The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-02-21
Old Time School Days.

The first school ever kept west
of Little Scrub Ridge was in the
summer of 1912. 1t was in an
old log house on the southwest
corner of Shaffer's farm, west of
the pike, in Ayr township. Sam
uel Wise was the teacher. He
lived in house few rods north.
1t was a subscription school, and
was the first school the writer
ever attended. The teacher was
an old man. do not remember
anything about his qualifications
as a teacher, only that he was a
good penman. l have some of
his writing yet Joseph Wise
lived at what was called at that
time the Fountain Inn. David
Andrews lived at the old toll gate
west of the Ridge. David Sny.
der lived where Grant Fix now
lives. Mr.. Moritz lived where
VIM. A. Valance now lives. Robt.
Cluggage lived at the stone house
now Summers). Idon' remem-
ber all who went to school. l on
ly know two that are now living
the two Miss Andrews who re-
side at Mercersburg. Adam and
Charlotte Moritz, who afterwards
lived in McConnellsburg where
Aaron Clevinger lived. Matthew
and Sara Wise, a Miss Allison or
Ellison who lived with the teach
er, and two or three Snyder chill
dren.
In the fall of the same year,
1912, few citizens agreed to
build school house on Adam
Gress's land near the U. b.
church. This is a copy of the
agreement:
"We, the undersigned subscrib-
ers, do hereby certify that we are
all satisfied with the spot chosen
for the site of the school house
that Mr.. Gress is wiling to CON
vey unto us one quarter of an
acre ground, for fifty years, with
all the timber thereon, free of
cost. That we are willing to
build and finish complete the
house at our own eXpense-these
things we, the subscribers, do
certify"
Signed; Samuel Wise, David
Anderson, Joseph Wise, Daniel
Gillis, IA German name,) Henry
Oyler, Norris G. Elvey, VIM.
Stouteagle, Robert Cluggage,
Benjamin Melott.
The house was built of logs.
1t was about 18x20 feet, and was
daubed with clay. They hauled
slabs from Gillis's saw mill,
and bored holes, and cut poles,
and put legs in them for seats,
they also bored holes along the
side, drove pins in them and laid
board on for us to write on.
Samuel Wise was the first
teacher, then, George Gillis, an
old Scotchman. He was terror.
Some of the older boys locked him
out about the holidays, and wanted
him to treat the school. He charg-
ed around the house like some
wild animal. About half of the
scholars were crying. He then
went into the woods Gt was all
woods them and broke down a
dead pine, and got a club. He
then ordered them to open the
door. Catharine Parks, one of
the largest girls, opened the
door. AS soon as he entered, he
commenced to belabor the big
boys with his club, and some of
them were men grown. They
took it all without a murmur. l
will name some of the largest
John and VIM. Fore, Lorenzo and
and Robert Parks, and John
Letter. They could have picked
him up and carried him out.
The next was f. f. Metzler;
then, Knox Alexander, then Miss
Elizabeth McKillips, then David
r. Dunlap, then, Jas. p. Waddle,
then Jacob Rinedollar-each of
the four last named taught two
or three terms each, but not in
succession. | think George d.
Kuhn was the last to teach in the