Lynwood 3rd Graders Visit 1850 One Room School House
Third Graders Experience 19th Century History
Sixty-six third-graders from Lynwood Avenue Elementary School took a field trip to the 1850 One Room School House on May 23, 2016 to learn about what school was like in the 1850’s.
The bus arrived at Farmingville Hills County Park where the students were introduced to the Park and hiking trails. The Park was formerly the home of the Bussings and the Bussing fruit farm. Mr. George Bussing was a fruit farmer. George and his wife, Marie Bussing, were married for over 50 years. Originally from Brooklyn, they moved to Farmingville and lived here for over 41 years. They had 3 daughters, 2 sons and 10 grandchildren. When Marie Bussing passed at 86 years old, she had 18 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.
The Lynwood students had an opportunity to walk the path that students walked in 1850 to attend the 1850 One Room School House. There was no electricity and no buses. Students primarily walked to school even in the winter months! Horses were sometimes used.
One Room School House Teacher Takes Students Back to 1850
When arriving at the 1850 School House, Sue Gill, our 1850 One Room School House teacher, greeted the students and assigned chores to two boys. One boy needed to gather the wood, while the other needed to get the water. In 1850, water would have been retrieved from a well.
Upon entering the house, Ms. Gill assigned girls to one side and boys to the other. The wood was put into the stove to heat the school house. The water was put into a pail and used for drinking water for all students. The same ladle was shared among all students!
Ms. Gill had the students examine the 1850 One Room School House for what appeared the same vs. what appeared different from Lynwood Avenue Elementary School. She took the students through a typical school day in 1850 which included arithmetic, reading, and reciting lessons. In 1850, a one room school house would include grades 1 through 8, ages 5 through 14! Many of the students were related.
Our last class of the day, Mrs. Jackson’s 3rd Grade Lynwood class, was joined by Brookhaven Town Councilman, Kevin LaValle. Councilman LaValle experienced the 1850 class with the Lynwood 3rd Graders! The students had a very educational, authentic, and fun experience at a local historical Farmingville landmark! For more information on our historic field trip programs, contact us!
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Jennifer Ross is a Board Member of the Farmingville Historical Society. She is very focused on developing and expanding the Society's local history education programs both in-person and virtually. She hosts field trips to the One-Room Schoolhouse and history lectures at local elementary schools and designed the new One-Room Schoolhouse Virtual Education Program.
