The Easton Academy School was closed in 1931 when the town opened its newly built central elementary school on Morehouse Road. The trustees of the Staples Free School then leased the Staples Academy building to the Easton Congregational Church, whose growing membership needed a church hall.  Long-time residents and parishioners Eugene Norton and Theresa Sherwood donated funds so the Congregational Church could purchase the old Academy building from the trustees in 1937.

This sale followed a restructuring of the Staples Free School in 1932, in which the trustees sold off the remaining original parcels of Staples lands to fund college scholarships for Easton students in need. The Staples Free School became a college scholarship fund – the Staples Free School Trust – for deserving Easton students. Since 1938, annual college scholarships have been granted to Easton’s young people. Half of each scholarship is a grant which does not have to be repaid. The other half is an interest-free loan, payable seven years after granting. Repayment of the loan portion, along with occasional gifts and bequests, helps perpetuate the fund for use by future students.

In this way, the Staples Trustees continue the legacy and intent of Samuel Staples’ endowment. If you would like to learn more about the Staples Free School Fund that continues today, please visit:

https://staplesfreeschool.wixsite.com/sfsf

What became of the old Staples Academy? The interior of the building was remodeled to accommodate Sunday school classrooms, and a kitchen was installed for church suppers. Renamed the Academy Community House, the Congregational Community Club served home cooked suppers charging fifty cents for adults and 25 cents for children. These meals were so popular that several seatings were scheduled a day. In 1943, a two-story extension to the west of the building was constructed in a complementary Colonial style.