This is a good answer for the original districts (one room schoolhouses).
Following the organization of the first central school district in the
country (Chazy, Clinton County in the early 1920's) the rest of the
century is replete with amalgamations. Just this moring I was looking
through a series of reports written in 1961 (County Superintendent of
School - I believe the forerunner of the Sole Superintendent, i.e. head of
BOCES) detailing the history of school districts within each town in
Clinton County. This would seem to have been a step in preparing for
centralization, or as a result of it. Perhaps other counties did the same
thing and you should be contacting the BOCES districts for such info.

Wayne Miller
Plattsburgh State


On Tue, 27 Feb 2001, Joseph A. Cutshall-King wrote:

> The only good listings I've ever seen are in that spate of county histories
> published in the 1870's and 1880's. The WPA histories sometimes do also, picking
> up as they did from those histories I mentioned. It's rather like the
> progression of roads (i.e. "state" and "county" highways) in the 20th century
> and wondering when what roads were made when. I have found the greatest source
> for local road construction for our county is the Board of Supervisors Minutes.
>
> Edward Knoblauch wrote:
>
> > The Encyclopedia of New York State is trying to assemble data tables on
> > various subjects and we are finding a surprisingly difficult time finding
> > reliable information on some basic things.
> >
> > Our current need is to find a reliable source of information on the
> > organization dates of extant school districts. Telephone calls to school
> > district offices reveal that many have no idea when they were organized.
> > Other districts provide dates that contradict published sources.
> >
> > Does anyone out there know of a reliable source for the date of organization
> > of the various school districts in New York State?
> >
> > Edward Knoblauch, Managing Editor
> > The Encyclopedia of New York State
> > [log in to unmask]
>
> --
> ________________________________
> Joseph A. Cutshall-King
> Grant Writing/Fund Raising Services
>   Associate of Charles R. Putney, Development Services for Nonprofits;
> Bennington, VT
>
> PO Box 154
> 693 County Route 49
> Cossayuna, NY 12823
>
> Tel.: 518-692-9505
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>

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Wayne L. Miller                         Special Collections Librarian
Feinberg Library                        2 Draper Avenue
518-564-5206                            Plattsburgh, NY 12901
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        "I wonder what will happen today!"  -Maggie Muggins-
"Not even God can change history...which is why he tolerates historians."
                                        -Voltaire
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