Hebron Dollars & Sense

Put out quickly thank you to the HVFD...no injuries minimal damage.


because I can't resist....I wonder if they brought out the new ladder truck?

kudos to the quick response HVFD!!

FAH Q wrote:


I followed the link on wfsb.com, and it shows a picture of the building, and that looks like the truck ladder in the picture.

$orry I can't resist

It's a Quint

I am grateful that we did not lose one of our most important historic sites in Hebron. There is a great story behind the Legion building. It used to be a one-room school house with a second floor. It was on the second floor that town meetings were held in the early to mid 19th century.

Well, one night, there were so many people in attendance at a town meeting that the floor on the second level collapsed, sending men flying all over the place, some hanging on to the rafters to keep from falling to the lower level! (Because of course women didn't attend town meetings back then...)

It was at that point that town meetings were deemed safer to hold in the cellar of the Methodist Church (now known as Old Town Hall, which the town rented from the Methodists. If you've ever been in the cellar, you have to laugh at the thought of all those guys bent over to attend a town meeting. Shortly thereafter, the Methodists abandoned the Church, and the town bought it as their town hall.

Second, the school house actually was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1882, when most of Hebron Center burned to the ground in a matter of about 20 minutes. The Old Town Hall was one of only a few buildings spared. The school house was rebuilt as a two-room schoolhouse, with one entrance for the boys and one entrance for the girls.

As the other one-room school houses began to close down (we originally had 11 one-room school houses), Hebron children were sent to this "Center School" for their education well into the 20th century.

There is a very rich history behind this building, and we're blessed that the fire damage was minimal. Kudos to the Fire Department and VFW/Legion members who saved this treasure for future generations.

I only just noticed that I have neglected to thank you for sharing this history with us.

As for the one room schoolhouses in town, I think there is one of these on Hope Valley Road, restored by an Eagle scout a few years back. Are there any others remaining? Is this one ever opened up to the public?