MINOT – The Minot Historical Society met on Aug. 9 at the West Auburn one-room schoolhouse when a picnic lunch was held.

The program began with June Spear, a charter member of the West Auburn School Preservation Committee, giving a talk on the school, located at Minot East Village until Auburn became a town in 1842.

She told of the first school, which was at a different location, and how the present school came to be in 1858. The present piece of land was given to Auburn by Zebulon Crafts and the “new” school building was moved to its location by six yokes of oxen.

Spear told of the classes held at the school over the years.

She also spoke of interesting events that took place at the school. Spear then told how the school deteriorated from 1950 to 1970 when it was no longer in use.

She told of the many people who came together in the early 1990s to save the school, and the hard work of George Anthony, Dennis and Beverly Spofford, John Linnell and the 18 other charter members of the board of directors who formed the Preservation Committee.

Donna Berry, teacher, led a “typical day class in the one-room school” and the Minot Historical Society members were the students. She told how girls had to curtsy and boys had to bow after recitations, how schools had no lights, that blackboards were really boards painted black and that discipline was strictly enforced.

Berry said the school was heated by a wood stove and wood had to be brought in each day.

After Berry told spoke of the differences of the times, the “class” was put through its paces with “reading, riting and rithmetic.”

In other business, it was reported the roast pork fund-raiser supper generated $517.

Bruce Conant’s mother donated a book on the West Minot Cheese Factory. Tim Bernard donated two books: “Memoirs of William Ladd” and “The American Peace Crusade.”

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Minot Town Office. The speaker will be Douglas Hodgkins on “Fractured Family, Fighting in Maine Courts,” a book he has written.