town had 4 school districts, each raising its own taxes to pay for teacher and maintenance.
In 1819, the Cock Hill school had to be repaired…Young Haskell dug around a large boulder above the school on the hill and the boulder managed to roll down the hill and landed in the middle of the schoolhouse. Guess he didn't like school very much!
In 1833 Rockingham Academy was built on the common as a private school which had 100 students to start. The building had a steeple, two floors and a function hall upstairs. By 1875, the academy became a shoe factory and later it burned by arson.
THE EAST SCHOOL
East School was built in 1839.
The school was originally located on the common approximately where LAS is now. It housed many grades with one teacher until 1877 when it became too small and the town had to build a bigger school. It became two rooms but the 2nd East School burned in 1848.
The 3rd “East School” is the current LAS, the old brick part was built in 1949 which had two big classrooms, a principal's office, and a nurse’s room.
The 2nd East School building was moved to become part of the "General" store owned by R.P. Merrill and served as our Post Office. Later it was donated to the Historical Society. The East School was moved in 1985 the behind Town Hall where is stayed temporarily until it finally came to it’s new home next to the Hampton Falls Free Library.
North School
The West School
School was Different Back Then !
There were no janitors in the early schools. The larger boys had to cut or saw wood, and one built the fire in wood stove in the morning. The smaller boys moved the wood in from outside. The larger girls took turns sweeping the house at noon.
There was no cafeteria, no air conditioning, no bathrooms inside, no electricity. There was only heat from a wood stove, water from a pail or jug, and outhouses for a bathroom.
There were no ball point pens, but rather slates and slate sticks, then later quills from goose's wings made by the teachers, then eventually pencils.
Kids walked, maybe even barefoot, to school during the spring and winter except for when deep snow was on the ground.
Games were One Cat for the boys, rolling hoops, hopscotch, jacks, ball games, etc.
Teachers believed in punishment and gave "oil of birch".
School ran for about 6 months. In the winter there was a man as teacher because some of the larger boys needed "a strong hand". In the summer months, it was mostly young children since older children had to work on the farm in the summer, so a lady teacher could be in charge.
There were a few visitors to school. In 1855, the teacher reported that various bipeds, quadrupeds, insects and reptiles, i.e. birds, squirrels, mice, toads, and snakes, had visited during school hours.
