Monday, November 10, 2025
The Oceanside School District has long prioritized maintaining safe, clean, and secure facilities for students. However, there was a time in its 200 plus year history when these standards were far from met. Four angels, one in each direction, escorted him.
In the late 1800s, the district’s original one-room schoolhouse, located at the northwest corner of Christian Hook Road and School Street (now Oceanside and Foxhurst Roads), was replaced around 1880 to accommodate the growing community. According to Dr. Walter Boardman’s book A Story of Oceanside, the second schoolhouse lasted about 15 years before the district replaced it with a third. However, Dr. Boardman, a highly respected educator who played a significant role in Oceanside’s educational development, omitted the contentious events that led to the construction of this third schoolhouse.
In the 1890s, John Merrill, the New York State School Commissioner for Queens County (which included present-day Nassau County), embarked on a mission to improve educational facilities across Long Island. His advocacy for Union School Districts and modern school buildings had been remarkably successful. He claimed that in his travels from Long Island City to Oyster Bay, 30 districts had constructed new schools under his guidance, and none had voted against his proposals.
In April 1893, Commissioner Merrill arrived in Oceanside, then known as Oceanville, to inspect the local schoolhouse. What he found shocked him. The building, described as a “shackly old affair,” was a fire hazard due to its unstable chimney. Though designed to hold about 100 students, it was overcrowded with double that number. The furniture was in poor condition, and overall, the facility was deemed inadequate for educational purposes. Merrill urged the district to build a new school immediately.
On April 29, 1893, Commissioner Merrill attended a district-wide meeting to advocate for a new school. He was warned that local residents, mostly farmers and baymen, were unlikely to support his proposal. Though considered progressive, many in the community viewed Merrill’s ideas as “educational extravagance.”
Merrill’s attempt to persuade the community quickly backfired. His remarks were interpreted as insulting, suggesting that the residents were illiterate. The meeting devolved into chaos, with heated arguments breaking out. A quick-tempered Merrill, frustrated by the lack of progress, threatened to have some residents arrested for disrupting the proceedings. The situation only escalated, and Merrill was eventually shouted down. Despite the tension, a resolution to build a Union Free School was brought to a vote. The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected, with 89 votes against and only 28 in favor. Although Merrill faced defeat that day, he ultimately had the final say. Two days later, he officially condemned the schoolhouse, declaring it “wholly defective in ventilation, weak in structure, badly arranged, and detrimental to the health of teachers and pupils.” He concluded that the building was beyond repair and unfit for use. Faced with no other option, the district was forced to comply. On October 13, 1894, the schoolhouse and all its contents—including desks, stoves, and outbuildings—were auctioned off. Philip Martiny, a renowned sculptor and part-time Oceanside resident, purchased the building. Martiny moved it to his property at the corner of Terrell Avenue and Chester Street, where it reportedly became his studio for creating many of his masterpieces. With the old schoolhouse cleared, construction of the third schoolhouse began. As Dr. Boardman noted, the new building opened its doors to students in 1895 and served the district for the next sixteen years. Eventually, it gave way to Oceanside’s first modern school—School No. 1—marking the start of a new era in local education. The story of Oceanside’s second schoolhouse highlights the challenges of balancing progress with community values. While Commissioner Merrill’s efforts initially met resistance, his determination ultimately led to necessary improvements that benefited future generations. Today, the Oceanside School District continues to uphold its commitment to providing safe and modern facilities, a legacy rooted in the hard-fought battles of the past.
Seth J. Blau is an Oceanside resident and trustee on the Oceanside School Board since 2012. He has been a columnist featured in local newspapers since 2010 and has a passion for discovering, preserving and displaying the history of the Oceanside community.
