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1855 Frantz One-Room Schoolhouse
2018 Open House
(October 21st, 2018)
Jack Breidinger's mom
proudly rang the school bell
on Sunday Oct 21st calling
the "class" to order for the
4th annual open house
of the
1855 Frantz One-Room School.
As folks parked their cars
and came in, on this very chilly
afternoon, Renee & I
couldn't help but recall
how just a few years earlier,
on Halloween night 2014
we took possession
of the school.
It was something of a surprise.
We didn't expect to be responsible for such an
important piece
of Eldred history.
After the panic wore off,
we put a much needed
new roof on the school &
nailed a large American flag
to the front of the building.
The following Spring, we opened
the school to the public
for the first time
in 70 years.
And here we were now,
welcoming friends, neighbors and strangers who would soon be our newest friends
to the fully restored building.
During the first open house,
visitors had to step over a gaping
hole in the rotted out deck.
The ceiling had a piece missing
and the walls were fragile and
cracked with gaping holes.
There was no electric
and the floors were sticky
with about 3/8th of an inch
of motor oil residue
used to preserve the wood.
But today, 163 years after
the Frantz School opened for
the very first class of students
visitors were able to
"step" back in time and
"visit" the Frantz School
in its "prime".
The school now has a robust
group of folks
dedicated to keeping the
school "alive" and a part
of Eldred Township.
For this open house,
Leanne Sampson
brought part of her
collection of artifacts for
all our visitors to enjoy.
Notice in the photo to the left,
a stone bowl & rounded rock
used to grind "flour"
and also three rocks that
were early "axes".
Native Americans of the Lenape Nation made "flour" of
wheat, barley, oats and corn.
It was thrilling to actually
touch these implements
used in the early days.
Leanne was gratious as she
explained over and over
how these stone tools
were used.
She also brought along
the most extensive collection
of arrow heads
that I had ever seen.
At the open house
it was an opportunity for
neighbors and family members
to catch up on the
latest happenings and share
memories from the "old" days.
The school's blackboards
date back to 1855,
made from slate "mined"
in nearby quarries.
On one blackboard we have
a "lesson" in
Pennsylvania Dutch.
When this school first opened
lessons were given in German,
the language spoken at home.
Throughout the day,
visitors came and went
and no one complained about
the cold temperature.
Although our school is a
legitimate museum
we advise first time visitors
"Everything here is meant
to be touched".
We invite them to pick items up
and to look through drawers
and on shelves for
items of interest.
On the desks we have about
16 boxes filled in total
with several hundred
historic photos, maps & drawings.
This year's open house
had a very special added feature.
Our friend Shelley DePaul
is an active member of the
Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania.
She met with Tribal Council
to have them agree
to cosponsor this year's
open house.
And we were very excited
that she brought along
the 2018 Treaty which
they previously brought to signing
ceremonies as
they boated along the
Delaware River.
Our visitors were given an
opportunity to sign the Treaty
and become committed
to preserving our natural environment and keeping the
history - past, present & future -
alive in specific ways.
This treaty signing
ceremony only takes place
every four years.
Renee & I have established
a permanent Lenape exhibit
at the Frantz School.
And we reached out to nearly
200 friends on the western tip
of Long Island
(today's Sunset Park where
there was a large
Lenape Village)
to sign the treaty
and to help us reach out to
ten elementary schools
and provide them with a
collection of Lenape stories.
We hope that we will
be able to build a
permanent, on-going
partnership with the
Lenape, based at
the
Frantz School.
While there will be no
treaty signing ceremony
for the next three years,
we will invite visitors to
the school
to sign a commitment
to the goals of the actual treaty.
Many of our visitors
spent most of their time
thumbing through our
photo boxes.
It was especially nice
to see families
gathering for group
photos at the school.
This chart represents a portion
of our Lenape Nation exhibit.
Here, our friend Shelley is
reviewing our collection
of photos & information
about the Lenape Nation.
We asked her to review
the material for its
accuracy & appropriateness
for display.
Nothing was more pleasing
to us than the smiles
on the faces of our visitors.
The two women in the center
of this group
are Kay & Patti.
They are living treasures.
Their knowledge of the history
of Eldred is precious.
Everytime we speak
I learn so much more
about the past.
Although the open house was
success, we have made
a decision -
we will move the annual event
to the Spring or early Summer.
As kind as everyone was,
the cold was an obstacle
to real comfort.
It would be nice to be
able to set up chairs outside
on the lawn and enjoy
a relaxed conversation with
friends & family.
Renee & I, with the help
of friends, spent a lot of time
this year "perfecting" the
elements of a
weekly outdoor movie night.
We built a large screen,
learned how to use an audio
amplifier and a projector
and worked out all the details,
but the excessive amount of
rain this last summer we
only managed a
single movie night.
We hope to have regular
movie nights in 2019
and possibly nighttime
campfire meetings.
We owe great thanks to
Patti Borger Keyes.
She has provided us
with numerous items that
were actually used in the
Frantz School.
There are so many things about
the 1855 School that I love,
but most of all is "observing"
the "interactions" of visitors.
It ranges from back-slapping
laughing to sincere warm hugs to very serious & deep talks.
I have no idea what Shirley and Ann were talking about
but I was not about to interrupt
their intense discussion.
The gentleman reading the book
is our dear friend Ken.
He has a keen love for old schools and history in general.
He is one of reasons
our "job" with keeping this school alive is as easy as it is.
He has contributed material
and shared his knowledge
with us.
That "book" central to our
discussion in this picture
is actually a school ledger
from the 1880's.
It has student names, attendance
and their grades.
Next year we hope to have the
school's two outhouses
(boys & girls)
restored and
a number of trails
through the woods,
along which we will provide
"rest stops" that will actually
be environmental "learning centers".
I am amazed that one-room schools often had over 40 students in their tiny buildings.
Where two adults can now sit,
I imagine at least three
younger students would
sit together.
I cannot imagine what self-control those kids had to not
be interacting & teasing one another during lessons.
The chart being viewed here
is a tribute to Lloyd Borger and his dad James - both were
teachers in local
one-room schools.
While Shirley & Cary are the focus of this photo,
I want to bring your attention
to the wooden flags
mounted high above
the blackboard.
These are American flags that
flew during the "life" of the
Frantz One-Room School.
They range from 1855 to 1945.
It is hard to imagine, the American Civil War,
the Spanish American War,
World War II
and the Korean War
all took place during these years.
Patti is holding an actual
black board eraser that
her grandfather used
on the Frantz blackboards
when he was a teacher here.
A moment of Native American
pride being felt.
Our dear friend Kay.
No student ever took out a
smart phone during
class in the 1855
One-Room School.
The last family to leave
this day - the Frey family.
(Okay, last to arrive also - just as we were closing the door
they pulled up. Of course we gladly re-started the "open house".
It was a chance "meeting". They only happened to notice a
roadside sign about
the open house earlier in the day.
But they stopped by and our
chatting has led to what
will be a wonderful new
exhibit next year.
I'm not going to tell you,
you will just have to come by
and see it...
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