THEN: North Egremont schoolhouse in 1892. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.
Life In the Berkshires

THEN & NOW: The old North Egremont schoolhouse

Class was dismissed for the last time in June 1981, when teacher Shirley Peck Montgomery said goodbye to her first graders and the school was closed.

by Gary Leveille
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North Egremont — Local schools and school districts have been in the news quite a bit lately. It seems appropriate, therefore, to take a step back in time and visit the old North Egremont schoolhouse. It was built around 1880 and served the community for over 100 years.

One of the earliest known photographs of the school was taken in 1892 and is shown above. Labeling on the back identifies only Mary Rowe Wolfe as the sixth girl from the left.

The students shown in the 1911 photograph immediately below include Emma Brewer, Alice Doty, Elizabeth Burton, Mae Wheeler, Evelyn Kisselbrack, Marguerite Kisselbrack, Barry Philips, Mina Brewer, Robert McLearnan, Josephine Millard, Helen Stevens, Ruth Bull, Rose Dellea, Mildred Wheeler, Gladys Brewer, James Philips, Harry Christman, Rudolph Nicolai, Paul Miller, Harold Wheeler, Miss Flanders (teacher), John Dunbar, Peter Dellea, Amy Bull, Edith Miller, Della Duncan, Nellie Christman, Lela Philips, Annetta McLearnan, and Guy Brown.

THEN: North Egremont schoolhouse in 1911. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.
THEN: Local residents were proud of their little school, and it was featured on a souvenir postcard published circa 1910. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.

The 1947 school photograph also shown below features grades one through four, starting with the back two rows, left to right: Shirley Snyder, Bobby Guidi, Connie Kinney, Eddie Guidi, Rosemarie Grahn, Edward Delmolino, Patsy Supernaugh, Robin Percy, Sandy Fuller, Marilyn Peck, Jimmy Siter, Leila Tunis, Leland Peck, Eleanor Scrain, Oscar Grahn, Billy Warner, Susan Berning, Mildred Stalker, Carol Willcox, Dennis Whitcomb, Carolyn Warner, Penelope Orr, Bruce Wood, Mrs. Alice Brown (teacher), Betty Gibbs. Front Row, left to right: Stanley Kot, Judy Herbert, Johnny Snyder, Annette Choquette, Fay Stoddard, and Linda Gibbs.

THEN: North Egremont schoolhouse students in 1947. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.

Class was dismissed for the last time in June 1981, when teacher Shirley Peck Montgomery said goodbye to her first graders and the school was closed. The building is now privately owned and undergoing renovation.

NOW: Present-day view of the former North Egremont schoolhouse, now being renovated. Photo by Gary Leveille.