Long before modern school buildings and school buses, children in Bargaintown received their education in a small one-room schoolhouse along Patcong Creek.
The modest structure, measuring just 18 by 16 feet, stood on what is now Mill Road and served students in all eight grade levels under the instruction of a single teacher. Inside, students sat shoulder to shoulder on wooden benches and completed their lessons on handheld slate boards using chalk.
During the winter months, the school relied on a potbellied stove in the center of the room for heat.
Older boys were responsible for keeping the fire burning throughout the day, ensuring the classroom remained warm during the coldest weather.
The school reflected the simplicity of rural life in the 19th century. Drinking water came from a hand-operated pump, while outdoor privies served as the school’s restrooms.
Although the schoolhouse no longer exists, its history remains an important part of Egg Harbor Township’s past. The site where it once stood is now the entrance to Lakeside Condominiums. Patcong Creek, which once flowed beside the school, was later diverted during construction of the Garden State Parkway.
Information is from Journey Through Time in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., by June Sheridan and Lynn Wood.
