A Visit by Senior Residents from Mrs. Bush's Personal Care Home
Renee & I were thrilled to host a group of ladies from Mrs. Bush's Personal Care Home.
This visit was arranged by Carrie Schafer.
She is the "social" director & bus driver and all around person who enriches the lives of the residents at this wonderful facility.
They spent a wonderful morning with us as we stepped back in time to 1855.
Some of the ladies took a brief break on the porch while others were still managing their way up the stairs. If anyone has an idea on how we can make the building handicap accessible - please let us know. This has been our greatest challenge.
For the first time in 73 years the strains of "My Country Tis of Thee" rang out from the open windows.
I had printed the words on a chart in front but the ladies didn't need it. The words were still safely stored in their minds for the last 70 or so years.
We also enjoyed singing a few typical children's school songs from days gone by. Most knew that the dell from "Farmer in the Dell" meant a small valley, but they were surprised to learn that the "derry" from the line "hi-ho the derry-o" actually referred to thick forests of oak trees that surrounded the dell.
One of our guests was 101
and one of our guests was
born in Brooklyn New York - this feisty damsel "fondled" my mustache as I walked with her
to the bus later.
Our walk thru history included handling actual bullets from the Civil War and a grape cannon ball.
We discussed the various flags that flew over this school during its 90 year history - through 4 American wars.
I shared with them how the building "came alive" in just a couple of years.
I am amazed when I look back and recall how far we have come.
We talked about embarrassing moments in school, first loves and about making clothes from used burlap seed and feed bags.
When I noticed the ladies whispering amongst themselves, as I spoke, I knew they were so engaged in what I was saying that it was reminding them of personal experiences & memories.
It is moments like this visit
that fill us with joy.
They also enjoyed hearing our story about Otto & Gertrude, the two wood figures attached to trees near the outhouse.
Local kids refer to them as the school kids and like to "visit" them.
The days of carting supplies to the school in the back of our car now all seem like distant memories.
The amount of repair that was needed was a bit daunting.
And the months of scraping, sanding, repairing the ceiling, plastering the huge holes in the walls, the application of anti-fugal and anti-mold primer, the second coat of primer and then the repeated coats of paint are now distant memories.
Even the dusting & cleaning that followed each step seem worth it now.
These faces are the payment for all that work.
We had to say goodbye, but one visitor ignored us as she continued reading one of our guides.
We finally said our goodbyes and I handed them each a gift - an Eldred Township Passport that included a map of Eldred Township with 23 noteworthy sites marked.
Check the map out below. If you have visited all the sites (or when you do) let us know and we will e-mail you a certificate as a member of the
Eldred Expert Elite
And we agreed to take them on a bus tour of all 23 sites next month - I am really looking forward to that.
Anyone who would like to visit the 1855 One Room School (at 485 Church Road, Kunkletown) just let us know and we will arrange a convenient time & date - it can be just for you or for a group you are involved with.
I guess the photo of our new friends from Mrs. Bush's can be considered our last graduating class.
This black & white photo was given to us by our dear friend Patti Borger Keyes. Her grandfather & father were both teachers in one room schools.
I believe this is her grandfather James A. Borger and his class at our Frantz School back in the 1930's or earlier.