05/27/2026
This picture of the Peter Parley/West Lane District School (that’s Ridgefield historian George L. Rockwell at right) dates from the early part of the 20th Century. The landscape has changed over the years, and the school, which closed in 1915, has become a small museum that welcomes visitors in the warmer months.
Sunday, May 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. will be our first open house of the season and we invite Ridgefielders (especially those of you who have ever said, “one day, I want to see inside that school!”) and visitors to town to stop by and look around. We’ll have cookies!
Town Historian Jack Sanders and Ridgefield Historical Society vice president Sally Sanders, who are the schoolhouse’s stewards, will be on hand to greet guests and answer questions. The historical society maintains the schoolhouse, which was initially preserved by members of the Ridgefield Garden Club.
As part of the Gateway Project, a Semiquincentennial project to upgrade the three triangles along Route 35 leading to Main Street, has brought a new roof and chimney facing to the schoolhouse, and accent lighting to the grounds, which will undergo further landscaping shortly.
For more information about the Peter Parley/West Lane District Schoolhouse, please visit https://ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org.
