Alma Schoolhouse-Town of Alma, Allegany County, NY

Schools of The Town of Alma

By Ron Taylor

From all accounts, with none to the contrary, the first school in Alma was taught by Clarinda Kent, daughter of Reuben C. Kent, at an unknown location in 1839. Reuben was a Revolutionary War soldier and conducted the first religious services in the Town.

It is difficult to break apart the schools of the Town of Alma from those that were listed in the former towns of Scio and Willing prior to the publishing of the 1869 Atlas. Alma was formed from Willing in 1854 and only two years earlier, in 1852, Willing was formed from Independence and Scio. The records are confusing and intertwined using District numbers and very few names and factual locations. I, therefore, refer to "The Alma Story, Part II" where Hazel Shear mentions District 9, Honeoye District and District 11, York District. Familiar names acquaint with these districts of "Honeoye" & "Withey" which may show that they were parts of the future Town of Alma Schools.

By the time that the Atlas was printed, the town of Alma had been set up (1854), the distribution of the population had changed and other districts had come into being.

Where the schoolhouse was located took into consideration where the largest number of pupils lived and accessibility. Stories abound (including one from my own father) of the large boys carrying the smaller children through snow drifts and muddy areas of the roads to get to school. It was always hoped to place the schoolhouses in a spot to avoid these, but, often did not succeed.

Nobody has pinned down the date for a first water well for a district school house, but, it was certainly not an available feature of most schoolhouses. More commonly, it is said, pupils had to take turns going to the nearest farmhouse for water which often was the reward for good behavior. Accessibility also meant being close enough that the neighborhood men could cut and deliver wood for heat to the schoolhouse.

The Town of Alma Schools on a 1919 map show 5 schoolbuildings: Alma #1, Pikeville #2, Allentown #3, Alma Hill #4 and the Joint District #5 School with Wellsville on Meservey Hill.

Other schools were shared by Alma residents in earlier years in joint districts with Bolivar, Scio and Wellsville. The only High School was at Allentown.

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Below is a map of the Town of Alma - W.B.Thrall Map & Survey Co.
Perry, NY; 1929. This map shows the school districting and buildings at that time. The original of this map is at the Allegany County Historian Office. It is around this map and it's numbering that I make the comments below about each of the Town's Schools.
The number near the pictured school house on the map is the elevation at the school house. As noted, the Alma Hill School was at the elevation of 2460 feet and accounted for very tough wintertime elements. My father and his brothers and sisters attended this school and I have heard the stories of the difficulty getting to the building many winter days. That is probably why the teacher lived "on the hill" with one of the families.

Allentown School
District #3
Lot #1, Patterson Tract - Town of Alma, Allegany County, NY

It is said that the first school was taught from a Log Cabin;

This is the first framed schoolhouse in Allentown & used for classes until the 1883-4 larger school building was built...............Later it was sold to the Methodist Church and used by WCTU; They sold it to Mildred Craven to be used as "Millie's Diner" and last was used for antique storage. It still stands in 2006.

The large white building in the distance past the depot is the 1983-4 Allentown School used until about 1911-2 when a new brick structure was built. The depot at the right was the Bradford Eldred and Cuba Railroad 1881-1893.

In 1903/4 This brick structure became Allentown Union Free School. The previously used wood frame structure was used for 8 or 10 years longer in conjunction with this school. It was then dismantled and the lumber used for a barn on the Phillips Hill Road.

In 1933/4 This western addition was made to the Brick School. It provided gym, music, library, home economics and additional classroom space.

(History below from A Yearbook Loaned by Barbara Adams Claire)

From the 1909/1910 School Yearbook

School History

In writing the history of Allentown Union High School, the matter of data is very limited, and all historic items are scattered over Intervals of time quite promiscuously. Yet we have discovered that a man by the name of Emerson granted a High School site about the same place as today's site, in 1840, whereon was erected a log school house which answered the purpose for many years, when the new site, including the old site was purchased of Marshall Phillips and title given, so long as used for public school, (otherwise to revert to the Phillips estate. Then a frame building was built 1848 to '49 which served a term of years being the same building now used by the W. C. T. U. Society. Then came the larger frame building built In 1885-86 which stood the pressure of school affairs until 1903/4 when the beautiful brick building with its modern and up-to-date facilities was duly installed.

Principal O. M. Burdick, during his term of four years, '91-'95, organized this school into a graded one, and Principal Walters placed It under the visitation of the Regents. Petitioners were Robert A. McCutcheon, Horace L. Hulett, Henry Howe, Seymore J. Richardson, Alpheus L. Witherspoon. Certificate Issued and went into effect June 25, 3:40 p. m., 1900. Signed Anson Judd Upson, Chancellor; James Russell Parsons, Secretary, and January 4, 1904, was granted a middle school certificate signed by James Russel Parsons, Secretary and December 5, 1908, a senior certificate was granted by Andrew S. Draper, Commissioner of Education.

The following list of teachers were the faithful pedagogue’s of the district, arranged to the best of our ability. We expect the years are more or less mixed, but the re-writer may correct It to his satisfaction.

Allentown teachers and years of service, nearly.

1842 Katherine Bellamy, first teacher. 1843 Mary Coon, 1844 Sarah Green, 1845 Betsy Foster, 184647 Sophia Wright 1848 Sally Buckley, 1849 Cynthia Buckley, 1850 Racheal Burrows, 1851 Melvin Burdick, 1852 Alfred Titsworth, 1853 Franklin Sepheus, 1854 Alythia Mapes, 1855 Flora Zimmer, 1856 DeEtta McKee, 1857 Helen Howard, 1858 Louis Ackerman, 1859 Eugenia Holmes, 1860 Alexis Halbard, 1861-62 Mary West, 1863 Richard R. Allen, 1864 Martha Welch, 1835 Freeland Wright, 1866 C. W. Fernald, Lenora Coats, 1867 P. C. Carrington, Florence Austin, 1868 Marcus Fernald, 1869 Porter W. Cowles, Mary E. Russell, 1870 Frank S. Green, Nina B. Lathrop, 1871 Norman Penny, Percy Ann Lewis, 1872 Mary Crowner, Lois Fewln, 1873 Maria Blackman, Avis Jordan, 1874 James Babcock, 1875 Esther Burnettson Alta Emerson, 1876 Edwin A. Bentley, 1877 Chas. Vincent, Nellie Fernald, 1878 Chas. Vincent. Hattie Gale, 1879 Elias Hammond, Electia Fory, 1880 Alta Emerson, Flora Zimmer, 1881 Adelbert Wetherby, Louise Canfield, 1882 Chas. Vincent, 1883 W. C. Hitchcock, Sylvia A. Sheldon, 1884-86 Samuel Earley, Mrs. Earley, Bell Grastorf, 1887 Marlon Chadman, Abigal Marihew, Nettie Tibbs, 1888 W. F. Allen, His wife and Miss Chapman, 1889 Geo. Miller, Edith Lazier, Gertrude Surdoval, 1890 Frank King, Charlotte Marks, 1891-95 Oscar M. Burdick, Charlotte Marks, Margaret Dorghety, Nellie Brady., Winona Champlin, Ruth Van Velzer, Gertrude Surdoval, 1895-98 E. D. Hardy, Edna Opp, Ida Newton, 1898-03 E. D. Walters, Bessie Wyvell, Alice Collins, Margaret Hayes, Lelia Mead, Mable Brown, Avis Jordan, Nellie Goss Gertrude Surdoval, Muinetta Smith, 1903-04 Chas. L, Carpenter, Sarah Mitchell, Lelia Mead, Linda H. Mead, Bessie Wyvell, 1904-09 Geo. P. Snyder, Linda H. Mead, Maud Wolfe, Lyda Cochran, Minnie Elliott, Jessie Strickland, Charlotte Gena, Margaret Conway, Emily Valentine, Grace Allen, 1909-10 Angelo O. Tucker, Emma K. Cartwright, Elizabeth E. Stafford, Theresa C. Harrington, Linda H. Mead, Harriett S. Swarthout.

Sarah Green-Phillips

Sarah Green-Phillips was born In Alfred, May 19, 1826. She taught her first term of school at Allentown, in 1844, being 18 years of age. After closing the term she went back home at Alfred. Miss Green was preceded by a Miss Katherine Bellamy, aunt of Wm. Bellamy, and succeeded by a Miss Betsy Foster, the mother of the Hon Dr. Geo. H. Witter, our state senator of Wellsville, N. Y. Miss Green's school work was of a class that put a teacher to their best, being no blackboards, globe or other device to aid In Instruction. With all this hindrance she proved herself master of the situation and at the same time, she had an eye to business and readily saw that one dollar to one dollar and a half per week was small pay and a doubtful avocation, so she allowed cupid to use his dart, and two years afterwards at the age of twenty she joined her fate with Marshall Phillips In 1846, and came back In the vicinity of Allentown to live, and of this union were born six children, three boys and three girls. Newton M., the oldest, was wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., at which battle his father, Marshall N. Phillips was killed 1863. Newton M. died In January, 1900. The balance of her family are living as follows: Arthur W. at Wellsville, Nellie at Rochester, Della at Friendship, Newell M. in Canada, Alice in Buffalo and the subject of this sketch Is enjoying the best of health In her little home in Allentown and to see her move with the alacrity of a young woman of thirty Instead of four score and four years old, seems wonderful.

Mary West-Shay

A teacher in Allentown, 1861-2

Allentown Teachers, 1910

Allentown School finally will close & 1980 Souvenir Edition of "The Derrick" presented to Alumni June 7, 1980

Alma Hill School

District #4

(Photo from 2002 Report of Norman Ives, Historian, Town of Alma)

Alma Hill School about 1912

Seated: Johnny Mesler, Mary Bellamy(teacher), Raymond Mesler, Marie Mesler & Forrest Genung. Standing: Irene Genung & Ruth Genung;

(Also locally called Schoenheit School); Lot 127 (Lawrence Tract). This school is shown in 1869 Atlas as District #7 and as recent as 1939 Geological Survey Map. There were two buildings used in this district. The early schoolhouse was relocated "down the brook" and a new one built sometime about 1930s which today is a dwelling at near it's original location. The photo above is of the original school which became the "Fords Brook School" or "106 School" by move from Alma Hill.

Meservey Hill School

District #5

A joint district school with Wellsville.

Picture from files of Dyke Street Museum

& Thelma Roger Genealogical & Historical Society

December 29, 1874 – (Wellsville Daily Reporter-7/29/1961) – Joint District No. 5 of Alma and Wellsville was called “Meservey Hill School”. December 29, 1874, Jeremiah Halsey deeded land “so long as said School District shall maintain and use the same for a District Schoolhouse lot and no longer, “to sole trustee Josiah Bartlett. Some of its teachers were Elizabeth Murphy, Hannah Donovan, Mr. McGuirk, Mary Dolan McCormick and Alice Cady. The school building now serves as a dwelling.

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***The following story written by perhaps the last teacher of District #5 School, Alice Cady, was printed in the Wirt/Richburg Historical Society Newsletter and is reprinted here with permission.

One Room School
Alma # 5 on Meservey Hill

By Alice Cady

On top of Meservey Hill, no other building in sight, was a one room school. There was a woodshed well stocked with wood and kindling, a pump for water outside the front door, and two toilets behind the school

I had to board with the trustee about a half mile from the school. I only had grades one through five with 10 pupils. The older ones in grades seven through twelve went to Wellsville.

One of the teacher's duties was to start the fire, so I usually got there before eight and stayed after school until nearly five, getting seat work on the board for the next day and doing janitor work.

In the winter, the snow blew in around the windows, so I stuffle my dad's old underwear in the cracks. The children sat around the stove until they were warm. One of the fifth grade boys was very handy with tools. I took orange crates from my dad's store and he made little chairs that could be moved about easily.

The pay was $25 per week. I had to wait for my first paycheck until the potatoes were harvested.

The parents were very friendly and cooperative.

At Christmas time, we had a program and party with parents attending. The children that went to Wellsville stopped after school and practiced and took part in the program. Lucile Wightman Baldwin and Mary Cady Priddy came with their violins. it was well attended.

The second year I taught there I bought a used car and drove back and forth after Easter.

Families kept moving out of the district and finally one family was left, so I was very thankful to get a job for the next year in Richburg. I felt that I had learned far more than I taught. Then when I faced thirty plus children in one grade, I wondered if rural schoolhouses didn't have some advantages.

Stone Dam School (?)

District #6
District School #6; Lot 15 Alma, (Lawrence Tract) – Stone Dam/Redwater Creek School – Shown on 1926 Topography Map (Surveyed 1923-4 by E.D.Chamberlain); School not shown on 1869 Atlas Map, but, 1869 Dwellers: P. O’Brien, T. Moore, J. Lake, Mrs. Tormey, W. Murphy, J. Mullvey & A. Downs. The building is noted on the 1926 map located between properties of J. Lake & Mrs. Tormey. This school is mentioned by Hazel Shear in her "Alma Story", 1969, publication. I note that the 1856 Beechler Map of Allegany County, Alma has a schoolhouse noted just inside the Willing/Alma Line on the Alma side, 4-Mile Road, today's County Route 38, Lot 61 in the 1869 Atlas. This was the school known as the Carey Hill School.

(Hazel Shear discussed the name and stated, "It is rather a shame that this section, named after Kerry in Ireland, got itself misspelled so that it appeared as Cary Hill.")

White Hill School
District #7
District School #7; Lot 120 (Lawrence Tract) Near Town of Bolivar/Alma Line on what is known today as White Hill Rd #2 near Ball Road and before Stoney Lonesome Hollow Road. Not shown on 1869 Atlas, but is shown on 1939 Geological Survey Map. The White Hill School was a joint district with Bolivar.

Fords Brook School
District #8
District School #8; Located on the South Branch, Fords Brook Road, near the intersection of Town Road 106.

EARLY TEACHERS AT UNKNOWN LOCATIONS, TOWN OF ALMA:

(It is presumed that many were at Alma School.)

1860 Census – M. Mix, Schoolteacher, living in home of A.M. & Elizabeth Mapes, farmer.

1870 Census - Ida Allen, Aged 20, Schoolteacher, living in home of Willard & Electa Phillips, farmer.

1870 Census – Mary Russell, Aged 19, Schoolteacher, living in home of Robert R. Russell. (Shown in Allentown Records for 1869).

1870 Census – Ophelia Crandall, Aged 21, Schoolteacher.

1870 Census – Norman Pinney, Aged 27,Schoolteacher, Living with parents, George & Casandria Pinney.

1870 Census – Liena Foland, Aged 22, Schoolteacher, Living with parents, John & Mary Foland.

1870 Census – Mary Bannister, Aged 16, Schoolteacher, Living with Sarah Tormy.

1870 Census – Nina Lathrop, Aged 25, Schoolteacher, Living with Milan & Fanny Wheeler.

1880 Census – Lizzie Bartlet, Aged 19, Schoolteacher, Living w/parents, Josiah & Nancy Bartlett.

1880 Census – Elizabeth Ragan, Aged 22, Schoolteacher, Living w/parents, Cornelius & Mary Ragan.