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| SCHOOL DAYS |
| This is the oldest piece of Schuylkill Haven school memorabilia in my possession. It is the program from the 1897 Commencement Exercises. |
| Note that the ceremony was held at Metamora Hall which is the current location of Geschwindt Stabingas Funeral Home on Main Street. |
| According to other records, the first commencement held in Schuylkill Haven took place in 1892. |
| A Brief History |
According to the 1925 Schuylkill Haven Anniversary Book, "A log building was erected for religious
and educational purposes in 1806 on the ground donated by Martin Dreibelbis, on the northeastern
outskirts of the borough. In the school the Bible was the most important text book. It was printed
in the German language. English was not taught in this school".
The next mention by the historian of a school was a one story log structure on Saint John Street. In
1836 this school was moved to a brick building on the site of the old high school building on High
Street. Every pupil attending this school paid tuition to meet expenses, rather then taxation paying
for the schooling.
Schuylkill Haven adopted the state school system in 1838. The schools of the time were quite
rudimentary. Books were rare and the Bible was used to a great extent. The following information
was in the 1925 Anniversary Book, having been gathered from an old treasurer's book of the
Schuylkill Haven School District dated 1850 and minute books going back to Civil War days:
"The salaries of the secretary and treasurer of the school district in 1867 were $50 each for the
school year. There were twelve directors, the school term was nine months and the tax rate was
ten mills, eight for school purposes and two for building purposes. The principals salary was $80 a
month and the janitor in the Spring Garden school received $10 a month and the one in the main
building $18 a month. There were eight teachers in the main building and one in Spring Garden.
Tuition rates were $1.25 and $.75 to pupils outside the borough."
A boatman's school was open for about two and a half months in 1874 when canal boating was
impractical. Pliny Porter was elected teacher at a salary of $50 per month.
In 1850, a three story building with eight rooms was built on High Street at a cost of $13,000. The
third floor served as a meeting place for secret societies . The building was later deemed unsafe
causing it's inspection by an architect who claimed it secure but poorly planned. In 1878 the third
floor was removed and a wing added at a cost of $2495. Another wing was later added. In 1858 the
school directors bought St. Paul's Lutheran Church and used it as a school until it was sold to the
Roman Catholics in either 1861 or 1863.
In September of 1874, a one story building was completed by J. H. and R. Sterner at a cost of $1400
in the North Ward. The North Ward Elementary School was later built on this same plot. In 1900 a
one and a half story brick building of two rooms was built on Parkway, then known as Canal Street,
in the South Ward. This was later remodeled into a four room building.
In September 1917, the present Middle School was used for the first time as the new High School
Building. It contained twenty classrooms, a gymnasium, a large storage room, an auditorium with a
seating capacity of 600 and rest rooms. The cost was about $75,000. This building was partially
destroyed by a fire in 1937 with rebuilding completed in 1939. ( Note: I remember my aunt recalling
the fire and stating that a train passing through town delayed some fire equipment from reaching
the scene much to the delight of many students.)
On September 3, 1957 the Schuylkill Haven School District formed a jointure with South Manheim
Township and later Landingville and Port Clinton. This consolidation of small schools was
prevalent at the time. On August 9, 1966, the district was organized as the Schuylkill Haven Area
School District.
Many borough residents remember that there were three elementary schools in town including: the
East Ward located at the intersection of High Street and Union Street, the South Ward at Parkway
and Penn Street and the North Ward on Dock Street. All three buildings held grades one through
four with the East Ward also accommodating grades five and six. The North Ward building was
closed in 1978 and in 1991 the new elementary center on Main Street completed the closing of the
other two buildings. Until 1970 the High School on Haven Street (now the Middle School) housed
grades seven through twelve. The current High School on Main Street opened in 1970 for grades
nine through twelve with the old High School building being converted to the Middle School for
grades five through eight.
and educational purposes in 1806 on the ground donated by Martin Dreibelbis, on the northeastern
outskirts of the borough. In the school the Bible was the most important text book. It was printed
in the German language. English was not taught in this school".
The next mention by the historian of a school was a one story log structure on Saint John Street. In
1836 this school was moved to a brick building on the site of the old high school building on High
Street. Every pupil attending this school paid tuition to meet expenses, rather then taxation paying
for the schooling.
Schuylkill Haven adopted the state school system in 1838. The schools of the time were quite
rudimentary. Books were rare and the Bible was used to a great extent. The following information
was in the 1925 Anniversary Book, having been gathered from an old treasurer's book of the
Schuylkill Haven School District dated 1850 and minute books going back to Civil War days:
"The salaries of the secretary and treasurer of the school district in 1867 were $50 each for the
school year. There were twelve directors, the school term was nine months and the tax rate was
ten mills, eight for school purposes and two for building purposes. The principals salary was $80 a
month and the janitor in the Spring Garden school received $10 a month and the one in the main
building $18 a month. There were eight teachers in the main building and one in Spring Garden.
Tuition rates were $1.25 and $.75 to pupils outside the borough."
A boatman's school was open for about two and a half months in 1874 when canal boating was
impractical. Pliny Porter was elected teacher at a salary of $50 per month.
In 1850, a three story building with eight rooms was built on High Street at a cost of $13,000. The
third floor served as a meeting place for secret societies . The building was later deemed unsafe
causing it's inspection by an architect who claimed it secure but poorly planned. In 1878 the third
floor was removed and a wing added at a cost of $2495. Another wing was later added. In 1858 the
school directors bought St. Paul's Lutheran Church and used it as a school until it was sold to the
Roman Catholics in either 1861 or 1863.
In September of 1874, a one story building was completed by J. H. and R. Sterner at a cost of $1400
in the North Ward. The North Ward Elementary School was later built on this same plot. In 1900 a
one and a half story brick building of two rooms was built on Parkway, then known as Canal Street,
in the South Ward. This was later remodeled into a four room building.
In September 1917, the present Middle School was used for the first time as the new High School
Building. It contained twenty classrooms, a gymnasium, a large storage room, an auditorium with a
seating capacity of 600 and rest rooms. The cost was about $75,000. This building was partially
destroyed by a fire in 1937 with rebuilding completed in 1939. ( Note: I remember my aunt recalling
the fire and stating that a train passing through town delayed some fire equipment from reaching
the scene much to the delight of many students.)
On September 3, 1957 the Schuylkill Haven School District formed a jointure with South Manheim
Township and later Landingville and Port Clinton. This consolidation of small schools was
prevalent at the time. On August 9, 1966, the district was organized as the Schuylkill Haven Area
School District.
Many borough residents remember that there were three elementary schools in town including: the
East Ward located at the intersection of High Street and Union Street, the South Ward at Parkway
and Penn Street and the North Ward on Dock Street. All three buildings held grades one through
four with the East Ward also accommodating grades five and six. The North Ward building was
closed in 1978 and in 1991 the new elementary center on Main Street completed the closing of the
other two buildings. Until 1970 the High School on Haven Street (now the Middle School) housed
grades seven through twelve. The current High School on Main Street opened in 1970 for grades
nine through twelve with the old High School building being converted to the Middle School for
grades five through eight.
| To the left is an example of the headgear worn by band members of the past. |
| Two cheerleader patches from the 1950's and band patches from 1933 and 1941 are shown at right. |
| Schuylkill Haven is the home of the "Blue and Gold" but classes of 1928,1935 and 1936 apparently preferred other colors for their class pennants. |
| The bell from the East Ward school on Union Street is now displayed at the Elementary Center. A plaque states that the bell was in service from August 17, 1923 until May of 1973. |
| On the left is the high school on Haven Street as it originally appeared. On the right is the same school later renovated after the fire of 1937. |
| Here are pictures of the three elementary schools. At the upper left is the South Ward building on Parkway. At the upper right is the East Ward building at High and Union Streets, not the one presently there. This is the original school, not the one built in 1931. Below is the North Ward school on Dock Street. **Note that these cards did not scan well and are better viewed by clicking on each thumbnail. |
| THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL |
| Here are pictures of the present High School as it was built. At left is a photo of the grounds in August of 1968. Apparently at one time, the Almshouse (Rest Haven), used the field to plant potatoes. The lower photo is during construction in December 1968. |
| In the top photo on the right, the school is nearing completion in March of 1969. The lower photo shows the finished project in October of 1969. |
....frequent additions will
be made to this page...
be made to this page...
| LAST UPDATED: JUNE 9 |
| Clicking on this photo will improve it's clarity. Prior to million dollar turf, field houses and new bleachers and lights, Rotary Field served the "Hurricanes" in rudimentary fashion. |
| BLUE & GOLD |
| The Blue and Gold annual yearbook was first published at Schuylkill Haven High School in 1923 and continues today. In 1920, it was called Panorama and in 1921 it was called the Oriflamme. At left, click on the photo to see the intent of the first staff and on the right are three examples of the annual including the 1923 first volume. |
| Uniforms have changed since these early photos of Schuylkill Haven basketball teams: the girl's team of 1922-23 above and the boy's team of 1911-1912 below. |
| This aerial photograph from 2004 shows the high school at the top with the elementary center on the left and the football field at the bottom |
| Scroll down and read the articles about school fumigation, "defective students", Schuylkill Haven's graduation record and on the plans to build a new high school in 1916 in addition to the planning stages and formal opening of Rotary Field and the opening of the East Ward cornerstone in 1931 when construction of a new building began. |
| Pottsville Republican of October 27, 1931 HAVEN SCHOOL CORNERSTONE CONTENTS ARE INTERESTING Newspapers, old by-laws, names of officials, money, etc., found in the cornerstone of the old east ward school building at Schuylkill Haven, which has now been entirely torn down were found and are most interesting to native citizens. They are now on display and will in a few days be enclosed in glass for preservation. A gold dollar is among the coins. A slip of paper states that Henry Saylor was burgess, Philip- Boyer, Moses Reed, Daniel Lavenburg, David Lewis and a man named Shultz were councilmen. The cornerstone was laid in August, 1850 and the service of the Masonic fraternity was used. The building cost $7000 and the funds were largely raised with subscriptions of citizens from fifty dollars up. The Schuylkill Haven paper then was named the Schuylkill Haven Map. Many of the firms, advertising are still remembered by citizens of today. Market quotations showed wheat at $1.18 per bushel, eggs were ten cents per dozen, whiskey sold for twenty five cents per gallon. The population of the borough then was 2061 with 471 dwellings and 497 families. In 1850 to that time, 46 couples were married, 423 pupils attended school and there were 315 persons over thirty years of age who could neither read nor write. Of the fraternity bylaws placed in the cornerstone, Carroll Lodge Number 120, I. O. O. F. is the only surviving order. Rates for coal freight on the canal were given as twenty five cents per ton to Hamburg, up to seventy two cents per ton to Manayunk and Philadelphia. |
| Here are two programs from the Schuylkill Haven high school football team. The example at left is from the September 16, 1955 game against Minersville. The example at right is from the October 1, 1954 game against Cass Township which they apparently won 25-0 according to the pencil marks of the original owner. |
| In 1953, the Schuylkill Haven football team won the first of many Eastern Conference championships. It was the first championship in this conference for the school. On December 5, 1953, Rotary Field held it's first championship game. Coach Bill Stauffer's Southern Division champs defeated the Northern Division champ, Scranton Tech, 28-6. Below is a ticket from that important game. INFO FROM MIKE TRACEYS BOOK "HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN FOOTBALL" |
| SCHUYLKILL HAVEN PLANS FOR A NEW HIGH SCHOOL |
| Pottsville Republican of January 6, 1916 $60,000 FOR SCHUYLKILL HAVEN SCHOOL At the meeting of the Schuylkill Haven School Board on Wednesday evening, Frank X. Reilly of Pottsville, was awarded the contract to draw up plans for the new high school building to be erected in that town. Two other architects, Towner of new York and High of Reading competed with Reilly but owing to the experience of Reilly with schools and public buildings, the board decided to award the contract to him at the rate of four percent, which will be $2400 or more. The new building will cost in the neighborhood of $60,000 and when completed will cost about $68,000. The building will be erected on Haven Street and will be a two story building with a basement to be used for school purposes. In the basement will be a gymnasium and manual training room, both of which will be fitted up with modern equipment. On the first floor will be five or six rooms, a hall separating; on the top floor there will be three more rooms and a large auditorium, which will be used for all public affairs of the high school, also for commencement. The building will be of brick with stone trimmings and will be a modern building in every respect. It is proposed to make it one of the finest in the county and the board desires that everything be done to have the building compare favorably with any high school building in the county. A meeting of the board will be held on Friday evening at which Architect Reilly will be present with a set of plans and if the board adopts the plans, bids will be asked and work started on the building in early spring. |
| The Call of October 4,1929 ATHLETIC FIELD TO BE FORMALLY OPENED SATURDAY |
| The much discussed and dreamed of High School Athletic Field will have become a reality when Schuylkill Haven High meets Pottsville High on the new field next Saturday afternoon. No event in years has caused so much speculation among both students and citizens as the opening of the field and the rivals who will assist in the dedication. The plot of ground was presented to the school district in 1925 by the Rotary Club of Schuylkill Haven. At that time a committee of citizens raised some money for its improvement. In the fall of 1926, high school students under the direction of Professor Madeira stage the play, "Audrey", which netted a sum of over five hundred dollars. These two funds combined amounted to twelve hundred dollars and furnished the means for carrying out the work of grading of a part of the plot which was in progress most of the summer. Preliminary surveys were made possible throughout the voluntary services of Mr. George Butz of the Pennsylvania Highway Department. As a result of the surveys, it was found that enough of the plot could be graded to provide for a first class gridiron. The present field is the result of the action taken by the Athletic Field Committee, authorizing the work and placing it in the hands of Rotarians Harry F. Loy and Clinton Confehr. The field is not complete in every respect but is a vast improvement over the gridiron on Island Park. Adequate seating space in the form of bleachers will be erected and through future benefits of various kinds to be held annually it is hoped to gradually equip the field and enclose it with a fence. This plot of ground has the potentialities for a worthwhile community playground. The original plans call for tennis courts, swimming pool, volleyball courts, cinder track, baseball field, etc. With a little additional work it should be possible to provide new and better accommodations for the city league next summer. Coach Stauffer is working hard in getting his team in the pink of condition for Saturday's game. The McAdoo and Port Carbon games afforded excellent opportunity for showing any weak spots and these are receiving the attention of the coaches this week. Secret practice, something new for the squad, has been the order all week and the opening whistle on Saturday will no doubt release a new bag of tricks on the wily visitors. No game in years has enlisted the general interest of football fans in the community as this game has, and it bodes well for an interest in all school sports throughout the year. The Girl's Glee Club will sing the Alma Mater and the Boy's High School Band will play and march to dedicate the field. Professor Madeira will throw the ball to start the initial game. Schuylkill Haven won the game 12-0. |
| The Call of February 4, 1927 BOARD CLOSED SCHOOLS FOR FUMIGATION Upon orders from the Board of Health, the school rooms in the East Ward of Schuylkill Haven were closed down Tuesday morning in order that the same might be given a thorough cleansing and fumigation. This was deemed necessary in order to combat the threatened spread of scarlet fever and other contagious diseases in this community. Other ward buildings are also to be closed down for a sufficient number of days to provide for the proper fumigation and cleansing of all schools. The Haven Street building was closed down Wednesday that it would be properly fumigated. In the meantime parents of all pupils are asked to cooperate with the Board of Health and the Board of Education in this work by fumigating the home and clothing, also by freely distributing disinfectants on the premises. The Board of Health reached the decision to close the schools at its meeting Monday evening after reports were heard showing that the situation was more grave than had first been considered. It was shown by an actual investigation that on Monday afternoon nineteen students were absent from school on account of chicken pox, six on account of scarlet fever and seventy five on account of other illness, making a total of one hundred pupils or about ten percent of the total enrollment. In the East Ward building the conditions appeared to be worthy of most consideration and definite drastic steps to prevent the spread of disease. In all wards it was found that the rooms had not been fumigated or given any large amount of disinfectant since January 21st and January 22nd. The situation was freely discussed by board members and it was the consensus of opinion that the health laws must be more stringently enforced and complied with to the letter. The law requiring that children absent from school more then three days must have an excuse from the attending physician or family physician before returning to school will be enforced. It is the duty of the truant officer to investigate the absence of all pupils daily, that is, those whose absence has not already been explained. The Health Officer reported that during the month forty one cases of chicken pox have been reported, eight cases of scarlet fever, one case of scarletina and one case of diphtheria. The members of the board were rather chagrined to learn that they had unknowingly permitted a dangerous procedure in the matter of the Junior Choir of the Cressona High School being in attendance at an entertainment given in the High School auditorium last Thursday evening under the auspices of the Odd Fellows. The Cressona schools had been closed last week on account of diphtheria being prevalent in that town. |
| The Call of June 17, 1927 499 GRADUATED FROM HAVEN HIGH Four hundred and ninety nine students have received diplomas from the Schuylkill Haven public schools since the first class of 1879. It is interesting to note the steady increase in the number of graduates in the last several years. It would also be very interesting to know just how many members of these graduating classes are living, how many reside in Schuylkill Haven and how many are now engaged in a profession or how many are successful business executives. There were very few years since the first quartet of graduates stepped from public school life into the world life before them, that did not see a class of graduates from our schools. We would welcome and our readers surely would appreciate if we could republish any article covering any of the very early commencement exercises of our schools. Perhaps some reader can supply such an article. 1879 4 1895 5 1908 7 1920 22 1880 6 1896 3 1909 11 1921 19 1881 1 1897 6 1910 11 1922 30 1882 2 1898 1 1911 14 1923 24 1883 2 1899 11 1912 11 1924 35 1885 5 1900 15 1913 13 1925 45 1887 1 1901 7 1914 10 1926 38 1889 2 1903 5 1915 14 1927 56 1890 5 1905 5 1916 11 TOT 499 1892 4 1906 10 1918 18 1894 3 1907 6 1919 17 This chart appeared in the article detailing the number of graduates by year. Note single digit class numbers even past 1900 and some years with no graduates. The 500th graduate from Schuylkill Haven did not take place until 1928, 49 years after the first graduates. |
| The Call of February 20, 1920 HALF OF PUPILS DEFECTIVE From the report of the medical examination conducted in the public schools of town by the state medical examiner some time ago, it is learned that of the 872 pupils examined, almost one half the number are afflicted with some defect or the other. The purpose of the examination is to be helpful to the pupils. When the examination is made the reports are forwarded to the state by the examiner. From the state department is sent, to the parent or guardian of the pupil, a card giving a complete result of the findings of the examiner. The defects are listed and enumerated and suggestions made for the elimination of the same or improvement of the condition. The idea of the state in conducting theses examinations and notifying the parents of the measures to be taken is for the improvement in the health of the scholars. There is no obligation on the part of the parent to comply recommendations, but it is thought that most parents are sufficiently desirous of having their children in as healthy a condition as possible and glad to take the suggested steps for the improvement of that condition. The complete report is as follows: Pupils enrolled: 931 Pupils examined: 872 Defective pupils: 434 Normal pupils: 438 Pupils with: defective vision, 91; defective hearing, 9; unclean teeth, 2; decayed teeth, 372; slightly enlarged tonsils, 74; greatly enlarged tonsils, 23; slight impairment breathing, 10; marked malnutrition, 1; deformities, 2. |
| The Call of July 2, 1926 WORK ON FIELD TO START AT ONCE Development of the proposed ten acre athletic field for Schuylkill Haven will be begun within the next several days as a result of the meeting of the Athletic Field Association held in the Town Hall Wednesday evening. The plan for the development of the complete ten acre plot, as submitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs was approved by the association and the Board of Education will be requested to approve the same. A committee was appointed to superintend and direct the work which is to be started immediately. The present program calls for the development of the entire plot but this will require a number of years. A particular part of the field was ordered to be given attention at once. This part will be a section 250 feet long and 575 feet wide and will include a track, baseball field, football field, spaces for high jumping, pole vaulting, shot putting, etc. and also grand stands. An urgent request is made that as many members of the student body and individual citizens as can do so, plan to take part in this preliminary work at once. It will be necessary to plow some sections of the field, level and fill up other sections. Teams, wagons, tractors, plows, harrows and scoops will be required. The committee in charge issues a call for volunteers to begin work at once. The chairman of this committee will give full details of what is required. The general plan not only covers the above named appointments but also tennis courts, volleyball courts, horseshoe courts, swimming pool, bandstand and large recreation park. The plans call for trees to be planted throughout the grounds and with the work being continued from year to year, it is believed that within a period of five years or possibly three, the field will be completely under development. The Athletic Field Project is to be thoroughly explained to the general public at a meeting that is to be held within the next ten days or two weeks in the high school auditorium. Secretary Keith was instructed and authorized to procure at once a speaker for the occasion. At this public meeting the deed for the ground will officially be turned over to the Board of Education by the Rotary Club. The committee appointed to make arrangements for the public meeting consists of Clinton Confehr, Chairman, Harry Loy, Harry Goas, Mrs. E. B. Pflueger, and H. E. Oswald. This committee has already outlined an interesting tentative program for the meeting. The plot of ground has already been staked off by Engineer Butz assisted by members of the student body of the high school and the instructors. The stakes show the number of feet to be cut and the number of feet and points where fill is required. It is realized the entire ten acres can not be put under development at once. That is the reason why the Association determined upon one particular section to be first developed. Due announcement of the meeting and details will appear in these columns next week. The committee appointed by President Stauffer to have charge of the development of the field at this time is as follows: Harry Goas, Chairman, H. A. Reber, F. H. Minnig, Raymond Hill, E. B. Hill, Harry F. Loy, Fred R. Burkert, Mrs. W. B. Johnston and Mrs. A. R. Maberry. 6/9 |
| Plans for a school recreation complex begin... |