Dry Mills Schoolhouse Plaque Campaign
Be a part of History by adding your name to the DMS Plaque! With a $100 donation towards the Floor Repair/Preservation Plans!
Two Hundred, thirty-two years ago, the small settlement of New Boston petitioned the Province of Massachusetts Bay requesting permission to incorporate as a self-governing town. On June 19, 1778, New Boston officially became the Town of Gray.
Some 15 years later, the Town built its first one room schoolhouse located on the southeast side of Depot Rd. There followed, through the years, 11 more one room schools in Town. The Dry Mills Schoolhouse is the only surviving one room schoolhouse in Town and is one of only a few such historical buildings in the entire Country.
Built in 1857, The Dry Mills Schoolhouse was located on Route 26 south of the Dry Mills intersection and educated several generations of Gray children. Were you or your parents or grandparents one of them?
The Dry Mills Schoolhouse was relocated to the Maine Wildlife Park Road in 1990 as an effort to ensure its long-term preservation. Unfortunately, time has taken a toll on the building and it was closed in 2015 due to an unsafe floor. The Town of Gray has provided a portion of the funds needed for the repair. The Dry Mills Schoolhouse Committee has kicked off a fundraising effort to not only assist with the floor repair, but to ensure the Schoolhouse has the funds to preserve this historic building into the future. There are so many opportunities to share this unique and rare piece of Gray (and American) history via a collaboration with GNG Schools, as well as those in surrounding areas, the many recreation departments who serve older residents, and the many visitors to the Animal Park. The goal is to make it self-sustaining.
This Schoolhouse is a Community Gem and we need the Community to Save it! Will you join us? With a $100 donation, recognition will be made by engraving the name(s) of you, your family members or in memory of someone (up to 25-30 characters) on an individual plate which will be mounted on a Plaque inside the Dry Mills Schoolhouse. You will become ‘part’ of the historic Dry Mills Schoolhouse!
Donations can be made:
- Check made out to “Town of Gray” with “Dry Mills Schoolhouse” on memo line – mailed to Town of Gray, 24 Main Street, Gray, ME 04039 – please include a note with the preferred ‘inscription’
- Online at www.graymaine.org/dry-mills-schoolhouse-museum (click Donate button). Please then send an e-mail to drymillsschool@graymaine.orgwith the preferred “inscription”
- Need more information – send an e-mail to drymillsschool@graymaine.org or call Jenn Dupuis 657-3649