This week for a change of pace, we are providing our readers with Elmer Aldrich’s memories of attending one of the one-room schools in the Town of McDonough. Both Mrs. Robb and I hope this “memory” proves to be of interest to all and to recall pleasant and unpleasant memories by anyone who attended the ‘old one-room schools of the past.’
“I attended a one room school for 8 years. I started in September of 1934 until it closed in 1944. It was the District #4 school and sometimes called the Daniel School (August 16, 2012 article). It was located a short distance east of County Road 8 in McDonough, about half way between McDonough and East Pharsalia. My family lived about a mile north of the school on Route 8. There were six girls and three boys in our family and all eight of us attended for eight years except Eleanor, my youngest sister, attended six years. The school was closed in 1944 when she finished sixth grade. After that the students went to the district school in McDonough.
“Some history about my family: My mother and father were married in 1916 and from 1918 until 1923 they lived on the farm that is now the home of Eleanor & Ed Troicke on Pike Road in Town of McDonough. (Note: Eleanor was the former historian, passing away in November 2011). There was no school in walking distance for Ray and Florence, my oldest brother and sister, when they became old enough to start school in 1923. My Aunt Helen Pike, my mother’s oldest sister, lived on the Pike homestead farm one mile from the Daniel District School. It was decided that the two families would swap farms to make it more convenient for the children to attend school. Helen was not married and no children to attend school. From 1923 until it closed in 1944 there were Aldrich children attending the Daniel District School. I am the eighth child, born in 1930 and Eleanor, the youngest, born in 1932.
“It was the teacher’s responsibility to keep the building clean and tend the fire in winter. Often if there were older boys in school, one of them would build the fire in the morning before school started. My brother Ray had this job when he was going and I took care of the fire when I was in seventh and eighth grade.
“There was a Mr. Childs who lived in Oxford that was the county district superintendent. He came several times a year to check how the teacher was doing and see if the children were being taught properly.
“There were many things the children in one room schools missed out on like music, learning to play instruments, chorus, science projects, organized sports such as football, basketball and competing with others. I wish I’d had the opportunity to learn to read music and play an instrument in band.
“Some of the children that went to school there when I did: Charles Hathaway, Robert Pike, David, Albert, Julia & Robert Armondi, Wanda Beckwith, Shirley & Charlotte Weaver, Beverly & Beulah Simpson, Wallis Watts, Lynn and Mary Beckwith, my brother. Harry and sisters, Rena, Olive, and Eleanor. There were only a few children attending the last year that it was open and some days when the weather was bad in winter, Eleanor and I were the only ones in school.
“Some of the teachers I remember were: Marie Pettzer, Mary Pooler, Lillian Harrington, Myrtis Deuel and I believe Gerald Preston taught school there for a short time. As we know, the school systems have changed in many ways in the past 69 or 70 year. We got the basics in the one room schools to prepare us for life.
“The school building was about thirty-six feet square with large windows on the west side for lighting. There was no electric in the building. It was heated with a targe wood stove in one corner that never seemed large enough on cold winter days. This building was built in 1910 along side of a smaller building that served as a school up until that time. It would have been much more convenient if the new building had been built nearer to County Road 8. I was very difficult for the teacher to climb the hill through the snow in bad weather. I have heard that the reason it was not built on the main road was because o the families didn’t want all of the noise the pupils might make. It might disturb their younger children!
“It was a joyful time when school started in the fall. We enjoyed being with other children in the neighborhood after the two months of summer vacation. There was always something to do and I never remember being bored. We went on field trips to other schools, up to Berry Hill Tower in East Pharsalia and I remember we planted a tree one arbor day. We always had a Christmas program with song, recitals and tree with our parents attending. We slid down hill in winter, played ball and other games at recess and lunch time. The teacher would read stories to us. We usually had a picnic the last day of school with our families attending.
‘There was a school meeting every spring to elect a school superintendent whose job it was to hire a teacher for the coming year. Many times the teacher would live with one of the families in the district. Most taught just one year. Bessie Mustare, who lived in McDonough at the time, taught several years while I attended.
“Being part of a large farm family and attending the one room school helped to prepare me for many of the challenges I have had in my life. God has been good to me, and my love for Jesus Christ has taught me where all of the good things of the world come from.”
Thus ended Mr. Aldrich’s memories of attending school in the old District #4 in McDonough. As stated previously in the above paragraphs, we sincerely hope these memories are also recalled by the numerous readers of this newspaper.
Finally in closing, if anyone would like to share their “school days memories” of attending school in the McDonough township, please do not hesitate to contact the Town Historian, Donna J. Robb via e-mail at djrobb@frontier.net.net or phone 647-5659 or myself at pfscott@frontier.com. All information received will be duly acknowledge.