Bloomfield is rich in history—from Tunxis Indian Trails to Underground Railroad stops to Mark Twain’s nature treks. Prior to 1796, a log house stood on or near the original site of the Old Farm Schoolhouse. The Old Farm Schoolhouse, the oldest public building in town, stands at the corner of School Street and Park Avenue.  It was built in 1796 in the Old Farm School District, one of seven school districts in the Wintonbury Parish of Windsor. Until 1839 it was known simply as the Brick School.

The prized bell is as old as the school, having been donated in 1796 by Wintonbury resident Frederick Bull, who, sadly, died shortly thereafter; and as the ancient record reads, “it was first used to toll his funeral knell." The bell could be heard for miles, which made it useful not only to summon the children to class, but also to alert the community for emergencies, such as fires.

The Brick School had just one classroom until the upper story was finished in 1829. The last year that classes were held in the schoolhouse was 1922, after which it was used by other organizations.  From 1931 to 1971 the building served as headquarters for the Harry E Johnson Post 116 of the American Legion. In 1979 the Old Farm School was added to the National Register of Historic Places. 

Plan a visit to step into an early American classroom and ring the belfry bell that first called children to school in the time of George Washington,

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