The subject of this week’s article “the Trestle School” still stands on County Road #35 about half-way between Guilford Center and what is known as East Guilford and is greatly changed from the photo that is included with this documentation. This writer has also included for this article a photo of the late Olin Phillips driving his mule cart to school. His former farm is located on the Phillips-Odell Road which leads off County Road #35 towards what is known as Godfrey’s Corners on County Road #37 (Winsor Corners to Mt. Upton Road).
The Trestle School (so named for the long trestle on the former O&W Railroad from Guilford to Sidney) is located, as written above, in an area known as Humphrey’s Corners. The history of this early schoolhouse dates approximately to 1831 and when traveling this road the school is located in a small hollow about 700 feet south of what is now the Rockdale Road. Now that I have thoroughly confused you with all these directions, take a nice Sunday afternoon drive and explore the area for yourself. You cannot get lost!
The Trestle school was a fairly large for its day and the average school population was between 12 and 14 students. To name a few of the older generation who attended this district school were Pershing Schlafer, Charles Hatton, Olin Phillips, Henry Blinco, and Robert Phelps. As was the norm with these district schools one teacher taught all the grades.
Back to Charles Hatton, who was a Grade 4 (1931) student and quite a poet white he was attending school there. One such poem appeared in the June 1931 issue of THE PINNACLE, which was before the consolidation of the district schools in the township. His poem was called “RAIN” and is printed below as it appeared in the above publication!

PIT, PAT, HEAR THE RAIN
FALLING ON THE WINDOWPANE
LITTLE PUDDLES IT WILL MAKE
KEEPING ME WIDE AWAKE
IN THE MORNING, I WILL WADE
IN THE PUDDLES IT HAS MADE
THERE MY SAIL BOATS I WILL SAIL
MAKE BELIEVE I AM CARRYING MAIL

It has been written, that in spite of the lessons that the students had to learn, such as the three ‘Rs’: Geography, History, Arithmetic, all was not work and no play in these early schools. Boys will be boys and they enjoyed playing pranks on each other and teasing and picking on the girls.
There were different forms of recreation in the early days before television, movies, organized sports and let us not forget computers, cell phones, iPods, etc. Recreation would include ice skating in winter for all (still popular), hunting of fur-bearing animals by the boys, as the pelts from these animals would bring from $2 to $5 each. Quite a goodly sum of money for a young boy in those days! Do not forget sleigh riding (not too popular anymore), skiing on barrel staves (a more modern way is now done) and a host of others. And do not forget the snowball fights (this writer is unaware of whether this is continued or not, however it was very popular when this student was in school.)
One such prank story was told by one of the old-timers about a boy who trapped a skunk before school started. Naturally, the boy used gloves to remove the animal from the trap. These gloves were usually left outside the schoolhouse when the bell rang. This intrepid hunter was late for school, and threw his gloves under the stove with others, not smelling the skunk. Slowly, the murky, acrid odor of the skunk’s urine permeated the schoolroom. The teacher told the offending boy to leave and get himself a good washing at home before returning to school. The boy did this, but left the gloves under the stove to dry. The smell continued to be stronger and stronger, but no one would tell the teacher where the odor was coming from. Not at all! School had to be dismissed till the next day when the air was cleared.
Pranks were not intentional and were not always planned. When this writer began the research for these articles (and it is still continues) I contacted Pershing Schlafer and asked him if he had any school memories. I will now quote verbatim what Mr. Schlafer wrote me.

SCHOOL DAYS MEMORIES
To name a few that I remember along with Humphrey’s Corners, which we called it Trestle because of the Trestle of the 0 & W Railroad over Ives Settlement Road. I remember the South Hill School, Ives Settlement School, Yaleville School, Guilford Center School, Winsor Corners School and the Puckerville School.
I started in 1923, almost 5 years old in 1st grade. All grades in the same room, with a recitation bench in front for the classes. I remember learning so much from listing t the older students as I did when my class was called.
Now I think you are ready for some stories which I have some. The day the boys during noon hour went out in the woods behind the school and ate Leeks (wild onions). The teacher sent all the boys home, they did the same the next day and the teacher sent the girls home and kept the boys in school.
The school for heat had a square box type chunk stove. The kids put their wet mittens under the stove to dry them out. This one morning, Mike Gilbert (above written) trapped a skunk and when he arrived at school he smelled pretty bad. The teacher told him to go home, take a bath, put on clean clothes. He did but he left his mittens under the stove. The teacher and the girls had a pretty bad time all day.
About the time I was ready to start school, I had a lamb who was tied up down at the barn. When my sister went off to school the lamb wanted to go with them. I felt sorry for him and went down and untied him. So he went to school with them. When it came time to start school, they put the lamb in the woodshed. He was not happy and he baa, baa all the time until the teacher told my sister that she would have to take the lamb home. The lamb didn’t want to go on his own and my sister had to drag it all the way home. She could have killed me!
Many pleasant memories – such as riding downhill on a bobsled with the whole school on in the road no less. A neighbor who let us ride his pair of mules in our lunch hour. $.10 a day for the kid who came one hour early and built the fire.
Sincerely, Pershing Schlafer
When this writer received the above from Mr. Schlafer, a good laugh was on my part and I sincerely hope that all enjoy Mr. Schlafer’s memories. “Perk” as he is known locally has lived his entire life on the same farm located on the corner of Route 35 and the Ives Settlement Road and though in an advanced age with medical problems, still is very alert.
To continue the story about the lamb which went to school there was a poem written regarding this humorous episode and I will include it as written.
TRESTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT #12
Pershing had a little lamb
Whose fleece were white as snow
And everywhere that Pershing went
That lamb was sure to go
It followed Perk to school one day
Which was against the rule,
The teacher said it could not stay
And banished Perk from School.

In conclusion of this article, as written above, winter was a good time for recreation. The Trestle school, located in the hollow, and the road ran down from Rockdale Road (also known as Highbridge Road) to the level of the schoolhouse grounds. Great fun to toboggan down that hill to the school. During the lunch hour the entire school would go sledding, even the teacher. At that early day the roads were not plowed as they are today. Only hard part about this sport was the tough climb over the slippery snow, back up the hill, pulling the toboggan behind.
With all the parties, holidays, special events, the one-room school was the center of the community for adults as well as the children. As time progressed the Church became the social center of the town and there was a wider distribute of people. Additionally the Church served more families than the one-room school.
It is sincerely hoped by this writer that all who read this latest chapter of “schools of the past” have enjoyed the stories, as well as the early education of these early educational institutions.
This writer would appreciate any comments, either negative or positive relevant to these school articles and may make contact at pfscott@frontier.com.