By Steven Spencer
River County News File Photo
The Hamilton Primary School Festival is returning this weekend Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 29, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 107 E. Main Street in Otterville.
The Hamilton Primary School Festival is returning this weekend Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 29, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 107 E. Main Street in Otterville.
The Otter Creek Historical Society has said the school dates back to 1834 and has been recognized as the first free and integrated school in the country.
When Dr. Silas Hamilton arrived in Otterville in the 1830s he wanted to build a school that his freed slave, George Washington, could attend and receive a quality education.
After Hamilton’s death, Washington continued to honor him, installing a monument next to the school in the doctor’s memory. Washington also went on to form a perpetual scholarship fund for Americans of African descent which is still helping students further their education today.
After over a 100 years of service to its students and community the school was formally closed in 1971.
The Hamilton Primary School has been a fixture of the village for over 150 years and is on the National Register of historic places, and its historical significance is celebrated every year during the annual festival.
The weekend will include tours of the historical school, plenty of crafts and games for the whole family, food, raffles and outdoor church on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.
More information on the event can be found online at https://www.facebook.com/TheHamiltonPrimarySchool.
