Skiff Mountain Schoolhouse

The little pre-Revolutionary one-room schoolhouse sits high atop Skiff Mountain on the edge of the Marvelwood School campus.

Given to the Kent Historical Society in 1972 by Pauline Skiff Gunn, a descendant of the original builder, the schoolhouse is now visited as part of the Society's "History for Kids" program with the Kent Center School. However, the schoolhouse is sadly underused, and we are investigating more avenues of presentation for this little gem.
The Skiff Mountain School still stands at its original site on the windy peak of this mountain. The structure is definitely pre-1812 and probably is nearer to 1760.

The land on which the building stands was owned originally by Nathan Skiff, whose properties and large house, dated 1766, still belong to family members. The three Skiff households that lived on the mountain built the school to serve the needs of their children and those of other local families.

In 1972 Mrs. Pauline Skiff Gunn deeded the schoolhouse to the Kent Historical Society. The building was then carefully restored and authentically furnished. An original narrow desk for four children is in place. Many of the accessories on display here were gifts from former students at the school.

At one time, there were 14 separate school districts in Kent, each with its own schoolhouse. Skiff Mountain (District #14) is one of two remaining as they were in their heyday, the other being Kent Hollow (#12). Nine have been turned into residences: Flanders (#1), Kent Plains (#2), North Kent (#3), Macedonia (#4), Bulls Bridge (#5), South Kent (#6), Geer Mountain (#7), Rocks (#8), and Fuller Mountain (#10). Only East Kent (#9), Ore Hill (#13) and the unnamed #11 are now gone.

 


Kent Historical Society | PO Box 651 | Kent, CT 06757 | 860.927.4587