Newfoundland School seventh- and eighth-graders with their teacher Luella Crowley Kemble in 1949 in the third classroom. In the front row, from left, are Carl Cahill, Patricia Beam and Dawn Jennings. Second row, from left, John Fredericks, Jean Cahill, LeRoy Tice and Mildred Hannah. Third row, from left, Jane Meyer, Carl Stickle, Phyllis Chadwick and Walter Crane. Back row, from left, Bill Reynolds, Shirley Jennings, Wayne Post, Peggy Weaver and M. VanderStad. (Photo provided by the late John Fredericks)
Newfoundland school upper-grade students in the mid-1940s or early 1950s. In front row, from left, are Carl Cahill, LeRoy Tice, Mildred Hannah and Margery Sisco. Second row, from left, Nancy Doland, Wayne Post, Walter Crane and Marilyn Post, Third row, from left, Ida VanderStad, Jean Richards, Margaret Norman, Betty Card and Elinor Tice. Fourth row, from left, Joan Boulden, Shirley Jennings, Carl Stickle, Jean Cahill, Jane Meyer and Dawn Jennings. Standing, from left, Irvin Weller, John Crane, Clarence Crane, Neil VanderStad and teacher Luella Crowley Kemble. (Photo provided by the late Irving Weller.)
The Grasshopper Irish Pub, located between the north- and southbound lanes of Route 23 off the Clinton Road intersection, originally was a rural country schoolhouse.
Children in the early Newfoundland community received their kindergarten through eighth-grade education there.
Those who continued their schooling after graduation rode a bus to Butler High School.
Built in 1889, the Newfoundland school had just two classrooms until the student population increased and a third classroom was added to the building.
After Hillcrest consolidated school on Macopin Road was constructed in the mid-1940s, all township elementary-grade students were transferred there.
The Newfoundland school and other rural schools in the township were closed. All the buildings, except the Newfoundland school, were sold by the Board of Education.
The board had the former schoolhouse remodeled in 1955, and it was designated as the first official school district office. The board occupied the building until 1978, when a new school administration building was built on Highlander Drive.
Bill Summers, a longtime area resident, was attached to the historic building and its unforgettable memories. After remodeling it, he opened it as the Village Square Inn in 1980.
He started with a pizza parlor. With hard work and perseverance, he then turned the business into a family restaurant.
He created two restaurants under the same roof: One room was for informal family dining and the other was an upscale restaurant.
When people entered the building, they saw a space with rich wooden high-back deacon benches in a section designated for family groups who wanted to simply enjoy fine pizzas or any selections from the menu. There was also a children’s menu seemingly appropriate for an old schoolhouse.
On entering the main dining room, patrons saw a very different, more spacious scene with a fireplace that burned brightly throughout the winter.
New owners in ’90s
The good dining tradition was passed on about 1993, when Al Minikus and Lowell Miller took over the inn. Jim Walsh, who had been the head chef for about 11 years, remained at the helm in the kitchen.
The menu featured a variety of American cuisine, including steaks, seafood and Italian favorites. The 169-seat capacity made the restaurant ideal for small catered affairs, such as bridal and baby showers and birthday parties.
Fast forward to 2014. Tom Fitzpatrick and his father, Edward, after remodeling the restaurant in Irish décor, such as wood, stone and thatch, reopened it under the name Grasshopper Irish Pub & Restaurant.
This was fourth in a line of restaurants opened by the Fitzpatrick family. The menu has appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, salads, soup, entrees, fajitas, Irish fare and a specially designed menu “For the Little Ones.”
Those interested in nightlife and sports will find karaoke, live bands, DJs, drink specials and 28 high-definition TVs to show sporting events without a cover charge.
Other schoolhouses
The Upper Greenwood Lake rural schoolhouse is still standing.
After serving as a deli owned by the Roos family, it is now the Old School Pub & Grill at 551 Warwick Turnpike, Hewitt.
It is a casual bar with karaoke, pool and live music plus comfort food, such as loaded tater tots.
The West Milford village school is still standing and is part of the West Milford Presbyterian Church complex.
The only other closed school building still standing and in use is the former Apshawa School on Macopin Road. It became the first home of the Apshawa Volunteer Fire Company when it was organized.
It was sold to a private business after the new Apshawa firehouse was built on Macopin Road just south of the Weaver Road intersection.
Oak Ridge School was torn down.
Macopin School was destroyed by fire long before the other schools closed.
Moe Mountain, Clinton and Postville schools were closed long before the Hillcrest building was built.
The Hewitt school became a home for a large family. No one was home when it was destroyed by fire decades ago.