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Tunis District Schoolhouse

Despite its move from the original site on the southwest corner of Tunis and Wolfeboro Road around 1950 and its use as a seasonal dwelling, many original features of this 1822 schoolhouse are intact. Windows, slate blackboards, and wide boards on the lower walls are all authentic elements from days gone by. Restoration to its original state during 2007 will be careful and methodical. For historical accuracy, plumbing and electricity will be removed. The outhouse will be maintained. Visitors to the schoolhouse will be able to experience it as it once was. A map of New Hampshire made in 1820 has been located and will be hung in the schoolhouse.

 

In 2007, the Tunis District Schoolhouse will reach 185 years of age. It significantly pre-dates many of Hanover’s revered buildings. No one would claim that the Tunis District Schoolhouse is of great historical significance, nor is it a grand architectural monument. It is, however, a real and direct link to our community’s past – a glimpse into a way that working men and women lived in our town more than a century and a half ago. A visit to the restored schoolhouse will hopefully teach history in an intimate way that is rare today.

 

Because of their charm and the ease with which schoolhouses can be converted to residences and shops, few stand intact in northern New England. Proximity of the Tunis District Schoolhouse to the Tunis Cemetery places this schoolhouse in historical context, as names on the headstones also appear in the town school records as students and teachers. The proximity of the two speaks to the pioneer and agricultural community that once existed in this district. The current location of the schoolhouse at the roadside is historically accurate.

© Keith Quinton 2015