Historic leaves, volume 5, April, 1906 - January, 1907

November 15, 1838, an attempt was made to arrange the boundaries between the Bunker Hill and Winter Hill districts. This is the first time I find mention of a Bunker Hill district. March 18, 1839, the trustees passed a vote that the Neck school hereafter be called the Bunker Hill school. A month before this, December 11, Benjamin F. Tweed was chosen to succeed William D. Swan at this school.

A petition from Charles Adams and others residing on the top of Winter Hill for establishing a primary school there, and requesting the board to present the same to the town in their annual report, was presented by Mr. Forster. Mr. Allen presented a report of the examination of the Winter Hill school, which was ordered to be placed on file. A petition from Clark Bennett and William Bonner to have the lines of the Prospect Hill school more properly defined, was presented and referred to the whole board.

The annual report for this year is very satisfactory in that it gives us much information. The schools are taken up individually beginning with the Gardner district. ‘This school is about seven miles from the Town House, and is contiguous to the western part of Woburn, being a little less than three miles from Woburn meeting house. To reach it the road leads through the middle of West Cambridge, turning to the right as you go by the meeting house of that place. There are about fifteen or twenty families in the district. During the summer this school was under the charge of Mrs. Evans. The average attendance was seventeen out of a total of nineteen. The teacher had classes in geometry, algebra, and natural philosophy, nor were the common branches neglected. Also, there was instruction in the rudiments of music. The winter term was under William R. Bagnall, with an average of twenty out of twenty-four.’

‘The Russell district verges upon the town of West Cambridge, the schoolhouse being about one-half mile from that meeting house. During the summer this school was under Miss Clara Whittemore. Whole number, twenty-four; average attendance, eighteen, mostly small children. She had brought the school from a state of confusion to one of discipline. During ’