Sharon's one-room Brick Schoolhouse is keeping good company. It was recently awarded a listing on the National Register of Historic
places, joining three other listed schoolhouses in the Monadnock Region. Those schools include the High Tops School in Westmoreland, the Nelson Schoolhouse, and the Richmond Schoolhouse No.6.
The schoolhouse received its award for being associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
our history, which is on one of four possible criteria for National Register listings. It is well-preserved and has changed little over the years. Of the three one-room schools that served the town of Sharon, it
is the only one still in existence.
The building has been in constant use since it was constructed in 1832. "There's a lot of history in our schoolhouse," said Chet
Bowles, Sharon Selectmen Chair. "It's seen its share of school children, voters, town meetings and town government activities, and it will continue to serve our town's needs in the future."
The Town of Sharon recently developed a task force to research improvements to the building, including handicapped access, expanded
office space and plumbing. The plan will be presented to voters at the 2004 Town Meeting. According to Christine Fonda, National Register Coordinator for the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, the
listing does not impose any restrictions or limitations on the use of this property unless federal funds are involved.
Known through the years by several names including the East School, the Center School, the District Two Schoolhouse and even the School
of the Middle Class, this was the only one-room schoolhouse in Sharon, NH made of brick. Because two previous wood frame and clapboard schoolhouses had been erected in District Two and destroyed by fire, in 1799
and 1832 respectively, the town chose to construct this particular schoolhouse out of brick for its permanence.
A new site was selected for the Brick Schoolhouse on the other side of Street Road (known today as Route 123) from where the two
previous District Two schoolhouses had stood, and was constructed at a total expenditure of $300.
The Brick Schoolhouse was in use as a public school for nearly nine decades, from 1833 to 1920. During that time, the student
population fluctuated from a high of around 40 students to a low of around 10 students. Of the three one-room schoolhouses in Sharon, NH, the Brick Schoolhouse appears to have had the largest student population
through the years, holding both a winter session that lasted about 10 weeks and a summer session that lasted about 12 weeks. As was common for the time, a lone teacher was responsible for instructing up to 40
students from first through eighth grade.
Since Sharon schoolchildren began attending Peterborough schools in the 1920s, the schoolhouse has served various public town functions
including that of town meeting hall, polling booth and repository of town records. Today, the Brick Schoolhouse is used regularly for weekly town clerk's hours and as a meeting place for the Sharon Selectmen,
Planning Board and Conservation Commission. Other one-room brick schoolhouses in the area are located in Peterborough, New Ipswich, and Hancock.
The National Register of Historic Places application was completed by Sharon residents Liz LaRose, Tina Rapp, Gina Goff, and Rory Goff
and Con-Val student Taylor Shipman, all who donated their time.
