River Hill One-Room Schoolhouse near Mount Wolf
This photo of the River Hill One-Room Schoolhouse in East Manchester Township was taken in 1941 by Scott W. Knaub; a Superintendent of York County Schools. This schoolhouse is located near Mt. Wolf at the intersection of Wago Road and Board Road. The school lane down to Wago Road can be seen passing on the right side of the schoolhouse and Board Road passes on the left side of the schoolhouse; half-way up the hillside. This schoolhouse in East Manchester Township is not to be confused with another River Hill One-Room Schoolhouse that existed in Lower Chanceford Township for a short time during the late 1800s.
Elaine Bittner wrote, “Looking for graduates of a one room school named River Hill. Children not living in the town limits of Mount Wolf were required to go there. I believe building still exists but is converted to a house.” Elaine’s query about River Hill complemented some earlier research I had done on River Hill One-Room Schoolhouse.
Directories of the Teachers and School Directors of York County and York City, for many years during first half of the 20th Century, are in the collections of the York County Heritage Trust. The directory for the 1912-1913 school term featured a cover photo of Jacob H. Smith, residing in Manchester, Pa.; with the notation, “Now Teaching his 55th Term, more than any other Teacher in Pennsylvania.” I previously explored another cover of this yearly directory in the post: Pennsylvania Governor Wolf on the cover of the Directory of the Teachers and School Directors of York County.
The Jacob H. Smith cover of 1912-1913 piqued my curiosity because that is the same name of my Great-Grandfather; even down to the same middle initial. Unfortunately my ancestor died in 1898 in East Prospect, however that did not stop me from doing a little research on the Jacob H. Smith that lived in Manchester.
These school directories do not list the names of the individual schoolhouses until about 1916, therefore the 1912-1913 directory did not provided an answer to my question, “At what schoolhouse did Jacob H. Smith teach during 1912-1913?” It was newspapers to the rescue. The following item in the July 10, 1912, issue of The York Daily, provided the answer: Jacob Smith taught at River Hill School.
With the 1912-1913 school term as Mr. Smith’s 53th consecutive year as a teacher in York County schools, his first two years teaching were likely in another county. That means that Jacob H. Smith first taught in York County schools during the 1860-1861 school term.
Continue reading as I list a few of the students attending River Hill and explore the history of the school further.
The December 30, 1941, issue of The Gazette and Daily reported, “Pupils of River Hill School, near Manchester, Miss Dorothy E. Gross, teacher,” presented a Christmas Program. Students from that year would be in there 80s today. The names of the following 24 students were included in the 1941 Christmas Program:
- Stewart Bowers
- Arlene Bowman
- Beatrice Bowman
- Kenneth Bowman
- Frederick Dawson
- Jack Dawson
- Frank Detwiler
- Earnest Frey
- Pearl Gladfelter
- Alvin Hendrick
- Evaline Hendrick
- Billy King
- Louella King
- Betty Lehigh
- Patricia Miller
- Dolores Murphy
- Harold Murphy
- Wilmer Pressell
- Dolores Sipe
- Marlin Sipe
- Alvin Snyder
- Dolores Spahr
- Lorraine Spahr
- Louella Spahr
The River Hill Schoolhouse goes back to at least 1860. It appears at the same location, on an 1860 map, where it still sits today as a private residence. I’ve pointed to the location of River Hill Schoolhouse on the following section of Shearer’s 1860 Map of York County, Pa.; where current road names have been added. Initially the children in the area of Mt. Wolf Station likely attended River Hill Schoolhouse; at least until a schoolhouse was built on Holland Street in the Village of Mt. Wolf by 1876. The name Holland Street was later changed to Walnut Street in Mt. Wolf.
In 1860, the Northern Central Railway had been operational for about ten years in this part of York County. Railroad stations are typically located at points on a railroad where a summit is reached. The high point of the Northern Central in northern York County occurred in the area where Mount Wolf sits today, supposedly resulting in the “Mount” in Mt. Wolf.
On the 1860 map, business locations of Adam Wolf & Sons appear at three places along the railroad near Mt. Wolf Station. Adam Wolf & Sons businesses encompass lumber, hardware, building materials and warehousing. One of Adam’s sons is George H. Wolf; his residence is noted on the 1860 map as “G. H. Wolf.”
George H. Wolf was an early stationmaster at this stop on the Northern Central Railway; initially known as Campbell Station. In 1852, George H. Wolf became the first postmaster for the township residents in the vicinity of the railroad station; he is likely the person that named the post office Mount Wolf. Soon, the Northern Central Railway changed the station name to Mt. Wolf Station. The railroad station is actually near the G. H. Wolf residence; the 1860 mapmaker apparently notes this whole area is known as Mt. Wolf Station by his placement of that name on the map.
The settlement of Mt. Wolf quickly grew around the railroad station; about 1867 it became a village and on August 23, 1910, it was incorporated as Mount Wolf Borough. Today’s Governor Tom Wolf grew up and still resides in Mt. Wolf; he is the Great-Great-Grandson of Mt. Wolf Stationmaster & Postmaster George H. Wolf.
The, at least 155-year-old, brick River Hill One-Room Schoolhouse still stands as a private residence at 5835 Board Road. The following 2015 photo shows the north side of the former schoolhouse, facing Board Road.
The Board Road, at this location, carries the Mason-Dixon Trail as it makes its way to the Susquehanna River. The Mason-Dixon Trail having stated at the Whisky Spring stop on the Appalachian Trail in Cumberland County; whereupon working its way eastward, across northern York County. The pictured extra wide brim of the roadway is for the Mason-Dixon Trail; it continues along the Board Road down to Wago Road and then makes a right turn onto Gut Road. From there on, this popular hiking trail remains relatively near the York County shore of the Susquehanna River and continues so into Harford County, Maryland.
Related posts include:
- York County One-Room Schools (Q-R)
- Pennsylvania Governor Wolf on the cover of the Directory of the Teachers and School Directors of York County
- Governor Wolf’s profound impact on York County
- The making of Shearer’s 1860 Map of York County
- Are these Three Schools in or near Potato Town, North Codorus Township?
