Bloomfield Academy Building, Skowhegan, 2003
The Bloomfield Academy Building was Skowhegan's first highschool and was built in 1842.
Item Contributed by
Skowhegan History House
Written by Morgan Hisler, 2005, an eighth grader at Skowhegan Area Middle School.
The Canaan Academy was established in 1809. In 1819 the name was changed to Bloomfield Academy. Skowhegan was first called Old Canaan and later Bloomfield and finally, Skowhegan.
In 1842 the new Bloomfield Academy started to be built. Beginning on Sept. 8, 1834, the town-meetings for Bloomfield were held in the Town House. This continued throughout the whole year. This new brick building replaced the very first Bloomfield Academy, a small wooden building that had been built in 1814.
The settlers of New England were very religious people. After they had made their homes they needed a place to worship and to learn, a school. At this time Maine was still as part of Massachusetts. When Bloomfield Academy was established, they didn't have their own government yet.
They established this building because there were no high schools anywhere around. The building was built in 1814 and there were 13 students enrolled.
Rev. James Hall was the first teacher who instructed them. He was a native of Scotland and a graduate of Edinburgh University. There was also another teacher that taught in this school. His name was John Gamble. He taught from 1851 to 1853 and had a salary of $150.
During the 1840s through the 1850s school was at full capacity. In 1852 there were 206 students enrolled in this school.
Island Avenue, Skowhegan, ca. 1870
This is a scene of Skowhegan island with the second high school building shown at the left.
Item Contributed by
Skowhegan History House
In 1871, just in time for fall classes, the high school on the island was finished. This is the same year that the last high school class graduated.
There were only 3 members in this class. Their names were Flora Shirley, Edwin Morrill and Emily Varney.
Elementary classes were held here and continued until the early 1980's. Presently in the building is the Lyndon Huff photograph collection which is very extensive. Mr. Huff's father and grandfather were also photographers and their pictures were part of the collection. There are more then 20,000 pictures in this building!
The building has been vacant since the 1980s and it would be nice to have fundraisers and raise lots of money to get this building up and going as a museum or a historical society. Saving old buildings like this one is important to a community because it is part of our heritage. Many historical buildings become torn down and this one could be a place where the history of Skowhegan could be researched and displayed.
Skowhegan's Second High School Building, ca. 1858
This was Skowhegan's second High School building and was built on Skowhegan island. The first class was held there in 1869. This building was torn down for a parking lot used by factory workers and people attending church at the Federated Church on the Skowhegan Island.
Skowhegan's Third High School Building, ca. 1920
Skowhegan's third high school building was built on the hilltop overlooking the Kennebec River. The first classes were held there in 1919. This school became the Skowhegan Jr. High and was recently vacated because of the building of a new middle school . Currrently it is empty.
Rooftops over Skowhegan Island, ca. 1875
The second high school building is visible in the left center.
