The One-Room Schoolhouse at Meister and Leavitt – Part 5

I’ve compared the available photos of the Black River Township schoolhouse and I’ve come to the conclusion that the photo in the Arcadia Images of America – Lorain book (shown above) is not the school once located at Meister and Leavitt Roads.

First of all, the pitch or slope of the gable roof in the photo found in the Lorain book is different from the Rudy Moc photos found in the Port Mills newspaper coverage. It is not as severe as the building shown in the airport photos.

Next, the front of the schools are quite different. (We can identify the front of each building because they all have a chimney in the rear.) The window in the peak above the front entrance is different – round in the Arcadia book, more ornamental in the airport photos. The detail around the windows is different as well.

Lastly, although the school in the Lorain book has the same number of windows on it side, they all have a rounded brick design at the top, as opposed to a more pointed and separate arc above the windows in the airport photos.

Anyway, there were many old schoolhouses in Lorain County and some are still standing. Perhaps some day we can determine which school that actually is in the Lorain book – as well as figure out if that is a small black dog in the photo.

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Be sure to visit the great flickr site, “Ohio’s Historic One-Room Schoolhouses,” where you can see structures very similar to those presented here on the blog this week.

The One-Room Schoolhouse at Meister and Leavitt – Part 4

So when was the Black River Township schoolhouse torn down?

An obituary for Mrs. Martha Opfer that appeared on the front page of the Lorain Journal on August 4, 1941 provided an answer.

With the heading “LORAIN PIONEER RESIDENT DIES,” the obituary noted, “Mrs. Martha Opfer, 90, a lifelong resident of Lorain and a member of one of the city’s oldest families died at 2:30 a. m. today at her home, 936 Reid-av, after an illness of one month.

“Death came to Mrs. Opfer in the house where she had lived for the last 50 years. She was born in 1851 in a log cabin on Leavitt-rd in the village then known as Charleston and attended school in the little red building at the intersection of Leavitt and Meister-rds, recently razed.

It’s impossible to know if the reporter defined ‘recently’ to be during the last few days, months or years. I meticulously checked the microfilm several times, going back to March 1941 and was unable to find any mention of the school being demolished; I did it again the other night in a last-ditch effort to find some mention of it.  At least we know that as of the beginning of August 1941, the school was gone.

Next: Is it the same school?

The One-Room Schoolhouse at Meister and Leavitt – Part 3

Aerial view of Port Mills Airport, 1929

My first big break researching the Black River Township schoolhouse occurred while I was researching the opening of the Port Mills Airport, which was located at the intersection of Meister Road and Leavitt Road. The airport stretched east about halfway down Meister Road.

In the above photo you can see a clump of trees at the intersection of Meister and Leavitt. And in that clump of trees is the old schoolhouse, which was about to be put to a new use.

Here’s a small article with a photo of the school by Rudy Moc that appeared in the Lorain Times-Herald on July 26, 1929.

It states, “Here is shown an exterior view of the administration building at Port Mills. This structure houses the offices of the company and the “schoolroom.”

“The building was formerly an old country school house but has not been used for several years. It is located on the southwest corner of the 136-acre site of the field.”

The Times-Herald also mentioned the school in an article in that same edition. It noted, "The "little red school house" located at the southwest corner of the big flying field already has been remodeled into a general administration and air pilot school room.

"In it is located the offices of the company and rooms, filled with desks and blackboards for the teaching of the pilot pupils in their ground course."

Another page featured the Rudy Moc photo again.

The Lorain Journal also covered the opening of Port Mills, and included a few photos of the schoolhouse in their article.

From the front page of the July 22, 1929 Lorain Journal

Next: Demo Time

The One-Room Schoolhouse at Meister and Leavitt – Part 2

Looking at old Black River Township maps, it seems that a school was not located at the intersection of Meister and Leavitt until the 1874 version.

A school also appeared at that location on the 1896 map.

So the 1827 date associated with the school in the Arcadia book may be a little early.

The Herrick Memorial Library website includes a great photo of a one-room schoolhouse and also helps establish a timeframe for them in the county. Its caption reads: “From 1850 to 1925 Lorain County crossroads were dotted with brick, stone and wooden one-room school houses similar to the one pictured here, now a residence.

An article in the May 13, 1955 Amherst News-Times includes a glimpse of the Black River Township school when it was in use. The article was about the retirement of Mrs. Ethel Eppley from the Central school in Amherst that year. The article noted that she started teaching in January 1910 at the Black River school, where she taught 2 1/2 years before her marriage to Frank Eppley.

A great photo of her with her class in front of the Black River Township school states that the “photo was taken of her first class, back in 1910, in Black River Twp., at the site where the Black River Fire Station is now located, Meister and Leavitt roads.

Mrs. Eppley is in the back row, at the far right

Another article in the Amherst News-Times may possibly shed some light on when the Black River Township school was no longer used for its original purpose. The September 14, 1922 edition notes that school enrollment had reached its highest number in years, and that “W. V. Marshall is bringing the students from the Black River school, which is north of town, to Amherst and is using the bus which was used to bring the Clough Quarry children last year.”

I’m not certain, however, if the “Black River school” mentioned is the one at Meister and Leavitt, or the one that was located at the corner of Kolbe Road and Longbrook Road that was dismantled and used to build Joe Ule’s Storybook House.

Next: A new use for the Black River schoolhouse

The One-Room Schoolhouse at Meister and Leavitt – Part 1

One of the more intriguing photos in the Arcadia book Images of America – Lorain is the photo above of an old one-room schoolhouse, part of the collection of the Lorain Historical Society

The photo caption reads: “On November 9, 1827, the first school board for Black River Township was elected and $200 was appropriated for the construction of the schoolhouse. It was located at the northeast corner of Meister and Leavitt Road in the township. At that time it was not a part of what was to become Lorain, but the site was later added to the city. The brick building served students for 20 years and was replaced with a fire station.”

Here’s a vintage photo of the fire station (now used by the Lorain Police Department). An online Chronicle-Telegram newspaper article indicates that the fire station was there by September 13, 1944.

But before the fire station could be built and put to work, the school would have to have been torn down.

But when was it actually torn down? That's a question that I’ve been trying to answer since I started this blog back in 2009. One would reason that the demolition of such a historic landmark at Meister and Leavitt would surely have been covered by the local newspapers. But despite hours of searching, I've been unable to find an article about its demolition.

Nevertheless, I’m happy to report that I now have a pretty good idea when it was demolished. Unfortunately, I’m also pretty sure that the photo above in the Arcadia book is not of the one-room schoolhouse at Meister and Leavitt as believed.

A Look Back at the Old Red Schoolhouse – 1938

Northeast Ohio is still dotted with old former schoolhouses which somehow managed to survive. What was it like to attend one of these schools? Read all about it in this article that ran in the Lorain Journal on Saturday, July 9, 1938.

Pupils Happiest in 
‘Old Red Schoolhouse’
So Says 80-Year-Old LaGrange Man
as ‘Scholars’ Await Reunion

The little red school house of nearly four score years ago turned out a happier group of "scholars,” fostered a greater co-operative spirit, and promoted more enduring friendships than do the imposing structures of today.

That’s the opinion of Will O. Turner, 80, LaGrange, who with some 80 former classmates of the Old Grafton-twp School district No. 5 and their families will gather Sunday for the fifth annual school reunion at the Wells-Chamberlain homestead, Belden-LaGrange-rd.

In the old days children were happy with ordinary, simple things of life. They didn’t need swings, “teeters,” and other playground equipment to have fun at recesses. The chance to play was enough, his wife recalled.

Recalls Hickory Stick
Then, too, they weren’t so crowded in their school work, added Turner.

Interwoven in his memories of “the good old days” 74 years ago are incidents when the school “marm” decided ‘reading’, ‘writin’, and ‘rithmetic’ should be taught to the tune of a hickory stick.

“I’ll never forget the day that all the boys except two went down to ‘the ole swimming hole’ in the river and were tardy for school. The teacher never said a thing, but when we were up in front to recite, she closed her books, asked us to roll up our pant legs, and whipped our legs severely. The two boys who by refusing to go down for a dip escaped punishment were the late Frank Turner and George H. Chamberlain, former state senator and practicing Elyria attorney,” Turner recalled.

The original old school house in the Grafton-twp was really a small frame building heated by a center wood stove. Fifty-five years ago it gave way to a new school across the road. The district was included in the Belden-twp school system about three years ago.

Following tradition set at the first reunion, an informal program will follow a basket picnic lunch Sunday. Will Turner and George Chamberlain arranged the first reunion at the Well-Chamberlain homestead which is located approximately where the “scholars” attended school.

Reunion officers are Dewey Aldrich, LaGrange, president; Mrs. Nellie Wise, Belden, vice-president; Mrs. Louise Harold Wolf, Elyria, secretary-treasurer.

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The Elyria Chronicle did a story on the reunion on July 11, 1938. Approximately one hundred former teachers, students and friends attended, and enjoyed a picnic dinner at tables set up on the lawn of the Wells-Chamberlain homestead. As the article noted, “The oldest former teacher, Mrs. Lucelia Denham, aged 85 years, of Elyria was again present and told of some of the escapades of her former students.”

“Professor Clark Chamberlain of Michigan spoke upon the travels of “Johnny Appleseed” who is reported to have sown the seeds from which apple trees near the old school site grew. It was suggested that a cutting of one of these trees be obtained and planted at the site upon which the reunions are being held. A reading was given by Mrs. J. E. Mennels of Grafton which was greatly enjoyed. Letters from several absent members were read."

School’s Back in Session – 1932

Although school starts in August for today’s kids, I still think of early September as being the beginning of the school year.

Vintage local newspapers seemed to always address the start of the school year with at least one article on the front page. Here’s one that ran in the Lorain Journal on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 1932.

SCHOOL BELLS RING 
FOR 13,000 IN COUNTY
Lorain, Amherst Pupils Have Week More Vacation;
Rural Enrollment Figures Boosted

The long summer vacation at an end, some 13,000 pairs of feet went marching back to school in Lorain-co today as parochial, rural and Elyria schools began their 1932-33 term.

Another 11,000 children will have another week to wait, as Lorain public, St. Mary’s academy, Zion Lutheran and Amherst schools do not open until next Monday, Sept. 12.

St. Mary’s was the only Catholic school to delay the start of the new term. Repairs to the building have made it necessary to delay to start, according to Rev. J. J. Johnson. The Zion Lutheran parochial school also begins at the same time as public schools in Lorain. East Carlisle begins tomorrow morning.

The opening of school is the biggest of all fall events. It touches more lives intimately than any other happening.

At most of the schools the opening day was a brief one. Children remain only long enough to get their book lists and assignments. Classes do not get underway until tomorrow.

No enrollment figures are yet available, but are expected to be announced within the next day or two.

The only big increase in enrollment is expected in the rural schools where officials predict a gain of about 300. This is some indication of a back to the farm movement.