Oil City High School - Oil Can Yearbook (Oil City, PA)

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Elementary Schools Lay the Foundation for Higher Learning The haphazard growth of Oil City resulted in the development of a poorly organized system of elementary education. The Central Avenue School of about 1880 was soon followed by the Pearl Avenue, Grant Street, and Main Street buildings. Later, buildings were erected at Seneca Street, Hoffman Avenue, Selden Avenue, and Gay Street. Shortly before 1920, elementary schools were constructed at Innis H 9 17

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Street and Cedar Avenue. Finally, in 1912, Siverly was annexed to Oil City and its Glenview Avenue buildings, which had served as both a primary and a secondary school, were added to the s stem. Thus existed eleven elementary schools where the Department of Public Instruction advised only six. In accord with its recommendations, the deteriorated Glenview Avenue and Gay Street schools were replaced by 1933. The students at the Seneca Street, Hoffman Avenue, Pearl Avenue and Cedar Avenue schools were later transferred to Lincoln school. The Seneca Street building then served as City Hall for a time. The School Board in 1954 initiated a program to improve further the elementary schools. The Central Avenue building, the first story of which later served as a fire house, was replaced by the Seventh Street School and the Inn is Street building by one at Smedley Street. As part of the improvement program, the Main Street and Selden Avenue buildings were razed and the Grant Street building rebuilt, while the Oakland, Hasson Heights, and Rouseville schools were reorganized by reason of a jointure of school districts. Original Oil City Elementary Schools: I. Main Street, 2. Selden Avenue. 3. Pearl Avenue. 4. Hoffman Avenue, 5. Seneca Street. 6. Inms Street. 7. Cedar Avenue. 8. (jlcnview Avenue, 9. Grant Street. 10. Gay Street. Junior High — Now Elementary: 11. Lincoln. Replacement Schools: 12. Gay. 13. Seventh. 14. Smedley. 15. Siverly. 16. Grant. 17. Oakland. 18. Rouseville. 19. Hasson Heights.