Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Country School Water Cooler

Ye Olde Country Schoolhouse Water Cooler

I wonder how many of us attended a one-room country school. Ours (which I attended for grades 1 and 2) had a cloakroom and a main room for the desks and stove. The water cooler pictured above was a step up from what we had in our school - a water bucket and a communal dipper. Evidently the school board believed in getting all our childhood communicable diseases over at once.

Does this photo ring any bells for any of you?


In our home library, we have a desk like one of those pictured above.


 I wonder if one of my brothers had cut my bangs.


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40 comments:

Optimistic Existentialist said...

My late papaw used to tell me stories about attending a one-room school :)

Debby Ray said...

I had an old school desk like those and could just kick myself for getting rid of it...my kids used it when they were little and I have no idea when or how I let it go :( I didn't go to an old one room school except a part of one year when I was in junior high...they were building a new school and they split the classes and we had part of our classes for a few months in an old octagon (called the rotunda) shaped school that had been the original one from w-a-y back. I remember the wood floors were oiled and I will never forget that smell...combined with the smell ham salad sandwiches in the box lunches that we were served! Those were the days!

Tom said...

A bit before my time. Tom The Backroads Traveller

SImple and Serene Living said...

I didn't go to a one room school Judy, but we did have cloakrooms and similar desks. I remember the hissing of the radiator used to lull me to sleep. xo Laura

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

That's an amazing layout - where are the desks? What did people write on? Is that large barrel thing in the corner some kind of boiler? The primary school I went to was in a large city, so I suspect it was a slightly different experience. But we did have desks, with inkwells. And the cane. I can't imagine who the little cutie in the black and white photo is, of course...

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Believe it or not, we owned the land where a country school once set. When it was abandoned and the school district consolidated, we got some of the old desks.

So, while I did not attend one, my grandmother did. The school we ended up owning was more than one room. I think maybe there were four or even six classrooms built off to the side of a nice auditorium where they would hold cakewalks for school events in town. After this one closed.

Makes me smile.

xo

Sheila :-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Once sat! Not SET. Not sure if that was the IPAD, but I suspect it was since that is my pet peeve.

TexWisGirl said...

aren't you cute! :)

(btw, thanks for the special on the fall soaps!)

Anonymous said...

lovely blog!

LV said...

Thanks for some memories. I definitely attended a one room school, but it did not look like this.

Carla from The River said...

Hi Judy,
I like your photos today. I think I know just the spot you took those photos. ;-)
Have a great Tuesday!
Carla

Stephanie said...

One of my favorite posts from you, dear Judy :) I just loved the memories and sweet pictures!

Hugs to you!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The same person cut my bangs! haha! I think my mother kept trying to get them straight...and they got shorter and shorter. I grew up in a small college town and the first and second grades had their own building and playground. I sure have good memories of being in elementary school. I credit my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Jean for my love of reading. She made it so much fun to learn. Hugs!

Arlene G said...

I am from a small community but we had a fairly big school of 8 grades...two classes in each grade. There were always about 30 children in each class. My favorite memories are of the delicious hot lunches the cafeteria workers produced each day.

20 North Ora said...

Darling school photo! I went to a city school but that looks like it would have been a whole lot more fun.

Judy

MadSnapper said...

I had bangs like that MANY times..
ours had the bucket and dipper... but it had 3 rooms.
the thing is the room was as big as the one in the photo, but they put up 2 walls and made it 3. there were 8 to 10 desk in each room.... the desk were like these but ugly and worn out...
i also had to walk UP the mountain and DOWN the other side to get to it. in the snow, sleet or rain....for 4,5 and 6th grade.

Linda Kay said...

Judy, I love that crock...how fun to have it in your kitchen. My older brother did cut my hair once; my mom saw my curls at the bottom of the stairs, where Dan was sending them over the banister. She rushed me off to the hairdresser to attempt to restore it to normal.

Maureen @ Josephina Ballerina said...

Hi Judy,
Just add some half grown in teeth, and my picture looks a lot like yours. My mom cut my bangs straight, but we had recess before the photos were taken and my bangs were way past askew!
:) m & jb

Red Rose Alley said...

Judy,
This made me chuckle because I just did a post and showed my crooked bangs. I guess we all have a similar picture like this to talk about. I just love those old desks. wow, you have one in your home! aahh, school days - I have good memories of them. It was interesting to hear what your heritage is. They are all so very special.

Happy September!

~Sheri

Red Rose Alley said...

oh, I wanted to tell you that I've never heard of the heritage paper dolls. I'll have to check it out because I love paper dolls and remember the girls playing with them when they were little.

Janey and Co. said...

I do remember desks like those....and bangs crooked and too short, not to mention the dreaded Toni Perm!

The Charm of Home said...

I love the one room school house, although I did not go to one. It is amazing to think that it wasn't that long ago that people did use them. Ours in the county have all slowly been torn down, but we have one preserved that they moved to our city park. It is so cute! I love fall too but, not such a fan of winter either.
Sherry

Sue McPeak said...

My mother was raised in Iowa and often talked about the country school house she attended through about the 6th grade. Your photo is certainly a look back in time, and a wonderful restoration of a one room school house. The cooler is a treasure.
Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I did not attend a country school like that but I definitely love the looks of one. My school was K-8th and fairly large for the 60's. Love the water jug. Love seeing your photo....too cute!

Roan said...

I didn't go to school in a one room schoolhouse, but my parents did. This one is really well preserved! Before they got running water my grandma had a bucket of water sitting on a table in the kitchen. It had one of those communal dippers. Now I wouldn't be able to use it. Then it was the norm. Thanks for linking up!

Michelle said...

I once taught school with an elderly lady who had been a teacher in a one room schoolhouse. She had a lot of stories and also told me how beneficial it was for the students, in some ways.

A Colorful World said...

Fantastic water cooler crock! Love it! And the schoolroom. Such a nice trip down memory lane, though I never attended a one-room school. Still brings back a lot of memories. The photo of you is so cute! :-)

Chatty Crone said...

You were a cutie! And that was funny about the communicable diseases all at once.

Terri D said...

What fun seeing your school photo, with your short bangs! I wore mine like that a few times, and probably cut them myself! LOL

I did not attend a one-room school, but did grow up in a very small town. My senior class graduated 47.

Noelle the dreamer said...

Splendid souvenirs! I wasn't in one school room myself and neither did we have such a cooler/dipper (Goodness I agree about all the diseases gathered in one scoop! Br...) I do recall a 'de rigeur' bottle of milk 'A' to be drank once a day at recess, a way for the Nuns to be sure we had all our vitamins.
I hate milk to this day!!
All the best,

Anonymous said...

Such a precious photo of you!

Lynne said...

I sat at desks like these in first grade and my mother was my teacher . . . I had a desk like this in my children's playroom for many years . . .
Yay for the one room school houses across the country! And for all those who attended. . .

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Oh, weren't you a little sweetie-pie! I think we all had those short little bangs back then! After all, Mums were busy then and didn't have time to keep up the trims, so they cut them nice and short. We had wooden desks with ink-wells and attached chairs. My school was a turn of the century brick, with beautiful tall windows and hardwood floors. I still remember my little plaid dresses with the starched white collars and 'buckle shoes'. You must have wonderful memories of your one room schoolhouse. xo Karen

Cynthia said...

I didn't go to a one room school house. These are gorgeous pictures and love those desks.

Cindy

Ida said...

Well I have to say that I never attended any One Room schools, but my mother did. I've seen old desks like that but never sat in any. Even the ones we had though as kids would now be considered antiques compared to what kids sit at now. A fun trip back in time though.

Ida said...

Well I have to say that I never attended any One Room schools, but my mother did. I've seen old desks like that but never sat in any. Even the ones we had though as kids would now be considered antiques compared to what kids sit at now. A fun trip back in time though.

Amy Burzese said...

No communal water hole for me, thank goodness. Who is that cutie-patootie. . .?

Nancy Shuman said...

Mine was not a one room school, nor a rural one. But my first-grade school desk was one like that.

I, too, have one of those now - my husband and I found it in a antique shop.. for 5 dollars.

Donna said...

Haha, it looks like you were tortured with the Toni perms too! And yes, I sure do remember those old school desks. I never went to a one-room schoolhouse, however.

GreenComotion said...

Your animals are all so beautiful.
I particularly love the Shepherd.

Peace :)

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