Every summer and fall, the Medford Historical Society hosts open houses at Kirby’s Mill and the Cross Keys Schoolhouse, two of the town’s oldest buildings.
The first of the season was on July 12 and they will continue to be held on the first Sunday of the month through November. Kirby’s Mill is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the schoolhouse is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are only about a 10-minute drive from each other.
Kirby’s Mill, which dates back to the 1770s, allows visitors to explore its multiple floors and antique architecture, tools and equipment. Members of the historical society are available on site to educate visitors and answer any questions about the building, its materials and its history.
The mill is also open to the public throughout the year for other special events, such as the Car & Craft Show in May, a quilt show in June and the apple festival in October.
Like Kirby’s Mill, members of the historical society are stationed at the schoolhouse. Unlike Kirby’s Mill, there are fewer opportunities throughout the year to visit the facility, which makes the open houses a great way to learn about the town’s academic history.
Volunteers will explain the history of the school to visitors and let them use some of vintage items, like a traditional writing quill. They can play with outdoor games and see novelties stored inside the building.
Inside Cross Keys Schoolhouse, which is open to the public every first Sunday of the month August through November.
The schoolhouse – originally built in 1857 – is a one-room structure where young Medford children were taught until 1927. It was originally located on the corner of Dixontown and Stokes roads, where the McDonald’s currently stands.
In 1976, the township transported the schoolhouse to a spot behind Memorial Middle School, where it stands now.
In addition to preserving a piece of local architecture, the primary purpose of the schoolhouse is to act as an immersive lesson in living history for third-grade students in the area.
Back in 2010, retired teacher and historical society volunteer Pat Alvino launched a pilot program in the Medford school district for third-grade field trips to the schoolhouse. The students follow a curriculum to engage in local history and understand the way students in the 19th century were taught.
Now, 16 years later, Alvino and a team of volunteers, a “schoolmarm” and docents keep the character of the house alive with interior upkeep; 19th-century garb for the guides; and the teaching of values, stories and rules traditionally followed back when the schoolhouse was still active. The program runs each spring.
Alvino said the monthly open houses like the one on July 12 and an upcoming one on Sunday are a great way for people to explore all the schoolhouse has to offer outside of the special school days.
“I would like to see parents bring their third graders back to see the classroom again,” she noted, “only this time they can freely look at things instead of being so structured.”
Signs outside of Cross Keys Schoolhouse, located on Mill Street behind Memorial Middle School. It is preserved by the Medford Historical Society.
