Wellsville School History

On Sunday afternoon, August 16, at the River Museum, the Wellsville, Ohio Historical Society presented the history of the village's school system. Putting the program together and narrating was member Jeff Weekley, shown above. Weekley is a retired educator, Wellsville native and resident. Sunday's program was the third and final special program sponsored by the Society for the summer series that were open to the public.

Wellsville's school history got started decades before the village was established. The first school was in a log cabin on the farm of Robert Dobbins. The location of the Dobbins farm is unknown but is believed to have been somewhere near Little Yellow Creek. Shortly afterwards town founder William Wells, Dobbins and Edward Devore donated funds to build another school house which was near Little Yellow Creek and the site of today's Jim Kenney Center. The first school master was Richard Boyce. Alexander Wells, son of William, recollected it was a substantial log house with three 14" squares cut out of the roof to provide lighting. Being an integrated school it was way before the "times".

With a growing population in the developing community Joseph Wells, another son of William, in 1826 built a school at what is today 454 Main Street that was simply called the "Brick School". Although it is not the same building it was located where the Mills Ins. Agency is today. The "Brick School" also served as a place for town meetings and church services.

During the 1830s & 1840s the village saw many church related seminaries and academies established. These institutions had school sessions that lasted four to six weeks each and many of them provided boarding for their students. Then in 1850 State legislators enacted the Ohio Union Law which called for mandatory school attendance. It called for the schools to be paid for by taxing residents in the district and be governed by an elected Board-of-Education. Many provisions in that law are still in force today, 159 years later.

That law prompted the building of the Village's first High School which was named the Union School in honor of the new law. Built in 1850 the school was located at today's 6th & Washington Streets where the house trailers are now. It was a two story building with seven class rooms. The superintendent was David Parsons. In addition to the three Rs such subjects as Greek, Latin, Chemistry, Astrology and book keeping were taught. The Wellsville Literary Society established a library later on in the Union School.

In the meantime Wellsville population kept growing by leaps and bounds. Village population was estimated to be 1,500 in 1850. By 1860 that number grew to an estimated 2,200.

In 1870 James L McDonald was named Superintendent of Schools. He was known by all as "The Professor". He held that position until 1909. With the growing population classes for the lower grades were held in two houses on Washington Street. One was a one story building that was used for the Third Grade. The one next door was two stories and was used for the First & Second Grades. That building still stands at 815 Washington. The second floor of the Leonard Building on Main Street was used for the upper grades. That building was located where Pizza Hut is today.

With schools scattered all around the village "The Professor" convinced the Board to centralize all of them and in the mid-1870s Central School was build at 9th & Center. It cost $40,000. When opened it housed all the elementary grades and three years of high school. A fourth year of high school was offered only if they had enough interested students. It was later renamed McDonald School and stood until 1955 when it was razed and replaced with the building that stands there today. The first high school graduation of Central School students numbered six and was held in May, 1875. In those days graduation was held in the Cooper Opera House on Main St.

In 1890 Public School 2 was built on 18th Street. In 1905 another build was built next to that. At first they were called the West End School and the two buildings were connected via an underground tunnel. Later they were renamed the 18th Street School and still later renamed Garfield. They stood where the church parking lot and 18th St. playground is today.

In 1891 the East End School was built at 1st & Lisbon Streets where McDonalds is today. It was later renamed McKinley School. Both Garfield & McKinley were elementary schools and both were razed in 1972. In the 1930s McKinley, McDonald & Garfield were supplemented with wooden modular buildings for additional class room space. These buildings were nicknamed "chicken coops".

In the early 1900s a new high school was built on Center Street and the first graduating class was WHS Class of 1920. It cost $14o,000 and had 11 class rooms plus an auditorium and gymnasium. With a $55,000 bequest by the Byron Beacom estate the Beacom Memorial Gym was added in 1938. It was dedicated January 7, 1939, during a basketball game with Lisbon. The addition known as Daw Jr. High until 2000 was added in 1955.

Dr. Seward Daw was hired as Superintendent in 1921 and remained in that position for 41 years. He & his wife tragically died in a car wreck in 1961. Daw Jr. High was named in his honor.

Fairview Elementary was built in 1938 in Hill Crest. In the beginning it was a Yellow Creek Township school and in 1959 township residents voted to join the Wellsville School District. With declining enrollment it was closed and students were sent to town.

In 1998 construction began on the new $14 million high school at the old Central Ball Park at 13th Street. That school opened in 2000 and the old high school was made the Junior High for the whole village. Garfield became the only elementary school in the village and McDonald was closed.

With the new Garfield opening in 1972 both the old 18th Street school buildings and McKinley were razed. All that remains of them is pictures and memories.

Some interesting tid bits Weekley learned while researching this program was that the WHS Class of 1913 was held June 13 of that year. There were 13 boys and 13 girls in that class. One of the graduates of that class was Isa Anderson. She taught in the Wellsville School system for 50 years and retired as the principal of Garfield in 1963. The first WHS year book was published in 1917. It cost a whopping 75 cents. Purchasers had to make a 50 cent deposit to order one.

Thanks Jeff for a well done & very interesting program. I think you earned an "A" for you efforts.

The next regular meeting for Historical Society will be Tuesday, September 15 at the River Museum at 7:30 P.M. Dues is only $5/year to join.

On Saturday , September 19, the Society will have a "Wellsville Antique Road Show" at the museum. Salem Auctioneer Harry Bowker will be on hand giving appraisals on anything you would like an opinion on. Mr. Bowker is a state licensed appraiser. Got something left from your great-grandma you been wondering about? Here's the chance to get an expert opinion.

While Mr. Bowker is doing his thing Wellsville's Byron Carter will be set up serving his mouth watering BBQ chicken & ribs. Byron says his BBQ sauce is an old family recipe and adds it's world famous. I can vouch it is good. You'll want to come back for more.

ole nib