Gilbert & Bennett School

The Gilbert and Bennett Manufacturing Company was Georgetown's biggest employer.  G&B supported its employees and in 1915 allocated funds to build a school.  Eventually technology passed G&B by, its support dried up, and the towns responsible for the school all stepped away. 

n 2011, the town of Wilton entered into a five-year lease agreement with the Georgetown Community Association for the aging school building.  The lease wasn't clear about responsibility for maintaining the building or notifying the town if/when the building needed repairs.

A major rainstorm occurred in August 2024.  The G&B school's roof leaked in numerous places.  The town declared the building uninhabitable and ordered the community association to vacate the premises immediately.  An evaluation put the cost of repairs at $3 million, which is a lot for a small town with other important claims on its funds.

So, today the G&B school is empty.  One resident group wants to see it repaired.  Another wants it torn down.  While the debates play out, the aging building just gets older and more deteriorated.