York County’s Wills School students of 90 years ago identified
I’m sharing this 1926 photo of Wills School, which is on the East Prospect Road (Rt. 124) just east of Yorkanna for a couple of reasons. First, it is nice to have one of these photos with the people identified, so many leave you guessing. Secondly, the Wills School has been preserved, just as it was when it closed in the early 1950s, and it can still be visited.
The building is owned and maintained by the Conservation Society of York County, and volunteers from the Lower Windsor Area Historical Society have it open from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Second Sunday of the month from May through October. (That would leave September 12 and October 10 this year.) Visiting the school is fun for all ages, from those who remember attending similar one-room schools on down to the youngsters that can hardly believe this is how schools used to be. Click here for more on the school and my visit on a summer afternoon two years ago.
Joe Brillhart shared the photo with me, but he wanted to make sure I acknowledged Lois Beryl Ruby Leber, who shared it with him, and Dennis Attig, who identified the children and did additional research. Accompanying notes identify the teacher as Nora M. Keller Waltimyer. There are also notes identifying the possible parents and spouses of a good many of the children, so I am also posting that. If you have trouble reading the notes, or if you have additional information, just comment below, and I will get back to you. I believe at least one of these students is still with us.
On slate: Wills school. Oct. 1926.
First row: Samuel Paules, Clair Leiphart, Lester Paules, Arthur Frey, Allen Frey
Second row: Robert Busser, James Paules, Anna Fox, Ruth Abel, Emily Dietz, Verna Abel, Janet Kraft and Mahlon Leiphart.
Third row: Aden Ruby, Alvin Ruby, Erma Crumling, Myrtle Kline, Marie Holtzinger, Richard Keller and Nora Waltimyer
Fourth row: Margaret Busser, Ruth Leiphart, Vera Busser, Richard Paules and Gladys Horn.
