Windham – The Windham Historical Society will explore the 200 year history of the Windham schools on Monday, January 18, at 7 PM in the Brick Chapel on North Main Street in Windham. The talk is free and the public is cordially invited to attend.
The Brick Chapel will open at 6:30 for a meet and greet, and to view new acquisitions. The talk will follow a brief business meeting.
Local historian George Belden will present his talk, beginning with the first classes within 6 months of the founding of Windham in 1811, and continuing all the way to the modern, state of the art buildings which students attend today.
Belden will discuss the one room schoolhouses scattered around the township, the high school consolidation in 1883, the new brick high school on present-day Bauer Avenue in 1928, the coming of the Ravenna Arsenal and the 1000% population boom that transformed the schools in the 1940’s, and much more, including the Civil War era Windham Academy, which met in the very same building in which he will be delivering his talk.
Belden recently spoke to the Backyard History class of teacher Stephanie Parish at Windham High School, and the response of the students motivated him to research further and expand his talk for the entire community. Students who did not have a chance to hear him are especially invited.
The Windham Historical Society has undergone a revitalization of late, with a renewed emphasis on exploring various aspects of the evolution of this small Portage County town. Membership is open to everyone interested in joining this journey of discovery.
For more information on the talk, please contact Belden at Bel@neo.rr.com.
The entire enrollment of the Windham Public Schools in 1907. This white building, built in 1883, will be one of the memories discussed by George Belden at his Windham Historical Society talk.
