COLUMBIA HILL SCHOOLHOUSE FEATURED
New Book by Henry and Gordon MacAdam
by John Conway
HURLEYVILLE, November 2020 — Two years ago, the old one-room schoolhouse at the top of Columbia Hill in Hurleyville was memorialized with a historic marker. Now, the school—and the 19 others whose histories have been uncovered and chronicled by a small group of volunteers formed specifically to tell the stories of the Town of Thompson schools—is featured in a book about the project.
The four-year old project was initiated by brothers Henry and Gordon MacAdam, and they are listed as the authors of the book, which can be obtained by mail order or from Kristt-Kelly Office Systems in Monticello. The book costs $50 over the counter, or $60 including postage if ordered by mail.
Entitled “One Room Schools of the Town of Thompson c1818 – c1960,” the book is intended to serve as a companion piece to the group’s website: https://oneroomschoolsthompsonny.com.
According to Paul Lounsbury, a Hurleyville native whose family owned the Columbia Hill schoolhouse, and who provided most of the information about the school, the book “tells the behind-the-scenes story of the project, and how it all came about.”
“There are many very interesting articles, documents, and photos of every aspect of the One Room School experience,” Mr. Lounsbury said.
“It is a wonderful souvenir for your family, for those interested in learning and preserving our local history, and especially if your family lived in the Town of Thompson,” he adds.
Mr. Lounsbury says the book culminates the third part of the schoolhouse project, following phase one, which entailed the research and funding necessary to obtain and erect 21 historic markers at the locations of the schools, and phase two, which was the creation of the website.
“It has been a wonderful experience for me to have been part of the team that accomplished this historical project,” he said.