Afton – The Sanford/O’Brien and Austin Districts
Again we return to two district schools which though in the Afton School District were located in Broome County, This has been the scenario during this long series of history. Again we will reiterate that there scant historical facts regarding these schools and perhaps in the future, someone will unearth records/historical facts relevant t these two schools.
THE SANFORD/O’BRIEN DISTRICT
The District number assigned to this school is not known and the map (not included with this article) shows the location but no number. This school was in the Town of Sanford near where Cass Road joins O’Brien Road. The home of Maggie O’Brien was just a short distance from the schoolhouse, hence the name. It was listed as James O’Brien on the 1876 and 1908 maps. This may be the school written (17B - December 21 article) in on the Centralization Ballot of about 1930, since the teachers, Buman and Salisbury lived nearby.
Ah, the mysteries of history, perhaps research of the deeds at the Broom County Clerk’s office could provide some clues, but that is not in the foreseeable future to be searched. The photo accompanying (collapsed into its foundation) this brief history gives everyone an idea of the fate of many of the one-room schools that served our early settlers in providing an education for their children.
THE AUSTIN DISTRICT
This district school was located on the dark Road in the Town of Sanford. The 1876 and 1909 maps show it on the property of John Thompson, father of Mrs. George Austin, who with her husband later owned the farm.
After closing, the school building was moved close to the Austin farmhouse where it served as a storage place. The change in door and windows on the front probably took place then.
Sylvia Bisbee of Susquehanna came to teach in the Austin District and boarded at the home of George and Mae Austin. She married their son Robert Austin in the 1920’s.
The photo with this article which was taken by Isabel Meek in 1919-20 shows the school in its original location, while a more recent photo (not included with this article) gives a more recent view after the school had been moved. Readers will note the location of the door and in the rear the outhouse and woodshed. The other photo (taken by Pat Stafford -1987) shows the door moved to the center of the front of the building with one window on either side. We regret not being able to show both photos, but news space does not permit it.
In closing this brief history, information given states that the building was in bad repair and was burned by a recent owner) It that a fitting end?
TEACHING MEMORIES
As was written in the last article, Ann Christie Tobey complied “The Tobeys of Afton” in which documentation was written regarding her parents teaching careers. As a tribute to these early educators we will reprint verbatim what was written for this book.
“Mother and Dad graduated from high school in 1925, Mother from Norwich and Dad from Smyrna. Dad’s class had 5 seniors in it, and they went on the Senior Washington trip with Mother’s Norwich class. We have the picture taken on the steps of the Capitol. They then both attended Teacher Training Class at Norwich High School during 1925-26. There were about 25-28 prospective teachers in the class, only four or five of them men, with Miss Annie Boyd the only teacher. Classes met on the same schedule of days and hours as the high school classes in the building. Both Mother and Dad say Miss Boyd was an excellent teacher.
“By the end of the year of training class, students were expected to be able to teach all subjects in grades one through eight. This included not just the academic areas but also music, art, and physical education. Miss Boyd took the students on one field trip, on which they walked south of the city to look at various sites. The sights chosen for the field trip included a farm, because it was likely the some of the students had never seen one up close and might very well to on to teach in a one-room school in farm territory. We have pictures from the field trip taken at Mount Hope Cemetery; Mothers remember it as a pretty spot, with two small ponds which were remnants of the old Chenango Canal.
“Mother taught for the 1926-27 school year in a school on the corner of the Ives Hill and Oxbow Roads, about 3.5 miles by road southeast of Afton hear the top of a hill on the far side of nowhere. (To get there today, go about a mile from the Interstate 88 exit after Route 41 toward Deposit and turn left on the Ives Hill Road.) The school was considered a hardship district for a teacher because of its remote location and therefore paid a premium to the teacher. Mother thinks her salary was about $28.”
We will close this article at this time and continue next week with the balance of the article written by Ms. Tobey.
THE SANFORD/O’BRIEN DISTRICT
The District number assigned to this school is not known and the map (not included with this article) shows the location but no number. This school was in the Town of Sanford near where Cass Road joins O’Brien Road. The home of Maggie O’Brien was just a short distance from the schoolhouse, hence the name. It was listed as James O’Brien on the 1876 and 1908 maps. This may be the school written (17B - December 21 article) in on the Centralization Ballot of about 1930, since the teachers, Buman and Salisbury lived nearby.
Ah, the mysteries of history, perhaps research of the deeds at the Broom County Clerk’s office could provide some clues, but that is not in the foreseeable future to be searched. The photo accompanying (collapsed into its foundation) this brief history gives everyone an idea of the fate of many of the one-room schools that served our early settlers in providing an education for their children.
THE AUSTIN DISTRICT
This district school was located on the dark Road in the Town of Sanford. The 1876 and 1909 maps show it on the property of John Thompson, father of Mrs. George Austin, who with her husband later owned the farm.
After closing, the school building was moved close to the Austin farmhouse where it served as a storage place. The change in door and windows on the front probably took place then.
Sylvia Bisbee of Susquehanna came to teach in the Austin District and boarded at the home of George and Mae Austin. She married their son Robert Austin in the 1920’s.
The photo with this article which was taken by Isabel Meek in 1919-20 shows the school in its original location, while a more recent photo (not included with this article) gives a more recent view after the school had been moved. Readers will note the location of the door and in the rear the outhouse and woodshed. The other photo (taken by Pat Stafford -1987) shows the door moved to the center of the front of the building with one window on either side. We regret not being able to show both photos, but news space does not permit it.
In closing this brief history, information given states that the building was in bad repair and was burned by a recent owner) It that a fitting end?
TEACHING MEMORIES
As was written in the last article, Ann Christie Tobey complied “The Tobeys of Afton” in which documentation was written regarding her parents teaching careers. As a tribute to these early educators we will reprint verbatim what was written for this book.
“Mother and Dad graduated from high school in 1925, Mother from Norwich and Dad from Smyrna. Dad’s class had 5 seniors in it, and they went on the Senior Washington trip with Mother’s Norwich class. We have the picture taken on the steps of the Capitol. They then both attended Teacher Training Class at Norwich High School during 1925-26. There were about 25-28 prospective teachers in the class, only four or five of them men, with Miss Annie Boyd the only teacher. Classes met on the same schedule of days and hours as the high school classes in the building. Both Mother and Dad say Miss Boyd was an excellent teacher.
“By the end of the year of training class, students were expected to be able to teach all subjects in grades one through eight. This included not just the academic areas but also music, art, and physical education. Miss Boyd took the students on one field trip, on which they walked south of the city to look at various sites. The sights chosen for the field trip included a farm, because it was likely the some of the students had never seen one up close and might very well to on to teach in a one-room school in farm territory. We have pictures from the field trip taken at Mount Hope Cemetery; Mothers remember it as a pretty spot, with two small ponds which were remnants of the old Chenango Canal.
“Mother taught for the 1926-27 school year in a school on the corner of the Ives Hill and Oxbow Roads, about 3.5 miles by road southeast of Afton hear the top of a hill on the far side of nowhere. (To get there today, go about a mile from the Interstate 88 exit after Route 41 toward Deposit and turn left on the Ives Hill Road.) The school was considered a hardship district for a teacher because of its remote location and therefore paid a premium to the teacher. Mother thinks her salary was about $28.”
We will close this article at this time and continue next week with the balance of the article written by Ms. Tobey.
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