The travel route in the Town of McDonough, takes us this week, to a long abandoned district school, located on a now abandoned road, in what is now Bowman Creek State Forest. The photos (s) of this long gone district give you, the reader, that once property is no longer used, and how quickly Mother Nature takes over!

Galetown was at one time a thriving cluster of inhabitants, however with the advent of civilization and progress it proved to be ‘unpopular’ and at one time a quiet country road would have been a nice Sunday afternoon ride – not so, today you may hike through there. When traversing this area today, you may locate stone chimneys, old foundations, small cemeteries all evidence of years past of pioneer settlers settling these wild lands of Chenango County.

It has been written that though the school no longer stands the square-cut stone foundation has been overtaken by trees and brush. A rather unique article of historical interest, that at one time “the outhouse” had been left tilted on its side and was at one time in fair condition. Mrs. Preston documented that in all the schoolhouses that she had investigated had had its ‘outhouse’ survive the changing times. When writing her documentation of the McDonough schools she noted that a stone piling in the center of the foundation gave evidence of a chimney and as she paced off the foundations, she determined the school building to be approximately 21 x 24 feet.