History of Vestal Central School District
Historical documents indicate that Vestal separated from the Town of Union in 1823 resulting in three early schools on the south side of the Susquehanna River. Two one-room school houses, Ingraham Hill and Turkey Lane, once part of the Town of Vestal, became part of the Town of Binghamton after 1873. By 1876, the area that now comprises the Vestal Central School District was dotted by 15 one-room school houses. They included Bunn Hill, East Hill, Fuller Hollow, Glenwood, Landon Hollow, Ross Corners, Rounds Hill, South Vestal, Lower and Upper Tracy Creek, Vestal Center, West Hill and Lower and Upper Willow Point. Main Street was home to many of the district’s schools, the first one built on the east side in 1828. In 1851, a one-room school house on the west side replaced that. Then, it made way for a two-story school house, also on the west side, in 1881.

Centralization
In 1923, the Red Brick Building opened, which became an Intermediate School with two floors, eight classrooms, a kitchen and auditorium. A vote to centralize the 14 individual districts passed in 1936 and the 15th school, Fuller Hollow, was closed with those students moving to Binghamton Schools. The newly centralized school district was known by the State of New York asCentral School District No. 1 of the Town of Vestal.

Final Independence
With centralization came the goal of building a high school so that students would no longer have to travel to Union-Endicott. On January 3, 1939, the Vestal Central High School opened, and the first graduating class of 29 students received their diplomas on June 25, 1940.*

In May of 1973, the district’s name was officially changed to theVestal Central School District.

Many thanks to Vestal Town Historian Margaret Hadsell for providing the information
on this web page. Photographs for the slideshow were shared by Margaret Hadsell,
the Town of Vestal Museum and the Vestal Historical Society.