THE OLD COUNTRY SCHOOLS OF ANDOVER
INFO TAKEN FROM ANDOVER SESQUICENTENNIAL BOOK
AND ALLEGANY COUNTY COURT RECORDS
AND RECORDS FROM THE ANDOVER TOWN HISTORIAN
ROBERT A. BAKER
Submitted by William A. Greene, 2006
With the centralization of the school system in Andover in 1939, all of the little country schools of the outlying districts were closed. The Lamphear Valley or Railroad Valley School,
originally was built in 1827 and in the Alfred district, is now in the Andover School district. The School was on the Nathan Lamphear property. With the centralization, the building was
purchased by Mr. & Mrs. E. Carlton Greene, about 1940 and made into a home. It was sold several times and is now the home of Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Stephens.
From the Allegany County Land Records, the first country school built in the Town of Andover was on Pingrey Hill in 1844. The land was purchased from a dealer of the Pulteney Estate,
no money value given. This was known at District # 3 and was located about a half mile from the Pingrey Hill and Jonestown Road intersection going towards Alfred. The building fell down many
years ago and the property belongs to Kent Farms.
Again from the land records dated 1849, school district # 1 purchases land from Thaddeus Baker. This is the same year that we believe a school was built in the village on First St.,
near Center St.
In 1851 land was again purchased on the East Valley Road, from a dealer of the Pulteney Estate. This was now school district # 4. Property was again purchased in 1868 from John Pardon
for a school. This school was located just before the old Erwin Lewis farm. Again after the centralization in 1939, it was closed and is now a hunting camp, belonging to a group from the
Buffalo area.
Email from viewer:
(From friend Debbie Baker Brock)
"A little bit of information I have on the East Valley school from what my grandmother told me is that her mother lived there after the school closed. My grandmother, Augusta Lewis Baker, taught
there and I have the school bell that she used to call the students to class and from recess with. I also have her teaching certificate. I remember my great-grandmother, Blanche Lewis, as a child and the stories they would tell about the school. I don't know how long my
grandmother taught there but I remember going into the house when I was a little girl."
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In 1857, Benjamin C. Brundage sold property at the corner of what is now the intersection of State Rt. 417 and Baker Road. This became school district # 9. In 1896 more property was
added from Loren Leonard. The property now belongs to the Burch family and the old school building is now located on Rochambeau Ave. and is the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.
In 1871, Benjamin C. Brundage again sold property in the village to school district # 1. According to other records the date was 1868 for the building of the school. Another mystery.
In 1872, Stephen Thomas sold property for a school and it became school district #6, which was located on the Kilbane Road between Davis Hill and Joyce Hill. In 1875, a Nelson E. Gowdy
sold property to school district # 6. The Andover Rod and Gun club purchased the building and it burnt to the ground on 6/4/1976.
In the year 1889 a Thomas Perkins sold some land for a school to be built on. The school district would be # 2 and would be located on the Pixley Hill road just off of the Alfred - Elm
Valley Road. The building was last lived in by the Clemons family and was torn down and a house is now standing there.
In 1905, school district # 7 was formed on Voorhees Hill. The land was purchased from a Simeon B. Adams. After the centralization these students started going to Wellsville schools.
The old school is now a family home.
In 1925, a Hattie Clark sold property for a school but unknown what district it was.
We do have two school districts that don’t have dates and they are district # 5 and district # 8. Number 5 was located on the Shovel Hollow road on the intersection of Gallagher Hill
road and was torn down at an unknown date. The land now belongs to the Brown family. Number 8 was located on the intersection of the Greenwood Road and the Lane School House Road. It is now
the house of Clair Cornell.
Isn’t it funny that after going to centralization, that in the 1980’s the government finally came to the conclusion that the one roomed schools were a pretty good source of education.
The slow learners actually learned more by listening to the older students being taught and it gave them an idea as to what they were going to learn next.
