CabinFranklin's Schools

Text in italics is taken from A History of Franklin 1789 - 1989

The beginnings**The first settlers of our small town, then called Huntsburgh, being intelligent men and realizing the great importance of education, had foresight in the establishment of schools. In the charter of the town there were made three grants of land for educational purposes—one for the University of Vermont, one for the first County Grammar School, and one for the schools of the town.

At the early date of 1795, six years after the first man, Samuel Hubbard, had settled here in Huntsburgh, the first school was taught by Josiah Allen, in a log house.  It was a small school situated near Hubbard's.  Schools were taught then in log buildings or in homes. The few schools were supported by contributions, Squire Hubbard paying half.

The district system started with two districts, the north and the south, with a school in each. These multiplied until in 1860 there were fourteen buildings accommodating five hundred twenty-five pupils. Both our schools and our schoolhouses compared favorably with those of other towns.

The Old School Bell: A Franklin Tradition

From late August to mid-June, Monday through Friday, a familiar sound can be heard in the Village of Franklin, the pealing of the Central School bell.  Schools, and the education they provide for our children, have always been an important priority for the people of Franklin.

            The raised lettering on the bell reads:

“CAST BY HENRY N HOOPER & COMPANY      BOSTON 1850”.

The bell first hung atop the Franklin Academy which was built in 1849-50.      The Academy was located on the land which is now Marsh Park in Franklin Village.

The bell was moved to the newly built Franklin Central School in 1910.

The bell was once again moved, this time to the new Franklin Central School in 1992.  WCAX did a news article about the removal of the bell in preparation for this move.  See a video of this removal here.

In 2006 the bell was removed briefly for repairs.  The wooden wheel for the rope had deteriorated, and the sixth-grade class decided that their class gift would be the necessary repairs.  So, a new wheel was made by Donald Rainville.  While the bell was down, the Franklin Volunteer Firemen cleaned it, Charbonneau’s Body Shop clear coated it, and then the Franklin Fire Department reinstalled it.

            The bell is rung each morning by the students.  Everyone gets a chance to ring it, just like their parents and grandparents before them.  Ringing the Franklin Central School Bell is definitely a Franklin tradition.  (Thank you to Stacey Boudreau and Principal Joyce Hakey for the information for this article.)

Update:  In 2023 the bell was once again removed while the new addition to the school was built.  The bell has now been placed in a new bell tower on the front of the new addition.

Class Photos ** Graduates of FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, assembled in the Bicentennial Year of 1976 by The Franklin High School Alumni Association.  The PDF of the album is available for download here.

Molecules ** "Molecules" was the class publication, written by the students themselves.  The first issues, from 1937 through 1940, were one each May.  Subsequent years had two each year, one in the Spring, and one in December.  The PDFs of 1937 through December 1950 are available for download and can be accessed here.

The PDFs of 1951 through December 1962 are available for download and can be accessed here.

The PDFs of 1963 "Molecules" through June's "Reflections" 1970 are available for download and can be accessed here.

District Schools:  Like many towns in the early years of this country, Franklin had one-room schoolhouses to provide an education to the children close to their homes.  Franklin had ten school districts.  Click Here to learn about the school districts.