The Monroe Consolidated School (1935 – Present & Beyond)
Welcome back, Monroe history lovers. This week’s history takes us to Monroe Turnpike in the Cutlers Farm District. For those of you following our town news lately, you’ll know that our school buildings have been quite a hot topic, with discussions under way on how to best manage our numerous school buildings to address our ever-growing student population. One school in the discussions is Monroe Elementary School, the oldest and most historical of all three of our elementary schools. There were a number of proposals presented for consideration and eventual resident voting; one of which was to eliminate the school entirely. Let’s take a glimpse at the history of Monroe’s first town wide institution of education.
It all started 90 years ago this year, when The Monroe Consolidated School opened. The funding for the new school came primarily through a government program, the WPA (Works Projects Administration). The facade of the school is Monroe-sourced fieldstone, which even today gives it a rustic and unique visual charm of its own. The new consolidated school was a far cry from the former seven district one- and two-room schoolhouses that dotted our landscape. Now the children from every district of Monroe would be brought to school each day by school bus and gone were the outhouses of old. Now, it was modern indoor plumbing with porcelain toilets. What luxury! The only complaint was that you couldn’t bring your dog to school anymore.
Today we have a rare and important artifact to share with you. It’s a $1,000.00 bond for the building of the new school. That’s quite a sum of money, considering America was in the grips of the Great Depression. This unissued bond is number 15 of 56, and just how many of these bonds were actually issued is unfortunately lost to history. This artifact was generously donated to The Monroe Historical Society by retired Monroe Police Department detective Normand Mercier. It was Normand’s late partner, Sharon Maili Wessel who discovered this artifact discarded in a dumpster at our town hall when she was volunteering with Monroe EMS. She instinctively knew it was of historic significance and we’re grateful for her keen eye and for Normand’s thoughtful and generous donation. What better time to share this with you than the year of the school’s 90th anniversary.
I hope you enjoy this week’s historic spotlight on our Monroe Elementary School. This rare unissued bond is an especially important artifact in our town’s educational history and we’re extremely proud to bring it to you for your appreciation and awareness. Please share this post with your family, friends, and any Monroe students you may know. As always, thank you for your continued support and interest in Monroe’s rich history. Until next time, no, you cannot bring your dog on the school bus.
Regards,
Kevin Daly
Historian, Monroe Historical Society
www.monroecthistory.org
Our Past is Always Present
