Spackenkill Union Free School District - History of Spackenkill

History of Spackenkill

The Spackenkill Union Free School District was chartered by the New York State Legislature in 1865 and is one of about 130 remaining union free school districts within the state. The uniqueness of remaining independent without centralization with other districts has helped Spackenkill remain a small and close-knit school district.

The name Spackenkill stems from Spack's Creek. Spackenkill is a Dutch interpretation of the Native American phrase "speaking waters", which was given to a noisy stream running through Spackenkill Road, located just across the street from the present Croft Corners Fire Company.

The district's first school building was on the site of the present firehouse and was built in 1866 or 1867. It was a traditional one-room schoolhouse built of bricks brought from Holland as ballast in sailing vessels.

Beginning in 1912, older pupils were sent outside the district to continue their education. By 1920 the one-room schoolhouse was overcrowded with an enrollment of 55 pupils, and plans were made for a new building. In 1926 classes met in two rooms of the new building.

In the 1940s, population growth made it imperative for the district to increase its facilities. An addition was built on Spackenkill School (later renamed the Martha W. Lawrence School after the first principal) and property was purchased to allow for further expansion. The Croft Road Junior High School (later renamed the Orville A. Todd Junior High School) opened in 1959. In 1993, it become the Orville A. Todd Middle School. Rapid population growth made the purchase of two additional sites advisable. One site was the location of the Nassau Elementary School, which opened in 1962. Hagan Elementary School was built on the second site in the Hagantown development in 1962. In 1967, the residents passed, by an overwhelming majority, a referendum to purchase land for a high school. The New York State Department of Education moved to block the construction, and the Spackenkill District responded by filing a lawsuit. The district ultimately prevailed, and construction began in 1970. Spackenkill High School graduated its first class in 1974.