The Rock School, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1799, is furnished with reproduction desks, and visiting children show great interest in its history, especially the various punishments given the children for being tattle tales or lazy. If a child was really bad, he or she was pinned uncomfortably to the teacher's dress. Subjects included reading, writing, arithmetic and religion, according to Eric Swenson, who conducts group tours of the buildings during the school year. A colonial garden next to the school house is planted every year with carrots, peppers, tomatoes, squash, corn, but is not historically correct today as a fence surrounds it to discourage foraging deer. The Tool Museum houses a significant collection of tools for carpenters, shoemakers, farmers and wheelwrights.
Children also prepare kindling wood and make shingles here.
Another fascinating section of the museum is The Cody-Monroe Drug Store with George Cody as present curator. Many of the original patent medicine bottles and packages that were stored in a barn in Stamford have been returned to the drug store along with Dr. Humphrey's Remedies. The Codys were Democrats and the drug Store was Cleveland for President headquarters, and also an ice cream parlor. We have a gem here and are supported in our efforts by members of the New Canaan Historical Society from all over the United States.