Painting of Pelhamville School,
ca.
1920
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Edward Penfield (1866–1925) was a nationally-renowned artist, graphics designer and poster artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He lived for many years at 185 Jackson Avenue in Pelham. He created artwork for magazine covers for Collier’s, Harpers, the Saturday Evening Post and many others.
Before his death, Penfield created this painting of the tiny Pelhamville School House that once stood near where today’s Hutchinson School stands in the Village of Pelham. The school building was built in 1861 and was the first school in the area known as Pelhamville. This building was a typical school building of its period–one large room, poorly lighted and badly ventilated. It was heated by a large round stove in the center.
One account in the files of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham references the painting, stating: “We are greatly indebted to the late Mr. Edward Penfield, who after many months of research succeeded in drawing a picture of the old school house on the hill, as it probably looked at that time. Cut No. 1 shows the porch which was added in 1873 and the room to the right added in 1875 for the primary department.”
As Pelhamville grew, the little school house became so crowded that, according to one account, “even the window sills had to be used to seat the pupils”. On December 20, 1887, the local Board of Education voted to build a new school house and a new school opened in 1888. The little school house was demolished not much later.