The Schools of Woodhill

Woodhill Store "The Eagle" 1905

Prior to being a village, Woodhill, Upper Makefield Township, was known as "The Spread Eagle Hotel" or "Eagle Tavern." A post office named Makefield was established there in 1881. The village became known as Woodhill in 1896. The hilltop location of the village provides views of the scenic countryside and Jericho Mountain, which famously sheltered Washington and his troops prior to the Battle of Trenton. 

Today, Sol Feinstone Elementary School serves all of Upper Makefield Township. At one time, fifteen different school houses served the children in the immediate vicinity of them. They were Buckmanville, Dolington, Brownsburg, Taylorsville, Woodhill, Fairfield, the Salt Box, Highland, Brookside Schools, Betts Schoolhouse, Washington Crossing Elementary, Lurgan, Makefield Meeting and the Wiggins Springhouse. The Highland School was briefly at another location, the Reeder House, but other than that only Woodhill had multiple schools.

Sol Feinstone isn't the first school at Woodhill, nor is it the second. It's the third public school to serve the children in the area in the last 189 years.

Hayhurst School 1948 Pre-restoration

In 1804, a small one-room school was built by John Hayhurst on a piece of land just south of The Eagle, on the west side of Eagle Rd at the end of the lane to Hayhurst Farm, General Sullivan's headquarters preceding the battle of Trenton. This school was known as "Hayhurst", and later "Eagle". It served the neighboring school children free of charge. 

Hayhurst/Eagle/Salt Box

In 1834, an act was passed by Governor Wolf enabling local districts to set up free public schools. There was opposition to this law, as residents would be taxed for these schools. For the next 30 years, this Woodhill School was where the local children were taught in that section of Upper Makefield Township. After its disuse as a school house, the small stone building was used to store cattle salt by the merchants of the Eagle, and henceforth was known as the "Salt Box". In 1873 William Heston bought the Salt Box for $200, as a new school had been built a few hundred yards away. 

The Salt Box today

In 1872 another site a short distance south on Eagle Rd was selected for a new school, which would be known as the Fairfield School. The Fairfield School ran to grade 8, and graduations were held in Dolington for the whole district. There was a pot belly stove and the building lacked modern lavatory facilities. The Fairfield School was in use until 1952, when local landowner Sol Feinstone donated the land for a new school to be built to serve the ever growing population in the township. Today, the Fairfield School is a residence. Presumably with modern toilets.

Fairfield School

Sol Feinstone lived at Buckstone Farm, on Taylorsville Rd, later the David Library of the American Revolution and current home to DCNR. His contributions to American Revolutionary history are well-documented. He contributed globally and locally, and was a member of the Township School Authority. He presented the township with a deed for a parcel of land, 8 and 3/4 acres opposite the Fairfield School, on the east side of Eagle Rd. The land was known as the Isaac Yates Farm and was directly next to the Thompson Memorial Church, or Woodhill Chapel, then home to Alfred Neal. It is on the crest of the hill on which the village of Woodhill stands.

Woodhill Chapel 1905

The newspaper describes the location beautifully. Just look at how far you can see in distance in the image of Woodhill Chapel and the Eagle, both images taken by the Arnold Brothers.

The new school site appears ideal in many respects. It has a commanding position; north is the Jericho Mountain and the historic Jericho Valley, where the American Revolution was saved by the outpouring of food by its patriot people to restore Washington's beaten army to effectiveness to win the Battle of Trenton. Far into New Jersey can be seen on the East, with the Belvedere and Bound Brook Railroad and Bald Pate and the Sorrel Mountains. South and West are the rolling hills of Bucks County. Sep 4, 1952 Newtown Enterprise

Sleepy Village of Woodhill 1937

The new school would dwarf the previous two in size, because of the influx of students from the closed one-room schools into the township. This was a six room school building, compared to the two and one room schools preceding it. Groundbreaking began in July of 1953, with Robert Biddle III, president of the Upper Makefield School District turning the first shovel of dirt. 

Woodhill Elementary School 1950s

In 1963, a name change occurred. What was known as Woodhill Elementary School would now be known as Sol Feinstone Elementary School.

Resolved that in recognition of the services given the community by Sol Feinstone in serving on the initial Upper Makefield School District Authority, supervising the work of construction and donating the land on which our present school is situated, we, directors of the Upper Makefield School District designate the name of the school to be the Sol Feinstone Elementary School. Feb 14, 1963 Newtown Enterprise

Sol Feinstone Elementary School Today

In 1964, the Feinstones built a library addition to the school, about which Sol said in an interview:

It has a fireplace so the kids can sit near on a heated floor. It has a high ceiling. It gives them a lifted-up spirit, more so than in a place with a low ceiling. 

The Sol Feinstone Elementary School continues to serve the population of Upper Makefield today. The author is a graduate, and his children currently attend. Today, the school is at the end of a huge renovation that brought the building up to modern standards, and kept Sol's fireplace as the centerpiece of the library. Prior to the renovation, it had the oldest and most dangerous boiler room in the district, and was lacking central air in the majority of the building. The previous renovation was done when the author was in attendance, and required the 6th grade to be moved to Newtown Junior High School. There was one renovation before that, I believe in the 70s.

Woodhill has been the gathering place for students in Upper Makefield for almost 190 years, all three locations extant. With the current renovation project taking shape, it will be remain that way for generations to come.