The ‘school house’ route this week takes us to two different sites both located on what is now New York State Route 8. The first district (Five Corners) is apply named as the location was just south of the Five Corners in the township of New Berlin. As this writer was asked many moons ago to give documentation of both the church ( “In the House of the Lord” series) and now ( “Schools of the Past”) an attempt has and will be made to document locations. To all the residents of Chenango County who are familiar with the area Five Corners it is the intersection of New York State’s Route 8 and 80 and two local roads, one west and one east.”
The school house in the photo and is assumed still standing was long since converted to a private home. The Nathan Taylor Yorker’s extensive research reveals that for District #1 trustees of this district were found to be Hollis Ward, William Beardslee and Lowell Ward. The name of Beardslee, a prominent name in the history of New Berlin and Pittsfield (Otsego Co.) as the ancestral home is just across the Unadilla River in the Town of Pittsfield. The Yorker club researched the following information from the Chenango County Clerk’s Office in Book 93, p. 549 the following information. James Eaton as grantor sold to the above three trustees on March 25, 1853 a parcel of land which is documented in the deed as follows: “forty dollars to be used for the schoolhouse, running west on the line between the lands owned by Eaton and Hollis Ward, 74 1/2 links north at right angles, with lines 36 6/10 links, east 11 with the said lines between Eaton and Ward to the highway running north from the Village of New Berlin, south along the highway to the place of beginning, containing 3 rods and 183 1/2 square feet. The trustees and their successors keep it forever.” This deed was recorded January 31, 1854.
There is no further documentation of the history of this school, the mysteries of which are; who built the school, furnished lumber, teachers, etc. These unknown facts are to be unearthed if names, but this writer wilt assume the school might have been active till the 1930s with centralization came into effect.
The second district which this writer has names the Scribner District (that is open to correction, if in error) was located again on Route 8 south of the Village of New Berlin between the village and what is known as New Berlin Center. Location is documented by the Yorkers, states about three miles on Route 8, north of District #4 schoolhouse. It has been converted to a dwelling and is near the Scribner Cemetery and the site of the Scribner cabin, the Scribner being the first to settle in the town of New Berlin.
