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THE HISTORY OF FULLER SCHOOL |
| The first Fuller School, originally known as the Spruce Street School, was built in 1867 with money donated by John H. Fuller, to accommodate children in the neighborhood. John Houghton Fuller (1791-1869) was a Keene wool merchant, railroad official, and industrialist. He was the first president of the Ashuelot Railroad, as well as the Keene Five Cents Savings Bank and the Winchester National Bank. “Honest John” Fuller, as he was known, was one of the builders of the city of Keene. Also it was he who donated the land at the corner of Spruce and Elm Streets with frontage on Carroll Street on which the original Spruce Street School was built. The school building on Spruce Street was 75 feet by 30 feet. It had two rooms, with four grades to a room. It had a belfry and a large brass bell to call the children to classes. A new Fuller School was built as its present site on Elm Street in 1936, and classes and the bell were moved there. The new school was a modern, two-story brick structure with wide front steps and a belfry. In 1963, a new auditorium was named after Lottie D. Barker, in recognition of her distinguished service and devotion to the children. Mrs. Barker was a teacher and principal at Fuller School for over thirty years from 1933 through 1963. Extensive renovations were made in 1971 to update the building. Also at that time, a two-story, nine-room building was added to the south end of the existing school. In 1989, a new multi-purpose room was added to the north end of the school, the library was relocated, and another two-story addition was added to the south end of the school to accommodate the growing number of students. In the summer of 2003 the office was relocated to the center of the building to provide for a safer, more secure school. Today, Fuller School serves approximately 300 students, kindergarten through fifth grade. The physical plant has seen extensive changes over the years, but at least two aspects of the original Fuller School have not changed. Fuller School maintains the feel of a “neighborhood” school and getting a solid education is still the focus at Fuller. |
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PRINCIPALS OF FULLER SCHOOL |
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Lottie Barker 1933-1963 |
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