Part 1 – Bridgeville High School, 1850s-1916

The Bridgeville Area Historical Society’s “Second Tuesday” workshop this month focused on the early years of Bridgeville High School in the first of a series of programs dealing with the history of the school, which graduated its final Senior class in 1960.

The facilitator began the program by reviewing what we know about the first school buildings in the Bridgeville area. According to research done by Dorothy Stenzel, the first school was on Presley Road; it was destroyed by a fire. Next came one on McLaughlin Run Road, close to the location of the McLaughlin Run Park today. It operated until 1858; the building it occupied was destroyed by the massive flood of 1874.

It was followed by the Fryer School, located at the east end of Baldwin Street before it was extended across the creek to meet McLaughlin Run Road. It is believed that the building that housed the school was moved when the street was extended and was repurposed as a residence. Determining if the building still exists certainly sounds like a worthwhile project for the Historical Society.

The next school was in a frame building on the corner of Hickman and Locust Streets; teachers there were Harry Couch and Sadie Rogers. When it was replaced by a two story building on Washington Avenue in 1894, Macedonia Maioli acquired it to serve as a warehouse for a wholesale liquor distributorship.

The first Washington Avenue building was replaced by a two story, twelve room brownstone building in 1904. It is reported that the original building was moved to Station Street by W. S. Reed and converted into an apartment building. We have been unable to find such a building on maps of Station Street of that era. In 1910 a third story and four more rooms were added to the brownstone.

The facilitator then posed the question, “What was BHS’ first graduating class?” Candidates included 1902, the first year the Borough was responsible for the school; 1908, the year we have a photograph claiming to be the first graduating class; 1912, the first year there was an eleventh grade; 1918, the first year there were twelve grades; or 1925, the first year a class graduated from Lincoln High School.

He chose to begin with the 1908 photograph, mostly because it provided so much information. It showed five students and their teacher, Mr. Allen W. Kelly. According to the 1907 Polk Business Directory, Mr. Kelly and his wife Louise lived on the corner of Chess and Station Streets. We think he was also the Principal of the school. The students were Mary Melvin, Grace Lesnett, Mary Jones, Leith Baird, and Edna Fryer.

A valuable resource for information on the early days of BHS is the yearbook, “the Bridge”, published by the Class of 1926. It includes a section entitled “Alumni” which lists graduates beginning in 1908, with some information regarding their life after graduation. The Society is fortunate to have a copy of the yearbook that has been annotated by its owner, who probably was Anna Vosel.

From this source we learned that Mary Melvin married a gentleman named Smith and moved to Chicago where she became a homemaker. We presume she was the daughter of contractor Allen Melvin and his wife Adeline who lived on Gregg Avenue. Grace Lesnett had a long career as a school teacher in this area; she married a man named Shaw. She was the daughter of T. Dell Lesnett, grew up in the Lesnett homestead on Lesnett Road.

Mary Jones was the daughter of carpenter Amos Jones and his wife Emma, who lived on Raillroad Street. She became a school teacher and was a fixture at Washington Grade School into the 1940s. We presume Leith Baird was the son of George and Ella Morgan Baird, whose home was on the corner of Chess and Station Streets. He is reported to have moved to Florida and become a salesman.

Edna Fryer was the daughter of undertaker Amos Fryer, whose home and establishment were on Washington Avenue. She became Mrs. Landis, a homemaker in North Girard (Erie County).

The Class of 1909 boasted twelve graduates; their teachers were listed as Miss O. P. Ballentine, whose home was in Millvale, and Principal Kelly. Mae Baker, presumably the daughter of John and Jessie Baker who lived on Elm Street, is listed as living in Beckley, West Virginia. Edna Easterday is reported to be living in Detroit, Michigan. Someone by that name shows up in the 1911 Polk Directory as a dressmaker, living on Washington Avenue. Teamster Frank Easterday and his wife Mary are listed as residing on Washington Avenue, near Presley Road.

Edmund Goehring became a music director in Elliot. Three Goehring families show up in the 1911 Polk Directory. Edmund was a baker and operated a confectionary/cigar store (later Weise’s) on Washington Avenue. Max, husband of Jessie, was proprietor of the Central Hotel where William, husband of Margaret, was a bartender.

Irene Jones became a dressmaker. The 1911 Polk Directory shows her living on Railroad Street, near Chartiers, along with her sister Mary, her brother Russell, and their parents Amos and Emma. Old maps do indeed show Railroad Street extending all the way to Chartiers.

Raymond and Edna Lutz were children of Joseph and Elizabeth Lutz, who lived on the corner of Murray and Washington Avenues. Mr. Lutz was a prominent employee of the C. P. Mayer Brick Company and later on the proprietor of Lutz’ Lumber Yard. Edna married a man named Flynn and moved to Steubenville, Ohio. Raymond became a dentist who practiced for many years in Bridgeville; his wife was Berth Stype.

Paul Scott presumably is the son of Weighmaster John W. Scott and his wife Maggie, who lived on the corner of Hickman Street and Washington Avenue. According to the 1926 Yearbook, Paul became a minister, apparently the first BHS graduate to become a clergyman. The 1926 Yearbook reports that Cecila Sullivan is dead. She apparently was part of the family of miner William Sullivan and his wife Catherine, who lived on Presley Road.

Edwin Vance, who was the son of clerk John F. Vance and his wife Elizabeth, also became a clerk. The Vances lived on Bank Street, close to Gregg Avenue. Jennie Warensford married Mr. Timlin and became a homemaker in Bridgeville. The Warensford family had a paint and wallpaper store on Washington Avenue.

The BHS Class of 1910 was made up of eight students. There was a turnover of teachers. George Cheesman began the year, then resigned. His replacement, R. N. Hosack, didn’t last much longer, as he too resigned. Fortunately he was replaced by Joseph Ferree, who was still going strong into the early 1950s.

Lawrence Bowman became a “tinner”, according to the 1926 Yearbook. The 1915 Polk Directory lists him as a stenographer. He was the son of John S. and Tillie Bowman, who lived on Elm Street. Mr. Bowman was a partner in the roofing business with William and George W. Poellott; perhaps Lawrence ended up in that business as well.

Arthur Fryer was the brother of Edna Fryer, Class of 1908. He married Mary McConnell, eventually lived on Elizabeth Street with their children, Mary Alice and Arthur, Jr. The 1915 Polk Directory lists A. Ralph Fryer as a clerk in the Amos Fryer & Son undertaking business.

Sara Geary became a homemaker named Mrs. Brown in Rochester, New York. She is probably the daughter of laborer Robert Geary, who lived on Ramsey Avenue with his wife Katie.

Ethel McMillen married Mr. Stuckert and became a homemaker in Ingram. There are ten McMillen families in the Polk Directory; we do not know which one was hers. Abigail and Sarah Lesnett grew up in the Lesnett homestead on Lesnett Road. Abigail married a man named Hedderick and lived in Clifton; she later married James Morrow. Sarah had a long, distinguished career as a teacher in the Bridgeville area.

Helen Lyons became a homemaker, Mrs. McFarland, in Carnegie. The 1915 Polk Directory shows her living with her parents, Samuel G. and Cora Lyons, on the corner of Bank and Chestnut Streets. Martha Mawhinney married Leslie Patton and became a homemaker living on Gregg Avenue. Bridgeville historian Jimmy Patton was one of their children.

In 1911 the high school added a third year. There is some disagreement regarding how this affected the graduating classes. The 1926 yearbook shows a class of seven students for 1911 and four more for 1912. The annotations in it report that all the students graduated in 1912. We presume that the first seven opted to graduate with two years of high school, and that the other four stayed an additional year.

Patrick Geary is listed with the 1911 group. He is probably the brother of Sara Geary, who graduated a year earlier. He is reported to have gone to Holidays Cove, West Virginia, as a mill-worker, probably at Weirton Steel. Casper Picard also went to Weirton as a mill-worker. His grand-daughter was in the audience at our workshop. The Picard family, parents Michael and Katharine, are listed in the Polk Directory as living on the Washington Pike; we believe this was in Kirwan Heights.

William C. Hopper is listed in the 1911 group. His parents, William P. and Annie, lived on Elm Street. William C. married Flora Hockenberry; they were our neighbors on Lafayette Street and their sons William and Donald were childhood playmates of ours. Their father worked in Pittsburgh for the Eugene Dietzgen Company, a prominent supplier of engineering tools.

Harold Lackey appears to be the second BHS alumnus to enter the clergy. He is described as a minister in Lowelville, Ohio. A note in the annotation reports that he “died in an auto accident”. The Lackey name does not appear in any of the Polk Directories; perhaps he and his sister Mildred, Class of 1914, were from South Fayette.

Theodore Lutz was the brother of Raymond Lutz, Class of 1909. He became a chemist in Crafton. Daniel Moore is listed in the 1915 Polk Directory as a telegrapher for the Pennsylvania Railroad. We believe he is the son of John M. and Elizabeth Moore; Mr. Moore is listed as manager for the Western Union Telegraph Company. Daniel Moore married Alma Goehring, who is listed with the Class of 1912. The 1926 Yearbook describes him as a postal clerk.

Margaret Wilcox is listed as marrying a Mr. McConnell and becoming a homemaker in Pittsburgh. She is probably the daughter of Harry J. and Mad Wilcox, who lived on Chestnut Street. Mr. Wilcox was Secretary and Treasurer for the Bridgeville Trust Company.

Alma Fritz was one of the 1912 group. She became a clerk in Dormont, as did Lorene Fritz, Class of 1914. There are two Fritz families listed in the 1910 Polk Directory – Carl F., a laborer and his wife Elizabeth, on St. Clair Street; and Louis H., a mold-maker, and his wife, also Elizabeth, on Washington Avenue, near Presley Road.

Also in this group was Alma Goehring, previously reported as the wife of Daniel Moore. She is surely related to Edmun Goehring, Class of 1909, whose family connections were reported earlier. Ethel Horstman is another member of the Class of 1912. Although there are no Horstmans in earlier Polk Directories, she is listed in 1915 as a postal clerk in Bridgeville. She eventually married a man named Russell and became a homemaker in Lakeland, Florida.

The final 1912 graduate was Mary Spahr. She was the daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Spahr, who lived on Chestnut Street, near Bank Street. She became a homemaker in Crafton, married to Mr. Garbart.

The 1913 Class was small, consisting of only three students. Teachers listed for that year included Joseph Ferree, Romaine Russell, and T. S. McAnlis. A newspaper clipping in the Historical Society’s files reports that Mr, McAnlis, of New Wilmington, has been elected principal to succeed Mr. Kelly, who has resigned. McAnlis is described as the “highly recommended former principal in Lawrenceville”.

Romaine Russell is listed in the 1915 Directory as a Bridgeville school teacher, living in Hickory, apparently no close relation to Bridgeville Russells. The same reference shows Mr. Ferree and his wife, Florence, living on Chestnut Street, close to Chartiers. Mr. McAnlis and his wife Ida have a home on Chartiers Street.

First alphabetically in the Class of 1913 is Margaret Jones. She appears to be the daughter of stenographer Paul Jones and his wife, Mary, who live on Hickman Street. Frederick Lesnett was the brother of Abigail and Sarah; he spent the rest of his life as a farmer.

Frances Vosel was the daughter of laborer Stephen Vosel and his wife Frances. They lived on Mill Street, near McLaughlin Run Road. The 1926 Yearbook describes her as a secretary. Two class members are reported as not graduating. George Harmuth left school to take a job with the Vanadium Corporation. He was the son of laborer Joseph Harmuth and his wife, who lived at the corner of Calvert and Chess Streets. The other non-graduate was Mary McCarthy. No families by that name are listed in the Polk Directories.

A postcard addressed to Mildred Lackey Crum provides a photograph of the faculty for the entire school in 1913, plus names of most of them. One of them was Mary Jones, of the Class of 1908, now solidly established as an effective teacher. We have no idea who Ms. Hewitt was, but next to her are Joseph Ferree and Romaine Russell, whom we have discussed earlier.

Next comes C. Sullivan – the 1915 Polk Directory lists Cecelia Sullivan as a teacher. This is certainly the Class of 1909 alumna who had died by 1936. Ida Porter is also mentioned in that reference, living on Chestnut Street near Chartiers.

Another unknown teacher is Lucy Jeol. Next to her in the photo is Hannah Hockenberry, shown in the Directory as living on Chartiers Street. Is she related to Flora Hockenberry, who married William Hopper? A third mystery teacher is a lady identified as “Cronemeyer”. At this time no Cronemeyers are listed as living in Bridgeville.

Miss Retta Jones is recognizable, now a thirty two year veteran of teaching in the Bridgeville grade school. Next to her is Elizabeth Dinsmore, listed as living on Washington Avenue. Mr. McAnlis is seated in the front row, flanked by a lady identified by a question mark and Nell Roach. Ms. Roach is probably Mary Roach, identified in the Directory as the daughter of mill worker Paul Roach and his wife, Edna, who lived on Chartiers Street.

The Class of 1914 made up for the small class of the previous year, boasting twelve graduates. Eva Betschar became a school teacher, according to the 1926 Yearbook. Hobart Chivers married classmate Lorraine Silhol and moved to Fredonia, New York, and became a mill-worker. Chivers was the son of constable John J. Chivers and his wife Sarah. They lived on Hickman Street. Miss Silhol was the daughter of Ferdinand and Josephine Silhol. Mr. Silhol was operating the wholesale liquor business at the corner of Hickman and Locust Streets.

Lloyd Crum, probably the son of teamster David Crum and his wife Margaret, who lived on the corner of Gregg Avenue and Chartiers Street, is reported to have become a school teacher in Linesville.  As we reported earlier, Lorene Fritz joined her sister Alma, Class of 1912, by moving to Dormont and becoming a clerk.

Doyce Gallagher is described in the 1926 Yearbook as a mill worker. He was our neighbor on Lafayette Street in the 1940s, father of Carol and Lois. His parents, miner John T. Gallagher and Elsie, lived on Dewey Avenue. Years later Mrs. Gallagher lived on Chess Street; I mowed her lawn.

Mary Holleran died of tuberculosis, according to the Yearbook; we know nothing more about her. The same is true of Peter Kershisnik, who became a farmer.  We do know that Mildred Lackey married Park Crum, and lived on the corner of Elm and Chartiers Streets. Their children were Fred, Eileen, and Jimmy. Mr. Crum had an operating gas well in a field behind their house.

Bernadine Lutz was a sister of Edna and Raymond, Class of 1909, and Theodore, Class of 1911. She married a man named Lang and became a homemaker in Pittsburgh. Ralph Picard, probably the brother of William, Class of 1911, was “killed in a Flannery explosion”.

Two students – Ethel Parks and Henrietta Zelder – are listed as not graduating. We have no information on either of them.

Nine students made up the Class of 1915. Rebecca Balbersky became a homemaker in Canonsburg. Frank Brenkus became a coal miner in Castle Shannon. Andrew Ferlick became a steel foreman in Lorain, Ohio. The Polk Directories do not list any families by these names in Bridgeville that year.

Hazel Hopper, whom we believe was the sister of William Hopper of the Class of 1911, married Mr. Halbach and became a homemaker in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Freda Livengood married Mr. Riley and became a homemaker in East Salesbury. Similarly Adeline Mangus married Mr. Schindler and became a homemaker in Youngstown, Ohio. We have no family information on either of these ladies.

Estella Paul, daughter of David C. and Hannah Paul, who lived on Washington Avenue, became a bank teller in Bridgeville, later married a man named Cook. Virginia Wright married Mr. Meinche and became a homemaker in Evanston, Illinois. She appears to have been the daughter of laborer William F. Wright and his wife, who lived on Dewey Avenue. Mabel Yates, the daughter of machinist James Yates and his wife Anna, who lived on Washington Avenue, became a school teacher in Gladden.

The final class we covered in this first workshop was 1916. It had nine students and the same three teachers as previous years – Joseph Ferree, Romaine Russell, and Principal Thomas McAnlis. We have a photo of thirty-four students labelled “Classes of 1915 and 1916”, a photo of three girls in graduation robes holding a 1916 BHS pennant, and a photo of one of them (Bernadine McCaffrey) holding the pennant.

Miss McCaffrey was probably the daughter of Justice of the Peace Simon McCaffrey and his wife Margaret. They lived on Washington Avenue. She became a stenographer, then married barber Pete Conroy. The Conroys lived in Greenwood and had two children, Pat and Bernadine.

Her classmate Elmer Collins was the son of S. Howard Collins, manager of the Bridgeville Lumber and Supply Company. Their home was on Bank Street. Elmer became a mill worker, according to the 1926 Yearbook.

We believe Marion Freed lived near Boyce Station. She became a homemaker named Mrs. McCracken, in Canonsburg. Similarly Mary Hartman became homemaker Mrs. Clark, in Washington. There are no Hartmans in the Directories. Harry Jones is reported to have become a mill worker in Greentree. He is a member of the Jones family that lived on Elm Street.

Lucille Martin married a Mr. Pearce and became a homemaker in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents were Reverend Robert W. Martin, pastor of the First Methodist Evangelical Church on Station Street, and his wife Caroline. Mary Weise reported that her mother was  Martin and that she was related to Lucille.

Fred Mikus became a postal clerk in Federal. The Mikus family did not show up in the Directories, although it was a familiar Bridgeville name a few years later. Marcel Rouveyrol is reported to have died of tuberculosis. We know nothing more about him.

Clara Weise was the daughter of coal mining magnate Edmund Weise and his wife Alma. The Weises came to Bridgeville in 1913, eventually built a large house at 1200 Bank Street. Clara was the fifth of their nine children, the first to graduate from BHS. She married T. Walter Jones, Class of 1918. They lived at the corner of Dewey Avenue and Chartiers Street; Their children were Tom and Marian.

The first BHS history workshop came to a close with the discussion of the Class of 1916. The next workshop will be at the History Center at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. We hope to cover all the classes between 1916 and 1926 in that workshop.