York County One-Room Schools (A-B)

This is the initial post in a series that will provide a location and source index for pre-1950 York County schools. The vast majority of these schools are one-room schools. The complete list is being rolled out over several weeks. Others completed in the series are:
- York County One-Room Schools (C-D)
- York County One-Room Schools (E-G)
- York County One-Room Schools (H-K)
- York County One-Room Schools (L-M)
- York County One-Room Schools (N-P)
- York County One-Room Schools (Q-R)
- York County One-Room Schools (S-T)
- York County One-Room Schools (U-Z)
This list started in 2008 after I put together a booklet on York Township’s Brenneman’s One-Room School for the York County Heritage Trust. My objective was to put the booklet ‘out there’ in hopes of getting someone to supply me with a picture of this particular Brenneman’s School. Looking at the list below, you will see that there are three Brenneman’s schools in York County. Instead of getting a photo, four people asked me to help them find other one-room schools; which started a list. My list of schools rapidly got out-of-hand; I think I have virtually all of them in the list that will be posted in sections every Tuesday for the next 8 weeks.
My initial intent was to put some sort of sourcebook together, however I’ve decided the blog is a better option; it can continually be updated as more and more information on locations is pinpointed. Each school is identified with a Township or Borough and has been indexed to the two sources listed; more sources will be added, if they are brought to my attention.
I estimate that the GPS & ADC locations will be complete for about 40% of the schools by the time all sections are posted. These locations are derived solely from old maps; including typographic maps, state highway maps, county maps and township maps.
Please reply to this Blog if you have location information on a pre-1950 school that is in need of GPS & ADC coordinates. Providing the GPS coordinates is optional, I’m able to pinpoint from old maps that have unnamed school markings once I know the name and general location of the school.
Each entry in the list contains 5 items:
School Name, Township or Borough {Source} [GPS Coordinates] (ADC Map Page-Grid)
If an Internet link has been discovered for a school, click on the underlined school name to access the site.
{Source Codes} {FIVE Digit Longevity Code, followed by Lettered Codes}
FIVE Digit Longevity Code = Each digit represents a YEAR in a lifespan of 60 years: {1886, 1907, 1923, 1936, 1946}. A digit value of ‘1’ indicates that the schoolhouse was an active school during that YEAR. See note at the end of this post for how to use these five digit codes to quote the source(s) of information associated with each school name.
A = “All In One Room, A collection of York-area schoolhouse memories” printed in 2008 by the York Newspaper Company
P = “Photo Clippings Notebooks of York County One-Room Schools” at York County Heritage Trust (974.841 Y61)
[GPS Coordinates]
Schoolhouse GPS Coordinates in Latitude & Longitude using GPS format Degrees and Decimal Minutes
(ADC Map Page-Grid)
ADC www.adcmap.com Street Atlas Book’s (Map Page ‘dash’ Grid coordinates on that page). This indicates the grid where the schoolhouse is (or was) located. RARELY will the school name be shown on the ADC map; use GPS to narrow in on the location within the grid.
York County, Pennsylvania Pre-1950 Schools
(Names beginning with A-B)
- Adamsville, York Twp. {11111, P} [ ] ()
- Airville, Lower Chanceford Twp. {0?111, A} [N 39 49.983 W 76 24.467] (3790-E7)
- Airy Hill, Washington Twp. {?0111, A} [N 39 59.300 W 76 57.033] (3561-H2)
- Alpine, Warrington Twp. {?1111, } [ ] ()
- Althouse’s, Hopewell Twp. {?1111, P} [N 39 47.267 W 76 35.850] (3897-E4)
- Andersontown, Monaghan Twp. {11111, A} [ ] ()
- Anstine’s, Windsor Twp. {10000, } [ ] ()
- Arch St., York City {, } [N 39 58.117 W 76 43.700] (3565-D5)
- Asper’s, Washington Twp. {?1111, P} [N 39 59.750 W 76 58.817] (3561-D1)
- Aughenbaugh’s, Manchester Twp. {?1110, P} [N 40 2.133 W 76 45.200] (3454-K5)
- Bailey’s, Carroll Twp. {0?111, } [N 40 8.183 W 77 0.917] (3228-H9)
- Bair’s, Heidelberg Twp. {1?111, A} [N 39 49.033 W 76 56.483] (3781-K10)
- Bair’s, West Manchester Twp. {?1111, A} [ ] ()
- Bald Eagle, Fawn Twp. {11110, P} [N 39 46.317 W 76 25.883] (3900-A7)
- Baltzley’s, Codorus Twp. {11111, P} [ ] ()
- Bandana, West Manheim Twp {0?111, P} [ ] ()
- Bangor, Peach Bottom Twp. {01111, } [N 39 43.900 W 76 18.800] (4013-K3)
- Barren Hill, Shrewsbury Twp. {??110, P} [N 39 43.819 W 76 38.286] (4008-H4)
- Barren’s, Washington Twp. {?0111, P} [N 40 3.700 W 77 0.150] (3450-K1)
- Battle Hill, Chanceford Twp. {?1111, P} [N 39 53.017 W 76 25.367] (3680-C9)
- Beard’s, North Codorus Twp. {01111, } [N 39 51.617 W 76 48.133] (3784-B3)
- Bear’s, Chanceford Twp. {?0000, P} [ ] ()
- Bear’s, Conewago Twp. {11111, P} [ ] ()
- Bear’s, Manchester Twp. {?0000, P} [ ] ()
- Bear’s, North Codorus Twp. {10000, } [ ] ()
- Beavertown, Carroll Twp. {0?111, } [ ] ()
- Beck’s, North Codorus Twp. {01111, P} [ ] ()
- Beidler’s, Hellam Twp. {1?000, } [ ] ()
- Bellevue, Peach Bottom Twp. {11100, } [N 39 45.650 W 76 23.967] (3900-G9)
- Bender’s, Franklin Twp. {10000, } [ ] ()
- Benedict’s, Warrington Twp. {?0111, P} [ ] ()
- Benson’s, Lower Windsor Twp. {01100, } [N 39 58.333 W 76 29.967] (3569-A5)
- Bentz’s, Lower Windsor Twp. {10000, } [ ] ()
- Berkheimer’s, North Codorus Twp. {11111, AP} [N 39 51.183 W 76 52.133] (3783-A4)
- Beshore’s, East Manchester Twp. {?1111, } [ ] ()
- Beshore’s, Newberry Twp. {?1111, A} [ ] ()
- Bethel, Chanceford Twp. {?1111, } [ ] ()
- Big Dam, Washington Twp. {?1111, A} [N 40 2.300 W 77 1.733] (3450-F4)
- Big Rock, Warrington Twp. {?1111, } [N 40 3.050 W 76 54.133] (3452-F2)
- Bigmount, Paradise Twp. {11100, P} [ ] ()
- Bittersville, Lower Windsor Twp. {01111, P} [N 39 55.717 W 76 32.550] (3678-D2)
- Black Rock, Manheim Twp. {11111, P} [N 39 44.129 W 76 52.259] (4005-A3)
- Blooming Grove, Penn Twp. {11111, } [ ] ()
- Blue Ball, Fawn Twp. {, } [N 39 44.650 W 76 29.317] (4011-B1)
- Blue Hill, Washington Twp. {?0111, A} [ ] ()
- Blymire’s, York Twp. {01110, P} [N 39 53.300 W 76 38.883] (3676-G8)
- Bonair, Codorus Twp. {01100, } [ ] ()
- Bortner’s, Codorus Twp. {11111, P} [N 39 46.517 W 76 47.083] (3894-E6)
- Bose’s, East Hopewell Twp. {?1111, P} [N 39 46.967 W 76 32.650] (3898-C5)
- Bott’s, West Manchester Twp. {?1110, P} [ ] ()
- Bower’s, Conewago Twp. {11111, } [ ] ()
- Bowman’s, Hopewell Twp. {?1111, P} [N 39 46.633 W 76 38.867] (3896-G6)
- Bowser’s, Shrewsbury Twp. {??111, } [N 39 44.512 W 76 42.883] (4007-F2)
- Boyer’s, North Codorus Twp. {11111, } [N 39 53.233 W 76 47.100] (3674-E9)
- Brenneman’s, Lower Windsor Twp. {01111, AP} [N 39 58.917 W 76 34.567] (3567-J3)
- Brenneman’s, North Hopewell Twp. {?1110, } [N 39 48.800 W 76 36.167] (3787-D10)
- Brenneman’s, York Twp. {11111, } [N 39 56.150 W 76 41.517] (3675-B3)
- Bressler’s, Codorus Twp. {10000, } [ ] ()
- Brick, Fairview Twp. {11111, } [ ] ()
- Brillhart’s, Windsor Twp. {11111, A} [ ] ()
- Brillinger’s, East Manchester Twp. {?1111, } [ ] ()
- Brodbeck’s, Codorus Twp. {11111, P} [N 39 46.567 W 76 48.483] (3894-A6)
- Brookside, Penn Twp. {00011, } [N 39 47.633 W 76 58.150] (3891-E3)
- Brouge, Chanceford Twp. {?1111, P} [N 39 52.167 W 76 29.150] (3789-C1)
- Brougeville, Chanceford Twp. {?0000, P} [ ] ()
- Bryansville, Peach Bottom Twp. {11111, } [N 39 44.850 W 76 21.167] (4013-D1)
- Bull Frog, Spring Garden Twp. {00000, P} [N 39 57.950 W 76 42.617] (3565-G6)
- Bunker Hill, Penn Twp. {11000, } [ ] ()
- Bupp’s, Springfield Twp. {11100, P} [ ] ()
- Burger’s, Newberry Twp. {?1100, } [ ] ()
- Burnt Cabin, Hellam Twp. {1?000, } [N 40 2.800 W 76 36.933] (3457-B3)
- Burrowes, York City {, } [N 39 57.467 W 76 44.283] (3565-B7)
Longevity Code is FIVE digits in length, with each digit either ‘0’, ‘1’ or ‘?”
1886 is the year of the FIRST DIGIT; source is John Gibson’s History of York Co., PA
1907 is the year of the SECOND DIGIT; source is George Prowell’s History of York Co., PA
For first and second digits, if that History of York County names the school in the township history it is assigned a ‘1’; if not named, it is assigned a ‘0’; and if the particular township did not supply a list, all schools in the township are assigned a ‘?’.
1923 is the year of the THIRD DIGIT; source is 1923-1924 School-Year Directory
1936 is the year of the FOURTH DIGIT; source is 1936-1937 School-Year Directory
1946 is the year of the FIFTH DIGIT; source is 1946-1947 School-Year Directory
In these school directories of York County, PA, the same rules apply; assigning ‘1’ if name is in the directory and ‘0’ if the name is not in the directory.
From the first digit to the fifth digit represents a lifespan of 60 years: {1886, 1907, 1923, 1936, 1946}. For example, a longtime lifespan is represented as {11111}, early life as an active schoolhouse however closing about 1910 {11000}), begun to be used as a schoolhouse about 1910 {00111}, etc.
One sees that several townships did not include a school list in the 1886 John Gibson’s History of York Co., PA or the 1907 George Prowell’s History of York Co., PA. If that was the case, all schools in that township have ‘?’ noted as the digit for that particular year.
With these five digit codes, one can quote the source(s) of the information associated with each school name. If all Longevity Code digits are ‘0’ or ‘?’, the source letter(s) to the right of the Longevity Code is the source for the schoolhouse name on my list.
Reading the Headlines: A Quick Index to All YorksPast Posts