The travel route in the Town of McDonough, takes us this week, to a long abandoned district school, located on a now abandoned road, in what is now Bowman Creek State Forest. The photos (s) of this long gone district give you, the reader, that once property is no longer used, and how quickly Mother Nature takes over!
Galetown was at one time a thriving cluster of inhabitants, however with the advent of civilization and progress it proved to be ‘unpopular’ and at one time a quiet country road would have been a nice Sunday afternoon ride – not so, today you may hike through there. When traversing this area today, you may locate stone chimneys, old foundations, small cemeteries all evidence of years past of pioneer settlers settling these wild lands of Chenango County.
It has been written that though the school no longer stands the square-cut stone foundation has been overtaken by trees and brush. A rather unique article of historical interest, that at one time “the outhouse” had been left tilted on its side and was at one time in fair condition. Mrs. Preston documented that in all the schoolhouses that she had investigated had had its ‘outhouse’ survive the changing times. When writing her documentation of the McDonough schools she noted that a stone piling in the center of the foundation gave evidence of a chimney and as she paced off the foundations, she determined the school building to be approximately 21 x 24 feet.
Ruth Rounds, Historian, wrote an article in the Sept. 15,1998 Whitney Point Reporter/Oxford Review times relevant to a conversation she had with Sam Mrosz (now deceased). This will give you, the readers, a story of Galetown itself, this writer will let you eavesdrop on the conversation.
“Galetown is located north of Bowman, south east of East Pharsalia and north east of McDonough village. It seems Galetown was a settlement of its own. The Gales first settled there and Winslow was the father. He rolled up a cabin thereupon moving in from Connecticut, we believe about 1800. There were wolves then. He and Mrs. Gate had a family and built up quite a nice settlement; of course, others lived in the Galetown area as well. Somewhere between 1800 and 1900, Galetown was a busy place! There was a team sawmill with a 50 ft. stack, a pond for water for the steam engine, shingle mill and a shop for repairs. On the west side of Galetown was a windmill to pump water for the cows. Winslow Gale made square cut nails. A ‘water ram’; pushed water from a spring up to the house and buildings through a pipe. By the 1930’s Frank and Abner Gale were still here. Frank ran the farm which had Guernsey cows. Abner ran the mill and was at one time the town supervisor. He also had an old two cylinder Buckeye touring car which he kept in a shed next to the house.
I am told that Abner Gale and Bill Atwell were the first in Chenango County to sell land to the state. Abner sold 54 acres and Bill sold over 300 acres. There were two log cabins that Sam knew of. One of course, was Winslow Gale’s. The other cabin was located a quarter mile east of Gale’s corners. An old couple lived there and they had run onto hard times.
By 1919 Galetown School had been abandoned but the building remained and Sunday school was held there. Note: was there also a church there? Lauada Braisted was the Sunday school teacher. Bud Gale lived in the old school house in the late 1930’s but by 1940 it burned. Sam Mrosz happened by and saw it a ball of fire.”
In the photo of the school which is dated 1904 the children are identified as follows: Left to right the children were Edna Ward, Marjorie Borden, Howard Smith, Lottie Smith, the teacher Miss Pike, Addie Smith, Douglas Borden and Lynn Dale. This photo and I apologize for the dark color, had the following; I do not know what became of the Borden children, Edna Ward, Lynn Dale and Addie Smith have passed away (bear in mind this photo was undated). Addle Smith was eleven years six months when she died in January 1905. Lottie Smith Harris is 87 and Howard Smith, holding card it 85 and still working his garden. This was noted (Howard Smith, Greene, New York).
In closing this chapter of McDonough school history, if reader has any information relevant to the Galetown school or students, please contact either myself at pfscott@frontier.com or Donna Robb at djrobb@frontier.net, 647-5659. The book is always open for new pages of history.