Question 1

Is my donation to the West Street School tax-deductible?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Donations to the West Street School restoration are made through the Southington Historical Society Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 06-6080963), so your gift is tax-deductible. 100% of your donation goes to the benefit of your historical society.

Question 2

How do I donate to the restoration?

Accepted Answer

The West Street School restoration accepts gifts through the Southington Historical Society. Online giving details are being finalized — visit the Donate page for current ways to give, or contact the Society at (860) 621-4811.

Question 3

How old is the West Street School?

Accepted Answer

The West Street School taught its first students in 1750, when the area was part of the town of Farmington in the British Colony of Connecticut. It served local children until 1945 — nearly two centuries of schooling in one room.

Question 4

Where is the West Street School?

Accepted Answer

The West Street School stands at 1432 West Street, Southington, Connecticut — on its original site. After West Street was widened in 1977, the schoolhouse now sits about 12 feet above the roadbed on a grassed slope.

Question 5

Is the West Street School on the National Register of Historic Places?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The West Street School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1988 (reference #88002689), recognized for its significance in education and architecture. It is Southington's oldest surviving school building.

Question 6

What was school like inside the one-room schoolhouse?

Accepted Answer

The West Street School taught grades 1 through 8 together in a single 20-by-24-foot room — at its peak, 28 pupils. A pot-bellied wood stove was the only heat, and the building never had running water; students fetched a daily pail from the school spring 600 feet away.

Question 7

Can I visit the West Street School?

Accepted Answer

The West Street School opens for announced events such as open houses — it does not keep regular hours. Check the Events page for the next date. The Southington Historical Society at 239 Main Street is open Wednesdays 5–7 p.m.

Question 8

Who owns the West Street School?

Accepted Answer

The Town of Southington owns the West Street School. The building has been held under a 99-year lease arranged in 1947, and today it is cared for by the Southington Historical Society, which stewards the town's historic schoolhouses.

Question 9

How can I share West Street School photos or stories?

Accepted Answer

The West Street School project is looking for photos, objects, papers, articles, and stories connected to the school and its families. Use the Share Your Story page to tell us what you have — every contribution helps preserve Southington history.

Question 10

Who is behind the West Street School restoration?

Accepted Answer

The restoration is a project of the Southington Historical Society, an all-volunteer nonprofit founded in 1965 and based at 239 Main Street in the town's former 1902 library building. Reach the Society at (860) 621-4811.

Questions & Answers