HISTORY OF ORANGE
families who lived nearer the Milford boundary asked to be included in the Milford district, as that school was much nearer to their homes. This petition was granted, and the Orange districts were reorganized. The First District remained as originally planned, to include the southern part of the town; the Second District was to cover the northwestern section; and the Third District was the northeastern part of the town. The First District schoolhouse was at the corner of Orange Center Road and Old Tavern Road. The first schoolhouse of the Second District was at a triangle formed by the junction of Grassy Hill Road and the Milford Road. The Third District schoolhouse was originally on the west side of Race Brook Road, on land now included in the Country Club grounds. The districts had made it a rule that no pupil over sixteen years of age should be admitted to the schools.
About 1812 the old Academy was built on the grounds now occupied by the Town Hall. This was a two-story building with a cupola, and was at first called the winter School." While there is no visible proof for this statement, still it would appear that this school required a small tuition on the part of the pupil, and was for older students. There is no reference of expenditures of money by the Town excepting for the district schools. At several of the meetings of the School Society, there were attempts made to get an appropriation for ''a school of higher order," but these were always voted down.
The Academy school was held on the second floor, while the first floor was used as an assembly room. The School Society meetings were always held here, as well as the singing school. It was also used for smaller meetings of the Church, and for the ''preparatory lecture'' which was always held on the Friday afternoon preceding the Communion Service of the Church.
Isaac Platt Treat and Benjamin T. Clark were teachers or schoolmasters at various times. It was said their hardest task was to sharpen the goose quills, which had to be done every day, as writing and reading were considered the
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