The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-05-11
LOCAL HISTORY.
Wells Township Schools, Houses, and
Teachers Of Sixty to One Hun
dred Years Ago.
FOR THE NEWS BY NJ. NJ. HORTON.
Continued from last week.


showed the nun Der to be 1O4, too
many for the accommodations af
forded by the old Gibson schoo
house and for one teacher to in
struct properly, so a determined
movement was lnaugurated tc
secure better school facilities
This move encountered strong
opposition outside of No. l dis
trlct. However the members OF
the board of school directors
were willing to build new school
house and voted an approprla-
ton of SlS750 to pay for build
ing one. This sum was too small
to pay for what the people of No.
! district wanted. Some of them
insisted that two new school
houses were needed, one near the
present residence of Mr.. A. 5.
Greenland, the other at Wells
Tannery, while others wanted
one house of two rooms to be
erected near the old Gibson house
and on other side of the nam
road from it. The discussion of
the matter waxed warm then
warmer until two school houses
or one graded one became the
subject of conversation IN homes,
IN shops, on the road when peo.
pie met and even at church on
Sunday-outslde of course.
Wells Valley people never saw
such time before and not since,
unless, perhaps, IN 1898, when
the township supervisors bought
a stone crushing machine to be
used IN preparing stone for use
on the public roads. The school
directors refused to decide the
question at issue and appointed
j. X. Chpplnger and VIM. Hor-
ton, the first IN favor of two
school houses, the latter and ad-
vote Of one graded one, com.
mittee to go together, see every
taxpayer ascertain how he stood,
and report the result of their IN.
vestlgatlon to the school board.
The committee did their work
well and reported a majority of
voters as beng in favor of one
school house of two rooms. This
report dld not suit majority of
the members of the school board;
so they resclnded the action, of
the board, appropriatlng $3.50
to pay for a new school house.
AT a meeting of the board of
school directors on May 80, 1858
The controversy was ended when
Mr. John Wishart appeared be.
lore the board and proposed to
Oulld a two room school house
winch would be satisfactory to
everybody for the sum of fS112.50,
regardless of cost to him. HIS
Ouer was accepted, and W. A.
uray Capt. George White and j.
M' PATTERSON were appointed a
committee to superlntend the
construction of the building.
Mr. Wishart more than full
Illed his bargain, because he
uonated the land on which the
oulldlng was erected and the
ampIe grounds surrounding 1t.
'ue building, together with the
"augements for heating and
"Sn'lng cost him $500, but this
''W' oy no means covered It's
.Os' because there were large
SOuauons of material, labor, ETC.,
" d number of public spirited
V''Nens' The entire cost was
4Ore than $1,000. 1t occupied
'ue site of the present No. |
school house.
, The building was of heavy
r'auA containing two rooms sepa.
''u oy six large folding doors
oa l''n' on occasion, could be fold.
10 the sides. Church and
'uoay school services were held
=, regularly, A fine chandelier
tb. burners suspended from
ceiling and 6 globes contain.
q burners around the walls
cs.i1 @u'Sned brilliant light on oc.
k,0S ,'u Of nignt meetings OF any
There were three outer
'continuod on page four)