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They said in 1838 that the township was too large for the convenience of the people, that nature divided it by Limestone Ridge and in reference to schools they said “The present situation is very unpropitious and prejudicial to the common school system, because of the difficulty in forming sub-districts and locating school houses to the convenience of the inhabitants, and on account of the high ridges running longituidually and forming a complete separation of interest.” The court named the new township Limestone after the prevailing rocks. And here we suggest to the people that the Court made a mistake which at even this late day it ought to correct. The township was the scene of the struggle with the Indians in 1755. Within the borders the treaty of William Penn with the Indians was broken and by the Indians themselves. Those important matters should be preserved in the name of some of the principal actors. The township should have been called LeRoy, after Jean Jacques LeRoy, who was killed by the Indians at the spring bearing his name, or after Andrew Smith, the first settler or after Peter Lick or Leninger, who was killed with LeRoy. The name LeRoy has become fixed in history and that is in all probability the name on which the people would agree. Doubtless, on petition, the Court would change the name. Again it should be remebered that Limestone Township was the first portion of our county to receive white population. They came in by canoes up Penn’s Creek from etc. (Much of this page is torn off and the wording not there.) In the early days those persons in the eastern part of the township, sent their children to the school at Dreisbach church, which existed from a very early date (previous to 1800). There was a school house built before 1800 near White Spring Mill. Alexander Templeton, John Holmes and Robert Taylor taught here. About 1820 another school house was built on the same lot, which was given by Robert Barber, Esq. This school house, designed by John H. Hickok was considered a model in its day. It had dwelling apartments for the teacher in one end. (There was a distinct loss to teachers when the custom of furnishing a dwelling was abandoned.) Among the teachers at White Springs were George N. Youngman, Michael H. Weaver, David Mizener and Charles Hill. There was a school house where Philip Deater lived in 1886. From Wickersham’s History I gather: “Before 1830, besides the school houses at White Springs, and at Deater’s there was one in an old still house at John Seebold’s and another in an old house where widow Harman lived in 1886, all kept open probably for three months by subscriptions. Teachers were: J. Hunt, Isaac Moore, William Dersham, John Dunn, Joseph Eylert, William Reichert, John Ettinger, Howard Swineford, George Lehman (1834), Mr. Capus, John Crossgrove (1836) Henry Zellars (1827) and David Crossgrove. The free school was put in operation in 1837 and several school houses were built by Samuel Hoover, one at Stees, one near Centerville bridge and one about midway between New Berlin and Centerville bridge. The directors built two houses to take the place of the old one at White Springs and on the road from White Springs Mills to the other on the western end of D.W. Pellman’s farm. There were in 1886 seven school houses in the township. Prof. D.P. Stapleton says: As early as 1790 a school house stood on the red shale ridge west of White Springs, where Robert Taylor was teacher and among others he had for pupils Alexander Templeton and John Holmes. The Templetons were a prominent family in the early historyof the last century left for the West. There was a school house erected at Dice (Battletown) about 1800, which continued until 1837, when the free public schools came into existence. About 1840 the house was erected at Turkey Run. Some of the teachers at Battletown were: Henry Zellers, 1827; Isaac Moore; ______Corell; George Leaman, 1834; ______Capas; John Mackalamey; Samuel Crossgrove. Limestone furnished the following soldier teachers: David Richley, Lewis Spangler, George Seebold, Robert Jamison (the last in the Spanish American War.) The best known educators of Limestone township were John H. Hick and his son, Henry C. Hick, afterwards first superintendent of Public Instruction in Pa. Statistics for Limestone township 1857: number of schools, 5; months of school term, 4; number of male teachers, 5; salary $20 per month, number of pupils, 223; cost of tuition per month, 44 cents; amount of school tax, $572; mill rate, .002; State appropriations, $55.65; repairs, $16.64. For 1877: number of schools, 7; term, 5 months; male teachers, 7; salary, $ 30 per month; number of pupils, 289; cost of tuition per month, 80 cents; mill rate, .003; school tax, $1087.25; State appropriation, $211.60. repairs, $117.79. For 1907: number of schools, 7; school term, 7 months; number of male teachers, 3; female teachers, 4; salary, $40 and $50; number of pupils, 162; cost tuition per month, $2.48; mill rate, .0035; total school tax, $2342.09; State appropriation, $782.25; repairs, $270.46; cost of text books, $142; cost of school supplies, $159.27; fuel and all other expense, $476.96. (From, HISTORY OF THE SCHOOLS OF UNION COUNTY” by Lontz.) © Copyright 2010 by Mifflinburg Telegraph Weekly Newspaper Top of Page |
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