Discovering the history of Allegany County, NY

Below is the weekly column of Ron Taylor, published originally in

"Patriot and Free Press" - Allegany County's community newspaper since 1862. 

Columns are re-printed here by agreement with the Patriot.  (Tap the Dates)

Below is another copy of the picture in better focus;

Note: Below is a reader email submitted after the Wiscoy School was published;

Ron:

What a surprise when I saw your picture of the week. Why it's School District #9 in Wiscoy, NY, of course. Me and four of my siblings attended there at the same time. Even our dog Penny followed us to school each day and was once included in the Fillmore Central School yearbook picture with the rest of the school body. I can remember carrying wood for the stove, also water for the water cooler and yes, for my 4 years of attendance at the school, had to use the outdoor "john" - even in the dead of winter.

Here's something unique - I was the only student in the 5th grade and the only student in the 6th grade. My teacher thought it would be less troublesome for me if I had classmates - so I took all my 6th grade subjects with the 5th graders and my 5th grade subjects when in the 6th grade!

Many fond memories of the last days of the one room school house. It was closed shortly after I graduated from the 6th grade. I remember my 3rd grade teacher, Bernice Baker, talking of having a very quiet and shy student in her early years of teaching in Jamestown. You can guess it was Lucille Ball.

There are still residents living in Wiscoy who attended Hume District #9. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it could be Restored - and made into a museum of sorts? I for one, would love to get inside and see if there is anything left that might be familiar. I understand it is a storage building for a collection of "junk" and probably quickly deteriorating and will soon be history.


Gary Nevinger 10/25/06