By: Mary E. Mortimer
In January 1974, Ruth Lyon Rubin shared her memories of attending the District No. 4 one-room school in Union Township. Her memories were printed in the Bellefontaine Examiner in 1975. Union Township had at least five one-room schools, Mohr/Moore, or Stony Creek, (Union No. 1), Dunkard’s (Union No. 2), Hayes (Union No. 3), Lake Branch (Union No. 4), and Walnut Grove (Union No. 5).
Ruth’s school memories:
“District No. 4 was one of five Union Township schools, located on the DeGraff Pike, one mile off the Carlisle Pike southwest of Bellefontaine, Ohio. From 1910 until 1918, we had a winter enrollment of about 40, but less as the older students were kept on the farm to do spring and fall planting and harvesting.
One year when George Harman was our teacher, we put on a joint community program with District No. 3, which was taught by Roy Kerns. A large level hay wagon bed was put through a window opening for our stage. Coal oil lamps served as our lighting.
A day to be remembered was when our school decided to pay another school a surprise visit. I especially recollect the visit to No. 1, taught by Lula Swank, where we spent the afternoon in spelling and ciphering matches. My what a “pecking” at the blackboards, as those were the days before number combinations and mental computations were stressed. After a joyous afternoon, we climbed into our bobsled but overturned going down the embankment. Our teacher, George Harman, managed to catch the sides of the bed before it came down with all its weight on the children. Our driver was trying to get a head start on two of the older boys who had come in a sleigh pulled by a mule. There were a few bruises and bloody cuts but no serious infractions. We all walked to school and stored our dinner pails and wraps in a cloakroom upon entering the building. Many of the lunches were devoured at recess so the whole noon hour could be devoted to baseball and other games.
A large stove was in the middle of the room. On very cold days we gathered around the stove and played mumbly-peg with jack knives on the wooden boards of the floor. We were a rugged lot, though, and many hours were spent in snowball battles, in which the teacher often engaged. After one such encounter, I remember our teacher’s blouse had become soaked, as coats came off in the heat of the battle.
My, what cold trips we had to take to the little house in the outer corner of the playground when nature called. Since galoshes hadn’t yet made their appearance, we often pulled old black, ribbed stockings up over our shoes to keep warm and partially dry.
We had all eight grades in one room, and in my eight years there, we had four different teachers: George Harman, Cora Mae Hurst, Rhea Hartzler, and Lula Swank.
I shall never forget those last-day picnics when our parents came to school with loaded picnic baskets that contained the most tantalizing smells and sights. We could always count on our County Superintendent, Harry Ansley, to join us on these festive occasions. Food never tasted so good as the feasts spread before us on those memorable last days of school of District No. 4 in Union Township.”
In 1909, the five Union Township one-room schools were inspected by J.H. Morgan, State Building Inspector. The Hayes and Lake Branch schools were condemned and ordered closed. The other three buildings were to have new doors installed and barrels of salt water for fire protection. Exterior painting and water closets were ordered for Walnut Grove and the Dunkard school.
Since Union Township had recently voted down a bond issue for a centralized school, two new school buildings were erected for the Hayes and Lake Branch schools. Ruth Lyon started school in the new wooden structure of the Lake Branch schoolhouse in 1910.
In 1920, Ruth’s family moved to Bellefontaine where her father purchased and operated the Logan Hotel. She graduated from Bellefontaine High School and began her teaching career in 1923 at a salary of $5.00 per day. In 1937, she married Joe Rubin who was the owner/operator of the Glidden Paint and Wallpaper store in Bellefontaine. Ruth retired from Bellefontaine City Schools in 1973.
Visit the Logan County History Center to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County history. The History Center is open for tours Wednesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
