Springettsbury Township closed their last five One-Room Schoolhouses in 1952
I like to hear from my readers! This post comes to you as a result of a YorksPast comment from Melissa, and then a follow-up by Verna. Melissa initially provided The Sauer Kraut Clue in my Arsenal Road quest. The Sauer Kraut Clue noted Springettsbury School was located at the corner of Mt. Zion & Arsenal Road; Verna inquired, which corner?
About 200 Springettsbury Township students received One-Room Schoolhouse education during the 1951-1952 school year. When the Springettsbury Township School opened in the fall of 1952, the last five One-Room Schoolhouses, in the township, closed.
Early in 1950, the School Board of Springettsbury Township did the planning to close the One-Room Schoolhouses and replace them with a single modern schoolhouse. Planning was done at the township level because this occurred two years prior to the Central Joint School System consolidation. The April 20th, 1950 issue of The Gazette & Daily contained this article about plans to build a Springettsbury Township School:
Building Plans Praised by PTA
East Springettsbury township group lauds board’s program calling for new school in eastern section of township and enlarging Pleasureville building.
The recent decision of the Springettsbury school board to build an eight-room school in the eastern end of the township and enlarge the Pleasureville school was hailed at the business meeting of the East Springettsbury township PTA last night at Springetts Fire hall.
“We’re happy about it,” an official commented afterwards on the compromise plan.
The recently formed group tabled a decision on national PTA membership until the annual meeting May 17, when officers will be elected. The session will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Springetts Fire hall. Curtis Hubley, Mrs. Charles Dellinger and Mrs. Mary Collyer were elected last night as the nominating committee.
Speaking on the topic “Why Consolidate?”, L. George Hubley, principal of the new Devers school in York, stressed that the one-room school cannot hope to hold the child’s interests as does the modern home, with such advances as television.
He said the big difference between old and new methods of education was that curriculum used to be the goal, while now it is a tool with the well-being of the child as the desirable result.
E. Everett Pierce, Jr., president, was in charge.
The newly formed East Springettsbury Township PTA met in the original Springetts Fire Hall shown in this photograph and described in a previous post. The current, and soon to be former, Springetts Fire Company building at 3013 East Market Street was build in 1958, with additions in 1967 & 1974.
The East Springettsbury Township PTA was addressing the March 16th, 1950 decision by the Springettsbury Township Board to build a new Springettsbury Township school building in the eastern part of the township. At that meeting it was reported, “At present 139 pupils are in Pleasureville school and 200 others scattered in six one-room school houses throughout the township. The new school will mean closing the one-room structures. Also, the new building will accommodate the bulk of the township’s school children. All pupils living more than a mile and a half from the school will be transported by bus.” These township minutes were reported in the March 17th, 1950, issued of The Gazette & Daily.
Continue reading for listings of final teachers at the One-Room Schoolhouses and initial teachers at Springettsbury Township School.
School Directories at the York County Heritage Trust provided details about the final teachers at the One-Room Schoolhouses. During the 1951-1952 school year these were the teachers in One-Room Schoolhouses within Springettsbury Township (note Glades’ was a two-room schoolhouse, essentially containing two one-room schools):
- Glades’ School, Room 1 housed grades 1-4, with teacher: Edna G. Miller
- Glades’ School, Room 2 housed grades 5-8, with teacher: Mrs. Alberta N. Roth
- Miller’s School housed grades 1-8, with teacher: Lois M. Price
- Mt. Zion School housed grades 1-8, with teacher: Mrs. Ruth M. Test
- Stony Brook School housed grades 1-4, with teacher: Mrs. Anna K. Strayer
- Witmer’s School housed grades 5-8, with teacher: Mrs. Maud F. Ream
The fall of 1952, Springettsbury Township School opened. The opening of this township school also coincided with the establishment of the consolidated Central Joint School System, which stretched across Manchester Township, North York Borough and Springettsbury Township.
The 1952 Dedication Program, from the collections of York County Heritage Trust, includes a listing of the, 1952-1953 school year, teachers at Springettsbury Township School:
- Norman S. Miller, Head Teacher, Grade 6
- Mrs. Maud F. Ream, Grade 6
- Mrs. Alberta N. Roth, Grade 5
- Mrs. Ruth M. Test, Grade 5
- Mrs. Lois T. Bardsley, Grade 4
- Charles T. Johnson, Grade 4
- Mrs. Erma T. Daron, Grade 3
- Lois M. Price, Grade 2
- Mrs. Sara E. Steelman, Grade 1
- Mrs. Anna K. Strayer, Grade 1
This is part 1 of the story about Springettsbury Township School and the five One-Room Schoolhouses it replaced. Other posts in this series include:
- Locations of five One-Room Schoolhouses that closed in 1952; and The Avalong Connection
- Upheaval at the One-Room Schoolhouse
- Schooling in Springettsbury with Erma Daron
- Stony Brook One-Room Schoolhouse (1913-1952)
- Photo of Students that attended Stony Brook One-Room School in 1949
- Witmer’s One-Room Schoolhouse (1889-1952)
- Witmer’s One-Room Schoolhouse named for Preacher David Witmer
- Miller’s One-Room Schoolhouse (~1860-1952)
- Illustrating a walking route to Miller’s One-Room Schoolhouse
- Memories of Miller’s One-Room Schoolhouse and the Surrounding Area
- Glades Two-Room Schoolhouse
- Lefever’s One-Room Schoolhouse impacted York Suburban
