"The early schools of Plymouth were not the product of State support nor the creation of legislation. They were spontaneous among the people." (quoted from Stearns History of Plymouth, published in 1905).
Stephen Webster, Jeremiah Blodgett**, James Harvell, Nathan Ward, Jr., Mrs. Miriam Snow, Nahum Powers, and Noah Worcester were teachers in the schools of Plymouth before the close of the Revolution.
The first division of the town in school districts was on a trial basis in 1775. At this time the town was divided into five districts as shown below:
District Number 1
Also called The Lower End District - Elder Francis Worcester, Lieut. Josiah Brown, Col. David Hobard, Benjamin Dearborn, jr., Daniel Wheeler, Jonas Keyes, Amos Phillips, William Tarlton, Amos Thompson, Gershom Fletcher, Joseph Reed, Phineas Lovejoy, Peter Stearns, Capt. Jotham Cummings, Gershom Hobart, John Fenton, Esq.
District Number 2
The Middle District - Samuel Emerson, Elder Stephen Webster, Col. David Webster, William Simpton, Capt. James Hobart, Moses Dow, Deacon John Willoughby, Amos Fisk, Ebenezer Hartshorn, David Durkee, Abel Webster, Zachariah Parker, Silas Brown, Jonas Ward, John Cowan, Nathaniel Webster, Capt. Samuel Dearborn, Dr. Abijah Wright, Dr. Peter Emerson, Eleazer Parker.
District Number 3
The Upper End District - Samuel Ambrose, John Webber, Ephraim Lund, George Patterson, Stephen Webster, Jr., Lieut. Winthrop Wells, Benjamin Wells, Peter Dearborn, Benjamin Dearborn, Elisha Bean, Ebenezer Blodgett, Onesipherns Marsh, Samuel Marsh, James Barnes, Jonathan Wells, Jeremiah Blodgett.
District Number 4
Also known as The South District - Paul Wells, Widow Miriam Snow, James Blodgett, Edward Taylor, Jacob Marsh, Edward Evans, Thomas Lucas, David Nevins, Zebadiah Richardson, Jacob Draper, Amos Webster, John Calef, Nahum Powers, Nehemiah Hardy, Ebenezer Blodgett, Jr.
District Number 5
The District North of Baker's River - Lieut. Benjamin Goold, James Harvell, Thomas McCluer, Solomon Wheeler, Edmond Elliot of Campton, Joseph Wheeler, William Greenough, James Ryan, Jacob Merrill, George Hull, Ephraim Keyes.
For the school year beginning July 17, 1775 and ending July 16, 1776, the selectmen assessed 43 pounds and hired Nathan Ward, the oldest son of the Rev. Nathan Ward, to teach a writing school for 312 days. The length of the school term in each district was:
District Number 1 - 79 days District Number 2 - 91 days
District Number 3 - 57 days District Number 4 - 40 days
District Number 5 - 45 days
The names of some of the early teachers do not appear in the records. Some, however, are listed below:
Elijah Brainers a Dartmouth student, taught one or more terms in Plymouth in 1784.
Prior to 1792, Joshua Thornton, Joshua Smith, Jotham Cummings, Jr., and Jonathan Strong taught school in Plymouth.
Benjamin Snow was a school teacher in Plymouth for 15 years, beginning in 1792. Another grammar-school teacher was John Morris Tillotson. Peter Cochran was a teacher who graduated from Dartmouth in 1798 and who died at sea in 1806. Eleazer Wheelock taught in Plymouth in 1794, 1798 and 1799. Other Dartmouth students who taught in Plymouth:
1794 John F. Jennison
1798, 1800 Samuel Eastman
1798, 1799, 1800 Samuel A. Pearson
1801 George Farrar
1801, 1803 Joseph Gillett
1802 Elisha Rockwood
1802 Silas H. Sabin
1803 James Brackett
1804 Constant Storrs
1805 Alpheus Roberts
1805 William Bradbury
1805 Samuel FletcherOther teachers in this town from 1792 to 1810 were:
Mathan Penniman, Benjamin Ward, William Cummings, William Rogers, Rev. Robert Fowle, William Gale, Jeremiah Noyes, King George, Moses Hull, Paul Dodge Phillips, Henry Coleman, Rev. Drury Fairbank, Benjamin Bayley, Moses Hadley, Benjamin Morse, Samuel Rogers, William Tarlton, Jr., Nathan Harris, Edward Senter, Israel E. Cheney, John Dame, Dolly Brown, Jemima Brainerd, Lucy Blodgett, Sarah Tarbell, Batsey Clark, Sarah Robbins, Sally Pulsifer, mrs. Dorcas (Wilson) Webster, Dorothy Smith, Jane Johnston, Abigail Johnston, Eliza Smith, Mrs. Mary (Reed) Melvin, Hannah French, Lydia Peters, Jane Porter, Susannah Reed, Betsey Tarlton, Sally Webber, Mrs. Susannah (Reed) Darling, Polly Cochran, Sally Worcester, Sally Phelps, Eunice Rogers.
At the close of the century, the boundaries of the school districts were more clearly defined and the families living in each district in the year 1799 are as follows:
The Lower End District: Capt. Jotham Cummings, Jotham Cummings, Jr., Jarahmael Cummings, Jonathan Cummings, Joseph F. Cummings, Nathaniel Emerson, William Going, Nathan Stearns, Samuel Stearns, Aaron Stearns, Joel Taylor, Lieut. Jonathan Robbins, Asa Robbins, David Brainerd, Francis Worcester, Jr., Capt. Josiah Brown, Edward Webber, Deacon Joshua Fletcher, Ensign Joseph Reed, Crisp B. Noyes, James Gorman, Edward Senter, Reuben Phillips, William Currier, Daniel Currier, Luke Wilson, Joshua Fletcher, Jr.
The Middle District: David Haseltine, Lieut. Richard Bayley, Richard Bayley, Jr., Joseph Coffren, Jacob Fellows, John Farnum, Moses French, James Hazeltine, John Porter, Esq., Dr. Jonathan Robbins, Gain Robertson, Moses Thurlow, Dr. John Rogers, Jabez H. Weld, Phineas Walker, Esq., Nathan Harris, Col. David Webster, Col. William Webster, George W.Webster, Deacon John Willoughby, Abner Willoughby, Enoch Ward, Daniel C. Webster, Samuel Greenleaf, James Miller, Moses Mulliken, Peter McQuesten, Joseph Bayley, Isaac Ward, Benjamin Ward, Elephas Reed, Zachariah Parker, Jonathan Parker, Daniel Ladd, Liberty Cary, James McQuesten, Daniel Ward.
The Upper End District: David Alls, Jacob Marsh, Samuel Marsh, Onesipherus Marsh, Joseph Clifford, Capt. Joshua Thornton, Lieut. Elisha Bean, Peter Dearborn, Nason West, Winthrop Wells, Jacob Smith, Edmund Webber, Peter Webster, Jeremiah Bean, John Webber, William Webber, Ezekiel Gile, Phillip Wells, Samuel Wells, William George, Esq., King George, Moses George, John Kemp, Enoch Melvin, Amos Webster, Jesse Taylor, Stephen Webster, Jr., Jeremiah Smith, Pearson Berry.
The South District: Capt. Samuel Dearborn, Thomas Harriman, Nathan Penniman, Stephen Bartlett, Sargent Bartlett, Amos Blood, Jacob Draper, Solomon Bayley, Nehemiah Snow, Samuel Morse, John Rollins, John Harriman, Israel Hoyt, Abel Chamberlain, Samuel Abbot, Currier Barnard, William George, Jr., Robert George, John Keyes, Thomas Fuller, Edward Dearborn, Reuben Dearborn, James McClure, Abiel Blodgett, James Blodgett, Simeon Blodgett, Andrew Hickok, John Rideout, Noah Phillips, Peter D. Blanchard, Abraham Cole.
The North of Baker's River District: Major Benjamin Goold, John Goold, Widow Abigail McClure, Samuel Emerson, Ebenezer Emerson, Jonathan Emerson, Ephraim Keyes, James Harvell, Esq., James Harvell, Jr., John Hull, Moses Hull, Jonas Keyes, James Ryan, Isaac Ryan, Jacob Merrill, Esq., Jacob Merrill, Jr., Giles Merrill, Moses Emerson.
In 1808, a new district was created with name and families as follows:
The Meeting House District: Zachariah Parker, Jonathan Parker, Abraham Darling, Isaac Stafford, Zachariah Cleasby, Isaac Ward, Peter McQuesten, Reuben Dearborn, Widow Lydia Ward, Samuel Dearborn, Jr., Edward Robie, Edward Robie, jr., Thomas Robie, John Porter, Esq., Dr. Jonathan Robbins, Enoch Ward, Bradbury Furguson, Capt. Samuel Dearborn, Moses Mulliken.
In the southwest part of town, remote from any schools, a few families received permission from the town to retain their school tax and expend it for the instruction of their children. Eventually, those families were included in a new district (called the Seventh District or the New District). Those families consisted of: Edward Senter, Peter Wells, Robert Glover, Benjamin Glover, and Oliver Blake.
In 1809, the selectmen divided the Fourth or South District and established the Eighth District, which included all the families of the Fourth District who lived west of a line extending west by the land of James Blodgett and Benjamin Dearborn and the 13th lot in the third range of the first division of lots, to the line of Hebron.
James Little created a petition in 1810, instructing the Selectmen to create the Ninth school district in the northeast corner of town. It contained the Governor's Farm and almost all of the petitioner's land. The petitioner himself lived in Campton. The Tenth District, including territory around Pike Hill, was established initially by general consent.
Plymouth voted in 1819 to divide the First District and to establish District Eleven. The families living within that new district were Jonathan Cummings, Leonard Cummings, Noah Cummings, Phineas L. Emerson, Joseph Fletcher, Michael Mitchell, Joseph Morse, Benjamin Nutting, Widow Sibel Nutting, Daniel Prescott, Matthew Ramsay, Aaron Stearns, Aaron Stearns, Jr., and Jonas Willoughby.
Over the years the redistricting continued, until in 1835, there were twelve districts. In 1846, there were a total of fourteen school districts in Plymouth.
Sometime around 1885, the Board of Education established seven schools in Plymouth. They were known as the Village School, Lower Intervale School, Ward Hill School, Baker's River School, Sargent School, Turnpike School, and Livermore School. Transportation has also been provided since that time to children living remote from any of the seven permanent schools.
The New Hampshire Normal School was established and assumed the responsibility of instructing the students of the village district, formerly known as District Number Two. The sum annually paid by the district to the Norma. School was gradually increased from $800.00 to $3300.00 in 1903, when a new contract was made.
Plymouth High School was established in 1883 and for 20 years it was a department of the Normal School, under the joint supervision of the principal of the Normal School and the Board of Education. The school was in the Normal School building until 1891, later moving to the Kidder Block until the completion of the new High School Building in 1904.