HISTORY OF ORANGE
CONTINUING THE ORANGE SCHOOL SYSTEM
After 1860 they discontinued having general school society meetings, each district taking care of its own business as the occasion demanded. Each district had a district chairman and was under the supervision of a board of visitors, who made periodical inspection of the work done and offered suggestions. In 1873 the Tyler City district was created, and a new schoolhouse was built the following year.
About this time, a private kindergarten was conducted by a Mrs. Newcomb in the house now occupied by Benjamin T. Clark. At a Town Meeting held October 5, 1874, it was voted that the school year should consist of thirty-eight weeks, which has always been in force since that time.
On October 7, 1878, they voted that the sum of $1,500 be taken from the Town Treasury and used to erect a building at Orange Center, for a high school and for public purposes. The old Academy was then sold to Leverett B. Treat, who moved it down to a place in back of Mr. Miller's store, where it stood until it was destroyed by fire. The new schoolhouse and town hall was then built on the site of the old Academy.
The five district schools all continued to function along the regular lines, with the stipend for the teachers increasing a little, until in 1900, a teacher was paid ten dollars per week. In 1909 the system of district schools was abolished, and the present school was built. The land on which the school stands was donated to the Town by Frank C. and Watson S. Woodruff.
The Building Committee was composed of the following persons:
Charles R. Treat
Wilson H. Lee
Robert J. Woodruff
Bela M. Alling
Michael E. Tracy
Mrs. Benjamin M. Wright
Wellington M. Andrew
Watson S. Woodruff
Arthur D. Clark
Walter S. Hine
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