Hornbine School Museum

Our 2027 Season: The Hornbine Neighborhood: Dawn Azar is already busy preparing for our 2027 season, which will feature the theme “The Hornbine Neighborhood.” Throughout the season, we will explore and showcase topics related to: Local farms, The Hornbine Baptist Church and its famous clambakes, The Hornbine School, Cole Brook Cemetery, Reese’s Store and Families who attended the Hornbine School. If you have photographs, documents, artifacts, or other items connected to the Hornbine Neighborhood, we would love to hear from you. Your contributions can help us tell the story of this special community. We are happy to make copies of photographs and return the originals to you if desired. Any loaned objects will be carefully preserved and returned at the conclusion of the 2027 season. To discuss a contribution or make arrangements, please contact Dawn Azar at hornbineschool@gmail.com.  Help us preserve and share the rich history of the Hornbine Neighborhood!

To begin our exploration of the Hornbine Neighborhood, we recently interviewed Bob Littlefield, who grew up on a dairy farm on Purchase Street. During the interview, Bob shares memories of growing up in the area and describes what life was like in the 1960s near the Hornbine Neighborhood. You can watch this informative 45-minute interview by visiting YouTube and searching for "Swansea Dairy Farm”. A few years ago, we also interviewed several individuals with strong ties to the Hornbine Neighborhood and shared those interviews on our Facebook page. As we prepare for our 2027 celebration of “The Hornbine Neighborhood,” we will be reposting these interviews, giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy the stories, memories, and rich history of this unique community through the voices of those who experienced it firsthand.

THANK YOU: As we approach Thanksgiving, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers, enthusiastic Open House and Special Event visitors, and the classrooms that visited the school this past year. We would also like to express our special gratitude to Dawn Azar for the many projects she accomplished this year, including repairing the well-worn "OPEN SUNDAY" sign after years of service. We also thank Annemarie Pavo, who has faithfully placed the sign out every other week for more than ten years. Their dedication and countless hours of volunteer service help make the Hornbine School Museum a welcoming destination for our visitors.

APPLE DAYS: Our second annual Apple Days celebration was a tremendous success this year. Children enjoyed participating in a variety of old-fashioned indoor and outdoor games. They were also invited to choose a free book to take home and received a complimentary Hornbine pencil. Visitors were treated to fresh apple cider and donuts throughout the day. We would like to thank all of our volunteers whose time and dedication helped make this event such a success.

In October, Cub Scout Pack 45 of Dighton visited the school. The Scouts enjoyed experiencing classroom activities from a bygone era, including writing with slate pencils and ink quill pens.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED: If you would like to help host one or more of our Open Houses, we would love to hear from you. We are currently seeking volunteers and teachers for our upcoming 2027 season. This is a wonderful opportunity to help preserve local history and share the story of the Hornbine School with visitors of all ages.

Contact us at HORNBINESCHOOL@GMAIL.COM  – Search for our WEBSITE by Googling HORNBINESCHOOL. You will also find us on FACEBOOK. The Hornbine School is located at 146 Hornbine Road, Rehoboth, MA