Happy Holiday Flag Waves Proudly at Ridgefield's Little Red Schoolhouse

Happy Holiday Flag at The Little Red Schoolhouse

You're a grand old flag, you're a high flying flag and you're waving outside of The Little Red Schoolhouse. It was 2014 that, after decades, a flag was placed on its nearly 250 year-old flagpole (yes, it's the original flagpole) outside of the historical Schoolhouse.

In 1915, the door of the schoolhouse closed, the flag was taken down and the bell no longer beckoned the young. The door wouldn't reopen again until 1961 when the Ridgefield Garden Club took the schoolhouse under their wing. "In 1961, the Garden Club ladies put in electricity, heat and painted the exterior- they really perked it up," says Garden Club member Donna Warren. In addition, club members volunteered as "docents"; opening the schoolhouse so visitors could take a look inside.

The Town of Ridgefield owns the building and leases it to Ridgefield Historical Society. The interior of the schoolhouse looks similar to the way it would have when its doors closed in the early 1900s. Period-appropriate desks, texts, workbooks, toys, and memorabilia fill the schoolhouse along with plaques noting the history of Ridgefield and its little red schoolhouses.

The Historical Society offers Sundays at the Schoolhouse, monthly during the warmer months, but groups are also welcome to schedule a tour. An experienced guide will explain what learning was like at the school where many young Ridgefielders, including Samuel G. Goodrich (a.k.a. author Peter Parley), got their educational start. Suggested donation is $10 for adults; Free for kids under 16. The minimum group size is 4 and the maximum is 20.

To schedule a tour, please call 203-438-5821 or email  ridgefieldhistory@sbcglobal.net. For more information about the Schoolhouse, visit www.ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org/peter-parley-schoolhouse.