1955: Consolidation brings an end to one-room schools

Though Hudson had long had public schools, and a high school from the 1860s, the schools in the first half of the century, especially in the younger grades, were  considerably different than they are today. Most rural children attended one-room country schools, of which there were a great many scattered around the area, and attended them for the first eight grades. If a child was to go on to high school, and early in the century, only a few did, they'd have to come into town to attend school.

Trivia Question: The Round Top School was the last  eight-grade one-room school in the district. Where was it?  (Answer at the end of the article.)

There were a number of good things about the small, one-room schools: they were close to home, and reflected their neighborhoods. However, the qualifications of the teachers was often limited, and the range of subjects that could be taught was also limited.

As the century progressed, however, the situation became more acute. By the 1950s, the vast majority of children attended high school, and the varying range of education available in one room schools made the situation difficult. In addition, rural residents had to pay school taxes to both the local school district, and to the secondary school district. It was obvious that there was an economy of scale in combining the many little districts into one bigger district. The result would mean better education for less money, at the expense of losing the neighborhood school.

In the early 1950s, many school districts in the area consolidated into a bigger district, and Hudson, with the city school district and 21 outlying one-room schools was among those to combine. Two years of preparatory work went into the election set for April 14, 1955, that would create a larger, consolidated school district.

The vote was one of the most overwhelming in school history -- almost a ten-to-one margin in favor of consolidation. Shortly afterward, a new school board was elected, replacing all the old local boards; Wayland Hart was the first Board President.

It was impossible the first fall to complete the consolidation, and elementary students were still being taught at five locations: in Hudson and Clayton, and at the Round Top, Lane and Taylor one-room schools, although only the Round Top school still had eight grades. In the city, elementary classes were located at the old Lincoln School, on School Street, the former East Side School; while elementary and upper grades were held at Miller School, on Washington Street. Parts of Miller School dated from 1889, other parts from 1912 and some parts from 1936; Lincoln School was even older, dating from 1862. Clearly, the facilities were inadequate to handle the number of students from the consolidated districts, especially with the vastly increased number of students entering the system as a result of the postwar "Baby Boom."

It took a few years to achieve, but 1959 saw the opening of the new Lincoln School on North Maple Grove Avenue, the current elementary school. A couple of years later, the new high school was opened across the street. Miller School was renovated and continued in use until the middle of the 1970s, when the peak of the "Baby Boom" washed by, and it was no longer economically feasible to maintain the old building. It was torn down in 1982 after much public debate. The Clayton school stayed in the district until the early 1990s, when all classes were concentrated at the North Maple Grove site, and the buildings received major expansions.

Trivia Answer:  Wheeler Rd. south of Beecher, near Clayton.