September 2023

Even though it is summer, there was activity at the Monroe One Room Schoolhouse in Hardyston Township on Monday July 24, 2023. The Sparta Historical Society was invited to the schoolhouse for some informational exchange and camaraderie. Sparta is going to have a schoolhouse exhibit at their Van Kirk Museum and wanted to see first hand how education was handled “back in the day.” We have an excellent exhibit at our schoolhouse–on the State and National Historic Register. 

With our experienced retired teacher (from Hardyston Middle School) Chris Van Orden acting as docent, we explained about the blackboards, inkwells, hickory stick and old books (some from the 1870s) and how one teacher could instruct many grades on up through the “primary” education through eighth grade. Bill’s wife Ginny supplied the cookies and coffee and, fortunately, no one was required to sit in the dunce seat and where the dunce hat. (Huh, not like my personal experience in my days).

Maintaining our heritage is a pleasure, and it was a common thought with the attendees that the education of the farming and rural population was an essential, rich and comprehensive offering that provided the fundamental needs for our forebears here in Hardyston and adjoining Sparta back in the 1800s.