The records of the Staples Trustees state that after the Academy closed in 1901, the school was “run by the town of Easton” as “the funds in the hands of the trustees were not sufficient for that purpose.” Using the Academy building for the town at this time was fortuitous as it allowed the consolidation of some of the smaller outlying schoolhouses whose enrollment numbers had dwindled. The Academy would house students up to grade 8, and these classes were divided into two rooms: one for grades one through four and the other for grades five through eight.

Initially, the trustees could only afford a few repairs to the building. In 1906, town officials invited a state official to inspect the Academy as they considered converting it into a high school. They were advised against it in deference to the building’s historic importance. By 1918, the Staples Trust regained sound financial footing, and extensive repairs and interior remodeling began. The Trustees explain their investment in the property:

“It being felt by the Trustees that these repairs were urgently needed and that by making certain changes in the interior of the building it could be made of more use to the Town of Easton in an educational way and therefore be made to carry out more nearly the purpose both of the original deed of gift establishing the school and the trust.”

As such, the lower part of the Academy building was remodeled as a new schoolroom to the west, and a smaller meeting room for town purposes was designed on the east side. An entirely new chimney was built on the exterior, east end, and the school’s foundations were examined and repaired. A new floor was laid on the first story, and additional restructuring occurred on the second.

The continued investment in the building’s infrastructure enabled Easton students to attend the first centralized primary school in our town, and it also ensured the survival of the Academy building for future generations.