By Lakeland Central School District
[Click here to read full June 2025 issue of River Journal North.]
Fourth graders from across the Lakeland Central School District recently stepped into the shoes of 19th-century students during an immersive field trip to the Little Red Schoolhouse on Locust Avenue in Cortlandt.
Greeted by the ringing of a school bell and a teacher in period dress, students took part in an educational experience designed to bring local history—and their social studies curriculum—to life.
Dating back to 1840, the Little Red Schoolhouse experience transported students to a time when girls were just beginning to attend school in Cortlandt and all grade levels learned together in a single classroom.
With guidance from members of the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society, students compared their modern school experiences to those of children nearly two centuries ago. They learned how lunches were kept cool under a rock by the stream, how chores were done before the school day, and how schoolwork was completed on slates by the light of the sun or oil lamps.
Inside the schoolhouse, students took part in spelling bees, solved math problems about farming, and mastered tongue twisters like “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” They also learned about the area’s history, including Peekskill’s iron stove industry, and ended the day exploring toys and crafts from the 1800s before posing for a traditional class photo on the schoolhouse steps.
One student summed up the enthusiasm of the day, saying, “I wish we could do this every day.”
The Little Red Schoolhouse served the Cortlandt community until 1935 and later operated as a kindergarten through 1972. In 1989, it was officially recognized on both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. The Van Cortlandtville Historical Society began conducting its Early School Days program at the Schoolhouse in 1975 to enable local fourth graders to experience classroom life in the 1840s, giving the rare opportunity for young learners to step into a preserved piece of educational history.
Lakeland Central School District thanks the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society for their decades of dedication and for keeping local history alive for future generations. All photos courtesy of Lakeland Central School District.
