The Jackson School in Newberry Pa was destroyed in a fire on February 27th 1950.
Jackson School Fire in Williamsport PA (1950) A $100,000 fire of undetermined origin destroyed the 57-year old Andrew Jackson Elementary School at 2216 Linn Street early today as firemen from eight companies battled the blaze in sub-freezing temperatures.
Williamsport School District officials said the valuation of the building and its equipment, placed on the property last summer by a Pittsburgh firm, was approximately $100,000, insurance covered about 80 percent of the loss, they said.
It was the worst fire in the school district in 36 years.
The Williamsport Fire Department sounded a general alarm at 4:15 a.m., 30 minutes after their first alarm was turned in by an unidentified caller living near the Newberry school.
Responding were Williamsport companies No. 2,3,5,6 and 7 and Truck A; First Ward Fire Company, South Williamsport, DuBoistown Hose Company and Loyalsock Township Fire Company. The firemen fought the raging blaze in temperatures near 10 degrees above zero.
A special meeting of the school board was called by George R. Lamade, president of the board for tonight at 7:30 o’clock at the administration building on West Third Street to determine where the displaced 289 students will be accommodated.
Three Newberry churches and the Young Men’s Christian Association have offered the use of any of their facilities, the school board office reports.
This morning, Miss Helen M. Laubach, principal of the Jackson building and Max L. Robbins, district stock clerk met to list needed supplies for pupils when arrangements are made.
Fire Chief Michael E. Clark of the city fire department called the last of his men from the scene about 11:45 a.m., nearly eight hours after the first alarm was sounded.
A wind estimated at 25 miles per hour aided the flames in sweeping the red brick structure in a short time. Part of the west wall fell while firemen were still at the site and the other walls were termed “dangerous” by Chief Clark.
The cause of the fire was a chimney defect. A hole was found in the chimney next to the hot air vent leading to the first and second floors. When the janitor turned on the draft, fire was likely furnace through the hole.
History Of The Jackson School
==========================
HISTORY OF JACKSON SCHOOL
The Jackson School is the oldest school in Williamsport. In all probability, it dates back to the time of Andrew Jackson, seventh president
of the United States (1828-1844), and started the precedent for naming local schools for Presidents of the United States.
"A Centennial History of Newberry" covering the years from 1776 to 1876, compiled by C. V. L. McMinn, and published in 1876, states: "The
children found the old stone Presbyterian Church (1817-1850) a grand play house for their school days."
Senior citizens of Newberrv whose ancestors were first settlers say the first Jackson School was located at the present site of the Vanderlin Cleaning Works, 636 Arch Street, across from the
Presbyterian Church property. This was a stone building.
Previous to this a log building, name unknown, was located in Jaysburg, which shared with Dunnsburg, the honor of being the second school
built in the countv. According to John Meginess, editor of the Lvcoming Countv Centennial, the Quakers at Pennsdale established the first school in Lycoming County.
In 1870, a new school was located on Diamond Street, this being the first building in Newberry to be erected by the Williamsport School Board.
This was a two story, four room, brick building. The lower grades were housed on the first floor, and the upper grades on the second floor. The
second floor rooms were divided by sliding doors which were thrown open for gala occasions such as box socials and square dances. The seating was
on long benches, running parallel to the sliding doors. The doors contained a little window through which the teachers used to converse.
The Daily Lycoming Gazette and West Branch Bulletin, March 1870, stated: "The scholars, who were assembled at the old school rooms, formed in a procession, and accompanied by their teachers, marched to the new building." At one time this school had an annex called the Ramsey School, located at the present site of the Church of Christ, on Diamond Street.
In 1892, a new Jackson Building was erected on Linn Street at the present site of Old Jackson Recreation Center.
This was a ten room brick building. It had double seats and recitation benches, but no cloak rooms. The children's wraps were hung on hooks around the room. This centrally located school in the heart of Newberry became a community center. Here, during the First World War, machines were moved in and the ladies sewed and knitted for the Red Cross.
There was a Jackson Parent-Teacher Orchestra, a Fathers' Chorus, a Mothers' Chorus, a Garden Club, etc. At a three day fair held in Diamond Square, the sum of $1,662.31 was raised for the Red Cross, thus making Jackson's total contribution to the Red Cross $5,423.68.
During the Second World War, the teachers from the Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Jackson schools, spent long evenings rationing gasoline and sugar, and registering soldiers.
Scrap-iron was collected and placed around the flag pole, once reaching as high as the pole itself. The central hall was piled high with crates of flattened tin cans, for the war effort.
Prior to the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in 1921, the Jackson School contained nine grades and 640 pupils. Because
of crowded conditions, an annex was opened in the Sunday School room of the Church of Christ, on Diamond Street, and five rooms were opened at the Iona Temple at the corner of Fourth and Arch Streets.
When the Junior High school was ready for occupancy, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades were housed in the new building, while the first five grades were brought together at Jackson.
Jackson is proud of Mrs. Howard Hall, who, from being President of the Jackson Parent-Teacher Association, went on to be President of the City, County and State Associations, and became a well known figure nationally in Parent-Teacher work.
In February 1950, the Jackson Building was destroyed by fire. With it went one of its fondest traditions, the Jackson bell. This bell had welcomed generations of Newberry children to school in the fall, and spelled freedom in the spring. It was a privilege to ring the bell, and though forbidden, many a child took a sly swing on the bell rope. Citizens set their clocks by the bell, and when it ceased to ring, it was sadly missed.
After the fire for a year and a half, Jackson held half sessions with Lincoln. The children were transported by school bus.
In 1952, the Roosevelt Junior High moved to new quarters on West Fourth Street, and the Jackson School was housed in its present building,
the former Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School at Wayne and Hillside Avenues.
Thus the school, with a population trend, moved from East to West, ever keeping abreast of the times. Progressing from a one room stone
building to a twenty-one room brick building containing cafeteria, kindergarten, Day Training Center, play room, library, art room, office and rest rooms, with a faculty of sixteen, plus custodians, clerk, and supervisors.
From :
by Williamsport Education Association
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'll read the comments and approve them to post as soon as I can! Thanks for stopping by!