Salem School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
Salem School is a red brick school building in Naugatuck, Connecticut, built in 1893 and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure rises two and a half stories with an H-shaped layout, featuring a rusticated brownstone base, rounded arches over the entrances, a small cupola crowning the roof, and decorative stone bands running between floors.
The school was built in 1893 to replace two earlier buildings on the same site as the town of Naugatuck expanded rapidly. The design came from the well-known architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, and local contractor H. Wales Lines constructed it for approximately 71,000 dollars.
The name 'Salem School' connects to the town's original name, 'Salem Bridge', which appears on a stone nameplate above the entrance alongside the dates 1773 and 1893. For generations, this building served as a gathering place for local education and community life during the town's period of growth.
The building sits on Meadow Street near the center of Naugatuck and is easily seen from outside. The school closed in June 2025 and no longer operates as an educational facility, but the structure remains visible as a landmark in the town landscape.
Local lore tells that vandals once placed a cow inside the building's cupola as a playful challenge to the seriousness of school architecture. Additionally, a Charter Oak sapling was planted on the school grounds in the 1960s by community volunteers to honor the area's historical roots.
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