Borough of Etna - Centennial Festivities Yearbook (Etna, PA)

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'71I lY'I!5lFl'll!'.Z1E!l!lll3!l!l'f v 'er1v1w' ...... T , . . .qui .T - E , ,xx I .-... . ..,,.,. ,..,..- .1 , , V HIST6RY or ETNA SCHOOLS The public school law passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1834, for the first twenty-one years of its existence, met with persistent opposition in many districts in the state. But to the credit of the people of Shaler Township, part of which years later became Etna Borough, the law seems to have been given loyal support. The first school house within the territory mentioned, that was not more a church than a school house, was erected on that part of the Spang property which at the present time lies between Zipis Distributors and Miss Henrietta Archer's home at 616 Butler Street, then the Old Butler Plank Road. fOn the other side of Zip's still stands the building which housed the first church in Etna.l The second school building was erected on what is now Vine Street. Mrs. D. Edwin Austen's grandmother, Mrs. Alexander Smith, nee Chessman, went to school in this building. She was born in 1839. This school was discontinued in 1858, possibly a half dozen years after the Spang building ceased to be used as a school. They had been co-existing for many years. In a History of the Etna Schools written by Professor J. A. Irvine and published in 1908 are listed such names as H. B. Lyon, father of ex-Lieutenant Governor Lyon, John and Obediah Cratty and A. J. Reed, after- wards killed in the Civil War, as teachers in the Spang school. A partial list of pupils ffurther condensed herel contains the still familiar names of Farmerie, Weible and Griesmeref original spelling Grismerl. William Gulbraith is said to have been the first teacher in the Vine Street School. Among others is a man by the name of Luthead, nicknamed 'Leather- head' by the boys who delighted to honor him. ln the partial list of pupils in the Vine Street school appear such names as Yahres, Williams, Taylor, Hunter, Stewart, Hieber, Lee, and Ochse, all still familiar names to many of us f1969D. An effort L , ,, , istory of those old schoo ffand their earlier pupils was- ot attended 3' . f. 'tu.... - . .. .L by much success, Mr. Irvine writes. The memories of the older citizens were his chief source of information. But he says they could hardly be expected to remember the prosaic records of a couple of old musty schools. After all, . . . squirrels had not ceased to bark in the hickories on Creismere's Hill. An occasional wild turkey in the tops of the forests that crowned the lower ridges above Pine Creek caused no surprises . . .', Murray's Grammar, Cobb's Speller and Gaff's Arithmetic held no such pleasant memories. ln about 1852 the Shaler Township people erected a school building about ten rods north of the old Spang building on a part of what was known as the Purviance property. It had more floor space than the other two buildings combined and accomodated overflow pupils from t.he Vine Street school fthe Spang building having been closedl. For the two years immediately preceding the building of the four-roomed school H8603 in what is now lower Etna, and is presently, 1969, the Borough Building, most of the pupils residing within the limits of Etna, as well as many from the territory that was not yet a part of the borough were compelled to use the Purviance School. The family names of pupils in this school for several years therefore were often those of pupils who had earlier attended the Vine Street school. The teachers seem to have been largely the same as in the two earlier schools. In 1860 the building now occupied by the council chamber was erected. At first the two rooms were only used for school purposes and the Purviance School was continued until sometime later. After the Civil War that among other things, dethroned cotton and made iron king, we find the schools flourishing in sympathy with the newly awakened industry upon which they so much depended. ln 1868 Etna became a borough and since that time the schools have always had a principal in general charge. .alu m -umnlaidgi. ' ' ..Mm.1 , 1 ' ' 27

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IJRWIVIINIII of lfozlnril 1868-18951 189-l-1899 1900-1903 190-1-1906 1907 1908-1909 1910-1911 1912 1913-1914- 1915 1916 1917 1918-1921 1922-1931 1932-1936 1937-1941 1942-19-1-7 1948-1949 1950-1951 1952 1953-1969 ETNA fBurgess preside-di Alex Martin H. G. Semple W. B. Kroessen A. J. Stilz Chas. H. ,lahn George Buehler Wm. F. Poppe E. R. Wasan Alex Andres D. E. Giles E. R. Yvasan G. S. Sanders Alex Andres Roy S. Morton Alex Andres John P. Ladesic Carl A. Grau John P. Ladesic Robert Klein John P. Ladesic BOROUGH Borough Clerks fGhanged to Secretary, 1954-1 1868 .l. L. Loyd 1869-1871 1. L. Elsesser 1871-1873 1.1. Cilley 1874--1875 W. Williams 1876-1879 George Yveibel 1880-1881 Thomas H. Shedden 1881-1883 1... Elsessel' 1884 Chas. Henderson 1885 J. L. Elsesser 1886-1888 Robt. Malone 1889-1890 1. W. Hughes 1891-1892 W. R. Charlton 1893-1896 1. W. Hughes 1897-1900 G. W. McClelland 1901-1902 George Zoerb 1903 Gus Kammerer 1904--1907 A. R. Dunbar 1908-1937 J. G. Armstrong 1938-194-7 S. L. Marshall 194-8-1969 William M. Skertich EARLY NATIONALITIES A successful industry must have skilled workers. Mr. Albert D. Jones recounts that the firm of Spang Chal- fant recruited iron workers from Wales. His grand- father came from Oakdale in Mommenshire on the English-Welsh border. He came to Etna as a puddler in 18711. Many Welsh families settled around the base of the hill, Mt. Daulis, above the Butler turnpike. Among them we find such names as Rees,'Howell, Lloyd, Phillips, Minto, and Jones. The Welsh were nicknamed, Goat, and it is known as Goat Hill today. Their small Methodist mission church was built about 1836 on Butler Street and had a burial ground back of it. lt is a two-family dwelling now owned by Victor Bosilevac. M,

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T. T. Taylor Mi. ifyvtton and H. W. ross at different time: were Lf tf i iii Aipalg of the sc once held in the old toxin hall kntun then as the Locust Street zchool. A few of Lhe names once familiar in this first Locust Street School in addition to earlier ones named are Zoerb Ixi.Kadden Henderson Schafer Obenauf Elsessor and Seel fLillian Lees father John Seel was a pupil here.l The second Locust Street buildino built in 1875 at the corner of Locust and Tvalnut and erected on land assibned for this specific purpose had as its first princi- , I closinb with June 1907'M'lss'f:arv:tlaeMeGain-held that position. Thereafter for many years Miss Annie Nixon served in this capacity as highly respected and very thoroubh teachers in Etna H904-1932l. Miss Nixon also was Principal at Wilson Street for several years. Such names as Dixon lnoersol Hull Buehler Egli, .lones and Byerley wt ere included among the roster of generation of Etna. Later appeared fto name only a fewl Kane Derry Lance Wise French and Schor. A samplino of pupils names amon hundreds are Weber, Stoll Heckel McKee Metzber Pfaub Orluske Calvert, Chalfant and Broge. The old school bell which hunt, so many gears in the tower of this buildina the tower also housed the town clock on which those who could see its face or hear its .-......... fi + 'r I l Q sw 1 4. ff , C s 1 i it s hool Q P s C' ., g , , v 1 , X S 1 a 1 a 1 Y Lkingensmith. Thomas. Cubbage. Stilz, Eichenlaub, teachers. Each is remembered by a legion of the older v , 9 7 7 5 U 7 7 7 0' U g 7 7 7 rr 1 7 Y U 5 U' 7 ff f .4 at f F ,M 'rj ,W 't W5 MR. MALONE MR. J. Q. A. IRVINE Lt-ini f i SEATED: Miss Mellie Henderson, Miss Annie McCrae, Miss Sara Kiskaddcn, Miss Ella Seavey. STANDING: Mr. Alonzo Hughes, Miss Boles, Mr. Robert Malone, Mr. .l. A. Irvine. pal H. W. Cross. previously named, then in the order named: H. M. Upp, R. J. Malone. J. A. Irvine, fthe latter from 18111-l9lfLl. Miss Fanny Cuhlnage. Miss Ella Seavey. Miss Annie Mccraclien, Miss Iota Thomas. Miss Sara Kislfnrlden. Miss Mellie Henderson and Mr. John J. Tvilliams were leaf,-hers during Mr. Malone! term as principal. From September lflflfl to June H392. Miss Mary E. Hole served as Assistant Principal and for sixteen years 28 Uni' stroke dcpendedl can be seen, silent and uricradled in the court of Bell Towers. In deep relief can be read: Cast hy A. Fulton's Son St Co. X Pittsli1irg lBl5 . L-.- -f. t