The Restoration
Restoring the West Street School
The West Street School has survived since 1750 with almost nothing changed — no plumbing, no modern systems, the pot-bellied stove still in its room. But the paint is peeling, the shutters are weathered, and the woodshed doors have rotted. The Friends of West Street School Association, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is restoring the school and preserving its history.
What survives
A schoolhouse the modern world never reached
The West Street School taught its first students in 1750 and held classes until 1945 — and in all those years it never had running water, plumbing, or modern conveniences. A pot-bellied wood stove was the only heat the building ever had.
Inside, three chalkboards of different heights for various age students still hang in wooden frames.
- Built
- 1750 — taught West Street's farm families until 1945
- Heat
- One pot-bellied wood stove — the only heat it ever had
- Structures
- Three historic buildings: schoolhouse, woodshed, and privy
- Recognition
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1988
The condition today
But the building is weathering
Time and New England weather are doing what they always do to an unrestored building — slowly, and then all at once.
Peeling, alligatored paint on the clapboard siding Heavy flaking on the rear chimney end The rear elevation — shuttered windows and the original brick chimney
A sad loss on Bristol Street
St. Thomas Church — built 1865, demolished 2025.
Don't let this happen to West St. School.
St. Thomas Church stood at 99 Bristol Street for over 150 years. Many residents wanted this important part of their history saved. In 2025, it came down anyway — and Southington lost a landmark it can never get back.
St. Thomas Church, Southington, CT in the 1800s. St Thomas Church stood for 160 years and was torn down in less than a day.
The 1976 precedent
West Street School was a source of Southington pride.
The school that generations of farmers had preserved was featured in Southington's 1976 Bicentennial Celebration. West Street School was the first stop on the Southington Historical Society's tour of colonial landmarks. Neighbors treasured the school that educated their grandparents, and many generations before that.
Now it's our turn.
Help keep the schoolhouse standing
Every gift supports the restoration. Every photograph, object, and memory shared helps tell the school's story.
Want the full story, from 1750 to today? Read the school's history