Story
The Pigeon Hill Schoolhouse was constructed around 1867 to replace the previous schoolhouse that was lost to fire immediately across Pigeon Hill Road. There is not much known about the one-room schoolhouse other than it was one of nine schools that served Oxford children and it remained active until the last teacher, Barbara Elliot and her students used the building in late 1940. The schoolhouse and the land it sat on was subsequently sold in 1951 to Evan Thurlow, who served as a selectman in the town of Oxford for nearly four decades. The Thurlow family homestead was within view of the school. The Pigeon Hill Schoolhouse is reportedly the only remaining school building of nine that has not been demolished or altered for a new use. While relatively small in size and simple in its design, the schoolhouse still carries all the characteristics of one-room, rural schoolhouse complete with its original wall-mounted blackboards.
Threat
In late summer 2022, news circulated around Oxford that the Thurlow family was slated to sell a large tract of land, including the original homestead and schoolhouse. The property sits adjacent to the Oxford Casino along Route 26 and is prime real estate for development. Patricia Larrivee, President of the Oxford Historical Society (OHS), received confirmation of the proposed sale and plan to clear the land. She jumped into action to save the Pigeon Hill Schoolhouse, quickly developing a plan to relocate the building and rallying support in the community and among town leadership. While the Thurlow family helped to ensure supporters would have 90 days to remove the school building from the property, the new owners have since provided a more reasonable timeline of 6 months, ending December 2022.
How to Get Involved
The plan developed by Patricia Larrivee and the OHS is to relocate the schoolhouse next to the Kay House Museum which is owned by the Town of Oxford and the long-time location of the OHS in the center of town. The Town Board of Selectman approved the relocation of the schoolhouse, but many obstacles remain including the physical relocation of the 16’ X 15’ wood frame schoolhouse and paying for it all!
The estimated cost to move the schoolhouse into town is $25,000. OHS hopes to salvage and reuse the original granite foundation stones, otherwise they will need to pour a new concrete foundation, costing at least another $5,000. The schoolhouse would then need to be rehabilitated before its planned use as a resource room and programming space. To date, the OHS has raised nearly $12,000, including an anonymous donation of $10,000. Given its proximity to Oxford Elementary School, it would serve as the perfect location for a field trip to learn about local history.
To learn more about Pigeon Hill Schoolhouse and how you can help pay for its relocation, please contact the OHS at (207)743-1654 or oxfordhistoricsocietykayhouse@gmail.com.
