The Herricks School District will be turning 200 years old in 2013. That’s a lot of candles to fit on one cake.
During the board of education’s most recent meeting on November 15 at the community center, former Herricks Director of Music and Performing Arts John McNeur gave a presentation about the history of the Herricks school district in light of the district’s bicentennial.
When the district was first started in 1813, it was one of the first districts on Long Island, McNeur said. A total of 11 districts were started around that same time, one of which being the Searingtown district, which was later merged into Herricks, then district No. 10.
He also dispelled the myth that there was a town of Herricks near Hillside Avenue. Instead, McNeur said that Herricks was a farmer’s name and there was a pond and farm under that name. Other early farmer names included Willets, Schneck and Willis, the latter of which formed one of the berders of the district.
While McNeur was doing research on the Herricks School District, he found in the basement of the community center an 1843 record of the school board. At that time, it cost about $243 a year to run the district, which $200 of that going toward the teachers.
