Edinburg Schoolhouse

Edinburg Schoolhouse, circa 1900. Photo from Frank Rogers.

Historical Overview

A small, one-room schoolhouse once stood off of 1676 Old Trenton Road. Although long-gone, it was, for generations, an integral part of the historic West Windsor community of Edinburg.

The exact date of construction is unknown, but a deed for the nearby Leonard-Carson property from 1809 mentions "a schoolhouse lot forty feet square ... for the use of the inhabitants residing in the neighborhood."

​​Before the 1820s, West Windsor's schools - built by members of the community - were private, with parents paying teachers directly to instruct their children. However, in 1827/8 the Township Committee formally established a public school system, with four distinct districts in four of West Windsor's historic villages:

• Clarksville
• Dutch Neck
• Edinburg
• Penns Neck[5]

Edinburg, 1875. Note "S.H." on the left.

The Edinburg district was led by Jonathan T. Hutchinson, also owner of the nearby Edinburg general store and West Windsor School Committeeman from 1830-35. In 1828, the district he led had just 30 students.

Only two other principals are known: Stella Kostenbader (in 1908-1910) and Blanche Wolfe (1915). Stella was also one of the very first principals of the Dutch Neck School.

In the 1960s, the schoolhouse was owned by the village barber, Benjamin Carlucci. When the Carluccis built another house on the property, there was no need for the schoolhouse and it was demolished. The property, in 2023, houses a veterinary hospital.

Class at Edinburg Schoolhouse, circa 1916.

Go to Edinburg

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Bibliography

1. "West Windsor Tax Assessor Address List, 2019.” West Windsor, 2019. List of all residences in West Windsor with dates of construction, according to tax assessor. Sent to the Historical Society by Lorraine Jones and Dawn Moretti.​
2. Slayback, Abel, Bergen, John G. Ms. Deed. New Jersey State Archives, 1811. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Deeds - Middlesex County Deed Book 9 Page 211.
3. Hill, Joseph, Updike, William. Ms. Deed. New Jersey State Archives, 1843. Found in the Mercer County Clerk's Office - Mercer County Deeds - Mercer County Deed Book G Page 17.
4. Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F. Mount, John S., Mount, Walter S. “Indenture” West Windsor, 1924. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 530 Page 375. 
5. “West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
6. Ibid.
7. Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F. Mount, John S., Mount, Walter S. “Indenture” West Windsor, 1924. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 530 Page 375. 
8. Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F Sr., Heidrick, Dorothy B., Heidrick, Gardner W. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1965. Deed from Lyorah Vannest to Lydia C. Wyckoff for 136 South Mill Road. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1732 Page 854. Mentions the 1963 Robins-Conover transfer.
9. Ibid.
10. Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F Sr., Mather, Dorothy C. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1942. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 844 Page 535. 
11. ​"Obituaries: Dorothy C. Mather.” Town Topics, July 3, 2002.
12. ​“Light Plane Crashes, Walton, Mather Killed.” Princeton Herald, August 6, 1952. 
13. Greenwich Investors XI, LLC., Vogel, Sarah. "Deed.” West Windsor, 2003. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 4451 Page 277.