Centre Schoolhouse
Centre Schoolhouse
| Also Known As | District Number 1 Schoolhouse |
| Address | 5 River St |
| Built | 1870 |
| Demolished | 1892 |
| Other Lot Structures |
Samuel Ruggles House (1710 -
1972)
Universalist Church (1842 - 1868) Gardner Parker Hall (1892 - 1940) Samuel Ruggles House (Built 1972) |
Joel Richardson partitioned his property at the corner of River Street and Boston Road on April 25, 1842 by selling this lot to the Universalist Society. They built a Church here that serviced the center for 24 years.
In 1866, the Universalist Society merged with the Unitarians. By 1868, the building was in disuse. It was purchased by the Catholic Church and was moved to North Billerica and converted into Saint Andrew's Roman Catholic Church. The town purchased the land and the remaining foundation from the Universalist Society on March 22, 1870 to be used for the Center Schoolhouse.
The town reused the foundation and built the schoolhouse. The 1890 Town Report notes that there is no playground space and the kids were forced to play in the street, with additional dangers from the nearby train station. They began looking for a more suitable location for a school. In March 1892, the Pollard School opened just across the Center, ending the need for this building.
In April 1892, the Billerica Building Association purchased the schoolhouse and on May 9, 1892, work began on this new Hall by renovating the existing building. After the Old Town Hall burned down in 1893 and before the Billerica Town Hall opened in 1895, this building served as the primary government office where Town Meetings were held. After that, it was used for the International Order of Odd Fellows.
It burned down on February 26, 1940. Later that year, it was sold to A. Warren Stearns, with the deed describing it "together with the remains of the old district school building standing thereon", which strongly suggests the school had been renovated, rather than removed.
Records:
- 1842: 415/472 Joel Richardson to Universalist Society
- 1870: 72/332 Universalist Society to Inhabitants of Billerica
- 1875 Map: School No 1
- 1889 Map: Schoolhouse
- 1892: 232/390 Inhabitants of Billerica to J. Nelson Parker
- 1892: 232/391 J. Nelson Parker to Billerica Building Assoc "together with the old district school building standing thereon", using the meetinghouse foundation as property boundary references
- 1928: Pl 56/67
- 1940: 950/153 Billerica Building Assoc to A. Warren Stearns "together with the remains of the old district school building standing thereon"