Many thanks and appreciation to Luella Clemons Long for contributing these beautiful photographs of the District 8 Schoolhouse in Greenboro, Town of Redfield, NY and for the very interesting collection of memories from her and her sisters school days in a one-room schoolhouse. Luella is a descendant of Albert Salathiel, son of Samuel Clemons and Martha Rathbun.  
Luella Clemons Long at:  <[email protected]> 

*Note:  If anyone else would like to contribute their memories of the school or the Greenboro Union Church it would be most appreciated.  The days of one-room schoolhouses are past now, but their wonderful memories would be of great interest to younger generations.  Photo's are always welcome.
 

I grew up in Greenboro and have relatives buried in the Greenboro cemetery.  I was baptized in that church, the Greenboro Union Church.  At one time, my brother-in-law was the pastor of that church. 

 Across from there, is the District 8 Schoolhouse where I went to school for the first 8 years of my schooling until I went to Sandy Creek to high school.

When I went to school in the building across from the church, it was in 1932, I believe, and it was a one-room schoolhouse. There was a fairly long school bench where the grade would be called up and sit on the bench while the teacher taught that class:  reading, arithmetic or what have you.  The rest of us were supposed to be studying at our desks.  There was a blackboard up front.

When I was 12 years old, the building was heated by a large heater in the corner.  I remember that it was round.  I was hired to go and start the fire in that every morning.  Some days, I had to split kindling wood to get it started.  I was paid $25.00 for the school year.

The bathrooms were at the back of the school.  There were two hallways going to the bathroom which was really an outhouse with holes in it connected to the school.  The girls had one hallway and the boys another.  If you don't have a picture of the schoolhouse, I can e-mail one to you.  The swing set that was there when I was a young girl is still there.  At least the frame is. 

In later years the school was made into a dwelling.  I think the Ouderkirks lived there.  I can remember playing outside at recess or lunch when the Lacona Bank was robbed and the banker was killed.  Someone stopped and asked us which way a car had gone.  As I look back, I guess they were looking for the robbers as they had come that way.

Arlene Joyner was my 4th grade teacher and I had one of the Dobbie women for my 2nd grade.

I did talk to my sister in California and she remembers the school quite well with the halls, one for boys and one for girls.  She said that Pete Yerdon and our brother, Gilbert Clemons used to take turns going to the bathroom.  They would get in the hall, which was very narrow and put their back on one side and feet on the other and crawl up as far as they could go.  Then they would mark how high they got and the next one would try to beat the other.  This would happen while school was going on.  There weren't all that many students in each class.

Sometimes, Pete would climb out the window and go and visit with my father until time for school to be out and then he would go home.

When my sister, Leona was going to school, the teacher's name was Ernie Ring and then I think that Claire Engle who married Lee Yerdon was her teacher.