1915 Photo at Brenneman’s One-Room Schoolhouse in York Township
Nancy Robinson provided copies of four old sepia tone photos. This post deals with the first photo, which was identified as “school #11 York. Twp.” The other photos will show up in YorksPast posts in the coming weeks.
The York County Heritage Trust has books that allow identification of York County Schools, by number, within the various townships. However these books only cover the time period from 1923 until school consolidation in the early 1950s. The various School #11’s in York Township were: Blymire’s from Fall 1923 until Spring 1939, Kohler’s from Fall 1939 until Spring 1946, and Neff’s from Fall 1946 until school consolidation.
Neither Blymire’s, Kohler’s or Neff’s were of brick construction, therefore this photo is older than 1923; when another school in York Township was known as school #11. Read on to see how I determined this is a 1915 photo of Brenneman’s One-Room Schoolhouse in York Township.
Related Brenneman’s One-Room Schoolhouse posts include:
- Almost Every Student in 1931 Brenneman’s One-Room School photo Identified by a Former Student
- Schoolhouse Symbols on Maps, Part 2; and a 1921 Brenneman’s School Photo
- Enhancing Family Histories Part 1; Brenneman’s School Memories
- Abe Brenneman becomes an Inn Keeper in York Township
- Moving Buildings to Accommodate I-83
- One Room Schools Talk by The Stewartstown Historical Society; and Brenneman’s Schoolhouse of North Hopewell Township
- York County One-Room Schools (A-B)
- York Veterinary Hospital on the Queen Street hill
- Cliff Satterthwaite captured early South Queen Street Auto Dealerships
In putting together a map of York Township One-Room Schoolhouses for the Spry Grammar School Reunion last Fall, I inquired at the York Township offices if they had any information on one-room schoolhouses or a township history; I was informed, they had neither. Last Friday in the Library of the York County Heritage Trust, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the book, “York Township Celebrates 250 Years of History 1753-2003.”
On page 133 of “York Township Celebrates 250 Years of History 1753-2003,” I found this small photo, labeled “Brenneman’s 1915.” Look closely at the page 133 photo; these are the exact same students, in the exact same positions, as the School #11 photo supplied by Nancy Robinson. Unfortunately the writing on the two slates, held by third student from each end, in neither of these photos is readable.
Does anyone have the originals of these photos? I’d like to put the images of the slates under a magnifying glass. Also if anybody can identify any students in the photo; please post a reply.
This is the second Yorkspast photo of Brenneman’s One-Room Schoolhouse in York Township. In a post last August, Schoolhouse Symbols on Maps, Part 2; and a 1921 Brenneman’s School Photo, Ted Schaefer, Jr. supplied a 1921 photo of students beside this school. Ted’s dad Theodore H. Schaefer Sr. and his dad’s sister Violet (Schaefer) Grove are both on that photo. In one of the nice benefits of writing this blog, I discovered through Ted’s reply to a recent post that I knew his Dad.
Ted remembered when they tore Brenneman’s down to build Logan Motors. They were a Studebaker and British Car Dealer (MG, Austin Healey, Jaguar, etc.). He also remembered that the building across Queen Street from the school was Krout’s Convalescent Home. We now have a Wells Fargo bank where Logan Motors, and Brenneman’s, once were located. A CVS is located on the site of the former Krout’s Convalescent Home.
Ted’s sister Shirley M. Dunkelberger attended Brenneman’s from September 1942 until May 1950. She was in the last class to complete all eight grades in that schoolhouse. Shirley did a fantastic job recording her memories of Brenneman’s; in diagram form. Thanks Shirley!
I’m still collecting names of students identified in the 1921 Brenneman’s photo. If anyone can identify students from either the 1921 or 1915 photos, please comment below.
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