The South Hall was constructed by Duxbury residents in 1871 so their children could attend school in Duxbury.  This was a grass-roots effort that was not supported by town government at the time.  It took a few years before the Town was willing to accept the building as a school.

The North Hall (on the left) was constructed in 1908 as the Tarkiln Grammar School to meet the area’s expanding educational needs.  Both school houses stood separately on the lot, with the student body divided by age group.  In those days, each building had two front doors so that the boys and girls could enter separately.  A wash basin sat just inside next to each door for the pupils.

In 1926, the town built the Connector that now joins the two buildings.  This project afforded the students the luxury of indoor plumbing.  The town maintained school here until the spring of 1949.  At that time the first building of the present-day Duxbury School campus was completed, and buses were available to transport students to the single main Duxbury school.  The school department declared that the Tarkiln Schoolhouses were no longer needed, and the buildings were turned over to the town for use as a community center.

Community Self-Actualization

In the 1950’s, local residents again took up their tools and added a full kitchen at the back of the North Hall to support community functions.  The Tarkiln Neighborhood Association was formed to act as trustees for the property.  The Town voted to establish a board of Trustees of Tarkiln, to formally take responsibility for the facility.  Trustees were neighborhood residents, appointed by the Board of Selectmen, many of whom had attended the school or whose parents had graduated from Tarkiln. 

The TNA and the Trustees held many functions throughout the year.  The Sunday Flea Market was a very popular activity up until the 1970s.  Many residents celebrated special occasions here, such as wedding receptions and reunions.  Every week the Trustees attended Board of Selectmen meetings and engaged town government in Tarkiln’s affairs.

During the 1970s the Tarkiln Neighborhood Association membership dwindled.  Exhibiting community spirit once again, area residents entered floats in the Duxbury fourth of July parade for two years, winning first place each time, to raise money for the upkeep of Tarkiln.  The activities at the building changed and broadened, including religious groups, a coffeehouse, youth groups, farmer’s markets, and many other community organizations.

The End of an Era

Tarkiln continued to serve as a very active community center through the 1980’s and 990s and into the 21st century. Because the Tarkiln Neighborhood Association was no longer active, and the retiring Tarkiln trustees were not replaced, town government gradually lost visibility of the value Tarkiln provided to Duxbury.  In 2006, the Duxbury Board of Selectmen formally dissolved the Tarkiln Trustees and took up their duties, thanking the last remaining Trustee, Jack Williams, for his four decades of service to the Town.

When a nearby lightning strike caused the building’s oil burner to fail in October 2006, the town decided to close the building, despite the fact that the Tarkiln activity schedule was full seven days a week all year.

On to Thinking About Tarkiln...