It Happens Here: Dunstable's Little Red Schoolhouse Is An Up-Close Lesson In History

DUNSTABLE (CBS) - Education in Massachusetts has come a long way, but going back to our roots is also teaching local kids some amazing history lessons that you can't learn with a computer.

Take Dunstable, Massachusetts for example. It was originally named by the Tyng family, who emigrated from Dunstable, England and yes, that Tyng family is how Tyngsboro, which was originally part of Dunstable, got its name.

The Tyng family name is still in Dunstable almost 350 years later - at the Tyngsborough Dunstable Historical Society's little red schoolhouse.

Once a working schoolhouse in Tyngsboro, it offered advanced courses in Latin, Greek and Algebra for gifted students. By the 1800's, the students were gone and the building was used for storage and then a garage.

That is until the 1960's, when it was donated to the historical society and moved to a field in Dunstable.

Nestled on three acres, the schoolhouse is now a popular spot for meetings, events, weddings and field trips. It also offers today's students, a real-life history lesson.

"They get a sense that things were not easy, things were not easy back then. I think that's good for children," said Sue Psaledakis, a member of the Tyngsborough Dunstable Historical Society.

She says this one room building tells a unique story.

"It's good to know where you live, where you grow up and things about it and how it came to be, why is Dunstable different than Pepperell, we are different than Tyngsboro," she told WBZ-TV.

One lesson - the school bell was a real thing - used to bring the kids to school.

Also a thing, there was no running water inside. But, there's a working water pump outside.

It's a cool reminder of where we came from and what our past can still teach us.

You can rent the little red schoolhouse for events. For more information, visit their website.

The next event is the "Bean Pot Antique Car show" on October 16th. It is open to the public.