1830 Population and School Districts

By 1830

The population of the Town of Ripley had grown to six hundred forty-five (645) individuals. There were three hundred thirty-five (335) males and three hundred ten (310) females. About half of the inhabitants of the town were age

0 - 15 years. Because of the number of young people, by the mid 1830's there were six school districts in the town.

An account of how the District 1 School came to be built still exists:

"To the Selectmen of Ripley

We the subscribers in the inhabitants of said town belonging to District No. 1 request you to establish a place to erect a school house in said District 1 near the center of the same.

Moses Bane
Jonathan Dickey
Francis Frost
Samuel Emery
Samuel Emery Jr.
Joseph Butler
Edward Leavitt Jr.
Ripley June the 18th 1823
This May entify that we have attended to the Location of the place for a schoolhouse in District No. 1 acording to a Request from Samuel Emery and others and we have Asertained the Distance as Near as we can by the plan and find the most convenient and central place for the said house at the corner of the old county and South Roads Near the House of Samuel Emery Jr. in said District to the Superentending School Committee of said district.

Elisha Bane
Joseph H. Perkins Selectmen of Ripley" (sic)

{click on images to enlarge}

The location of this school was on Dickey Hill on the "South Road" (this is now Rte. 154). By looking at the map, you can see where it was located in relation to West Ripley Cemetery. When traveling down the hill you can still see where the "Old County Road" used to meet the "South Road". Some of the names of the families who requested the school can be seen on the map. This school was known as the "Hillside School". The schoolhouse was later moved to the Laughton Farm on the "Laughton Road" now the Chadbourne Road.