Summer is coming to a close, and this week our theme is ‘Back To School’! I could talk about one of the many teachers in my family, but, the theme brings to mind memories of my ‘back-to-school’s and of my elementary school in particular. Milton School was attended not only by me, but also by my sisters and brother as well as my dad, and presumably his twin brother and older sisters. I recently found a collection of old yearbooks and PTA handbooks among my papers. Here is the cover of the Milton School PTA handbook from 1961-1962.
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Milton School PTA Handbook Cover
1961-1962
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Milton was an old brick schoohouse, originally built in the early 1900s as a 4-room school. It was added onto more than once through the years to accomodate an increasing population. The school was originally heated by a coal-burning boiler that was still in use when I attended, and I can remember the hills of coal and being scolded to stay away from them. Here is a picture of some of my teachers from Milton. The teacher in the center, Mrs. Pyle, was my favorite, not only because she was a kind and caring teacher, but also because I had her for two consecutive years. I’m not sure who the other teachers are, but I believe the one on the right is Mrs. Starkey, our music teacher. That may be one of our student teachers on the left.
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Milton School Teachers ca 1964
photo taken by KM Kolk
digitized 2018
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As the school-age population dwindled through the years, the school became obsolete, and was closed after the 1983-1984 school year. The building has become somewhat famous since closing because it has gained the reputation of being haunted. The story goes that a little girl was murdered by the janitor, who was then found hanged in the basement. This supposedly happened in the 30s, but I’ve never believed it. That would have been about the time my dad was there, as well as parents of many of my friends, and I never heard even a whisper about it! The building hosted ghost tours at one time and was featured on an episode of
ScyFy’s Ghost Hunters as well as an episode
American Hauntings podcast (Season 1- episode 3). The building was also the site of an investigation by
Ghost Research Society.
Milton School was given a second life when an art glass company bought the building in the 1990s and used it as a factory for their work. About ten years ago, the building was revived once again as The Milton Schoolhouse, a small business incubator. The owners have invested a lot of time and money to renovate this formerly condemned building. A few years ago I met up with some grade school friends who I had not seen in 35-45 years or more. We stopped in the coffee house, and then took a tour of the building. It was fun to visit our old classrooms and reminisce about past good times, as well as see the new incarnations. The photos below are of Mrs. Pyle’s classroom and the cloak room. The owners have done a great job with the building!
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Milton School - April 2015
photos taken by KM Kolk
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To learn more about my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, read my introductory
blog post.
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