"This Fortunate District": Green School History

Welcome to Green School History, a site devoted entirely to the Green School in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Located on East Main Street in the Green section of Middleborough, the school was built in 1871 and was in continual use until June, 1941, when it was closed. Reopened for a short period of time in the 1990s, the Green School in 2009 was threatened with demolition. A group of concerned residents banded together to save this one-room schoolhouse. Thanks to the interest of the community supported by financial contributions by residents and former pupils, the building has been preserved and the exterior restored. A new use for the structure is currently under consideration. This site hopes to convey the immense historical and educational value which the Green School still retains, particularly its ability to speak to the educational history of the community of Middleborough.

The easiest way to navigate through the site is by using the left-hand sidebar. Click on the icons to read about some of the unique aspects of the Green School's history, to view pictures of the school and documents related to its history, or to make a contribution towards its preservation. Also, for a quick reference, you can also click on the chapters underneath each icon to go directly to a topic of interest.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Mary Sproat's Green, 1870s


The earliest known image of the 1871 Green School is a painting by Middleborough artist Mary Sproat (1837-1888) formerly in the collection of Attorney George Decas of Middleborough.  Sproat's depiction of the Green School was probably completed in the 1870s or early 1880s and captures not only the newly-built schoolhouse, but the neighboring Barton House and barn as well.  The 13 x 21 inch oil on canvas painting depicts the three structures aligned along the south side of what was once a portion of the Training or Lower Green at Middleborough with East Main Street conspicuous as the roadway in the foreground.   The school is clearly recognizable with its twin entrances (one for boys, one for girls), central window and triangular louvered vent in the gable peak.  Three sides of the schoolyard are fenced.  Next to the school is the home which still stands at 247 East Main Street.  The house was most likely built following January 1870 at which time the land was purchased by Elvira Barton of Providence, Rhode Island, from William Davis of Middleborough.  Mrs. Barton was the wife of Ernest J. F. Barton and the mother of Ernest F. Barton, both of whom were engaged as fresco painters.  The house was later owned by Henry L. Thomas (1897-1906), Walter C. Thomas (1906-43) and Clarence E. Benson (1943-45).  The barn, prominently located at the center of the picture, is no longer extant.  It is possible that the radical changes which transformed the south side of the Green in the early 1870s prompted Miss Sproat to document them on canvas.

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