Westminster Schools Then & Now

In 1759 public education began in Westminster. Instead of having one large elementary school in Westminster like there is today, the town was divided into districts, each with a one or two-room schoolhouse.

**Insert map of districts from Historical Society here!**

**Insert map from super's office here!**

Note: Click on image for larger copy.

This map shows the schools that made up the Westminster school system in 1855.

Map used courtesy of the Westminster Historical Society in Westminster, MA.

This map shows the schools that made up the Westminster school system in 2005.

Map used courtesy of the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District.

Critical Thinking Questions

How many schools were there in Westminster in 1855? School districts?
How many schools are there now in Westminster? School districts?
Why were there so many more schools and districts in Westminster in the 1850's when Nelson Miles went to school? Think about how you get to school ... how would this affect the number of schools?
Can you find where your house is located on the 1855 map? Which district school would you have attended if you lived in 1855?

Schoolbooks Then & Now

Just like now, schools in Nelson Miles' times used textbooks to help students learn.

Note: Click on image for larger copy.

These pages are from the New England Primer, a schoolbook that was used in the 1840's and 1850's.

New England Primer used courtesy of the Forbush Memorial Library in Westminster, MA.

This page is from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, a schoolbook that is used today to teach children the letters of the alphabet.

Critical Thinking Questions

What are pages six and seven of the New England Primer trying to teach? Hint: look at the capitalized words and the pictures.
How is the page from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom different from the pages from the New England Primer? How is it the same?

Use secondary sources to learn more about education in the mid-1800's

To learn more about elementary schools of the mid-1800s, click here.
To learn about the evolution of elementary schools, click here.
To learn about rural education in the late 1800s, click here.
To learn about old schools and one-room schoolhouses, click here.

Click here for a list of works cited in this section of the web site.

Created by Erin MacDonald, Grade 12 student at Oakmont Regional High School as part of the Miles Project. To return to the main page on Miles' early life, click here.