Spencer Brook Pioneer School
Step back in time and give your child a week they’ll never forget! With hands-on learning, outdoor fun, old-fashioned crafts, cabin day treats, and a special Friday family picnic, this unique experience fills quickly each year. Space is limited to just 25 students per session, so don’t wait—register today to reserve your child’s spot in this unforgettable journey into the past!
Online registration starts April 20th, 2026 – Cost is $100 per child.
Dear Friends of Spencer Brook,
It’s that time for us to travel back in time and experience Spencer Brook Pioneer School Summer 2026! Your teacher will be Ms. Erika Knight. Our session runs Monday through Friday, June 15-19, from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Students in grades 1-8 and over age six are eligible for enrollment.
Our school day starts with the flag pledge, reading outdoors, arithmetic, spelling, history, science, and practicing plays and poems. Students and parents are encouraged to bring home items for show and tell. Suggested items include old pictures, wood tools, and any items that engage our students in learning about history. All craft and project materials will be supplied for the various indoor and outdoor activities. Students should bring two sharpened pencils.
We ask that students dress in old-fashioned clothing. In 1904, girls would have worn long skirts or dresses and a bonnet or straw hat to keep the sun off their faces. Boys would have worn overalls, jeans, t-shirts, suspenders, and hats. Check your local thrift stores for fun and inexpensive ways to dress your student(s). Modern tennis shoes are ok as the students will be running around outside. In keeping with the theme and time of 1904, please be sure students do not wear shirts or other clothing with modern logos or writing.
Students should bring their lunch in an old lunch pail or a basket. Food items can be wrapped in wax paper and tied with a string. Glass jars of water or lemonade are encouraged and can be wrapped in foil to keep chilled. Please no pre-packaged food items. Restrooms are available at the neighboring town hall.
Families and friends are invited to a program by the students at the end of the session on Friday at 10:30. In previous sessions, students have had a spelling bee, sang songs, and shared artwork or poems. On Friday, Families are encouraged to bring a blanket, a picnic lunch, and a favorite outdoor game. The schoolhouse will be available and open for tours and photos on the last day.
We are thrilled that you chose to be part of a wonderful tradition at Spencer Brook School. Your support is greatly appreciated!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Erika Knight by phone at 612-232-1255 or email at erikajeanknight@gmail.com.
History of The Spencer Brook Schoolhouse – Isanti County District #1
The school had its beginnings shortly after the town’s founding in 1857. As many families from the East Coast began to trickle into the community, early school classes were held in neighboring farms throughout the settlement of Spencer Brook starting around 1858. The Spencer Brook School was not only the first schoolhouse in Isanti County but also was the first to conduct classes solely in English, reflecting the settlements’ East Coast influence.
Area residents E.G. Clough, Gilbert Clough, and John Satterstrom initiated the construction of the school in 1874, and it was finally completed in 1877 for $266.18. The first teacher was a resident, Miss. Haskell, who taught a full classroom of 1st – 8th grades. The building was heated with a large wood stove; water was obtained by an outdoor hand pump, and there was a privy out back. Classes were held in the fall, winter, and spring with a special two-week break in late summer for the annual “potato vacation,” where residents and children would take to the fields to harvest potatoes.
Throughout its 68-year history, Spencer Brook has had about 100 teachers and over 500 students through its doors. The largest class recorded was in 1917 when 50 students quite literally crammed into the small one-room school. Aside from the early English-speaking classes, during the influx of Swedish immigration to the area in the 1870s through the 1890s, many of the students’ primary language was Swedish. Not only were those students learning the English language, but the parents would attend classes in the evening to learn the language as well.
The Spencer Brook School closed its doors in the spring of 1945 as many of the area’s schools began the consolidation process. In 1969, the Spencer Brook School Historical Association was formed to restore the school, and the property was turned over to Isanti County. On July 24th 1980, the school was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009, a major restoration effort was initiated by local citizens. Today, the school stands as a quiet reminder of the past with a long, rich history of serving the area’s community.
