Millstone School

Just a few years ago, Millstone Boro, which hadn't had an operating public school for almost 70 years, dissolved its school district and united with Hillsborough - cementing the decades-long practice of sending its students to the township schools. But from the time Millstone seceded from Hillsborough and became an independent municipality in 1894 right through the first three decades of the 20th century, the situation was reversed - Hillsborough Township sending many of their students to the Millstone School.

Millstone School circa 1905

There were at least three school buildings in Millstone before the one we know as Boro Hall. The first was built in the 18th century and was near the East Millstone canal bridge. In 1807 that school was replaced by one on Amwell Road just west of the Hillsborough Dutch Reformed Church. In 1814 a new school was erected on a small lot near the northeast corner of the church facing Millstone's "main street". This was a two-story building with the school on the first floor and the second floor used for religious instruction and meetings.

Millstone School circa 1974

In 1860 a more suitable location was acquired on the hill north of the village. The school is wood framed with a brick exterior and is quite large for a one-room schoolhouse with a listed seating capacity in 1881 of 70 students.

Inset map of Millstone from 1873 atlas

Hillsborough students living in the eastern part of the township continued to go to the Millstone School after Millstone's independence in 1894 until the beginning of the 1928 school year when - on very short notice - Millstone advised the Hillsborough school board that they wouldn't be able to accommodate the 25 students that had been attending from Hillsborough. The timing couldn't have been worse for Hillsborough as they were dealing with bond issue problems relating to state-mandated school building improvements in the Manville section of the township.

Millstone School 2013

The Millstone School continued to serve Boro residents until 1943 when it was re-purposed as Millstone Boro Hall, a function it still serves today.