HomeMy WebLinkAboutschool district 9 Glance backward article 1974 5. 3tif.tiff----•--------------
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9 ITHACA JOURNAL Saturday, September 14,1974
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Enfield Church
es Have All Moved
By BARBARA BELL
You might say the churches in Enfield have had moving
experiences in the past. Not one of them statra, today, where
they were built in the early 19th century. In fact, one of them
moved entirely out of the realm of religion and became a
store —which it still is.
Although Mrs. Irene Brown now lives in Ithaca, she spent
most of her younger years n th Enfield Center area and it
remains so dear to her heart that she has compiled pages of
information about the beginnings of Eri ield. She shares with
ens.
Let's deal a bit withfirst those traveling churches, first. The
wasBaptists
n 11817. Serve ces were to wererheld�altemat�e y gInuthe homand e�of
Jonattthan Rolfe and at Woodward School House which stood
in the south part of the township until the church was built for
$1,300 in 1842. It stood on the east side of what is tow the
man way through Enfield Center, near the old town the
and was moved across the road. Horse sheris were erected on
the original site.
Next constructed was a Presbyterian Church. It stood
south of the man Enfield Center crossroads where the
Presbyterian Cemetery remains. Presbyterians officially
organized here in 1831 or '32 and the church was twill trout
four years later. When the congregation voted to disband the
structure was purchased by John G. Wortmand who moved it
to the southeast corner at the main intersection. it has been a
store ever since.
In 1835, the Methodist Episcopal Church was forted
although those interested had been holding periodic services
Li a ham near Bostwick Corners one "block,' south of the
[train hamlet. A lot was purchased from Andrew Bostwick
for $50 and the church erected on the southeast corner that
very year. Forty-one years later the decision cattle o move.
Northward they went with the church, settling just west et
the four comers. off the man highway. The change, in-
cluding purchase price of the lot, cost $3 200. A dedication
Program was held June 20.1878.
Enfield Center once had a fourth church, the Christian
Church constituted in 1821. This edifice is gone oil its
cemetery is still in use. It is believed that the first bwial in it
was that of a young man by the name of Cooper who was Idl-
led when struck by a falling lot as he helped erect a barn for
Enfield's first permanent settler, Judah Baker.
Baker moved from Dutchess County in 1806. He brought a
wife, seven children, three horses and a wagon. The Cooper
burial was on part of Baker's land.
One John Giltner lived from i803 or 1804 in Enfield but,
since he moved away, he is not saluted as the first per.
mar ent settler.
Although he claimed title to a large tract of land, Baker
had to make his own way to the undeveloped site. By fol.
lowing Indian trails, he reacted Fail Creek wbere he Left his
family for a time.
He followed Cayuga lntet a bit and turned westward, chop-
ping his way Eor three miles through the heavy woods to
make room to drive his wagon.
After clearing space to hold a hurt, he moved In with his
`amity. It was June and the family wealth included $11 cash.
The log bar wtdch they built stall until 1878.
One of Baker's cows turned up missing in 18M and he wt
out insearch of her. Soon he could hear the sound of an axe
reverbrating through the forest. Turning his attention to its
source, Baker came to a cleating where he made the
F" mecuenbttrg Road Bear the Enfield town line had these students in 1909. when Irene hiller
fbottffant hairdo inhack row[ was teaching. The students are, from left, Merrill Curry with a bicvcie, Willard
Georgia, Mary and Ralph Lovelace, Grace Hollison, Henry Ink, Harry Lovelace and Ed Georgia with a bike.
T he girl standing right of the teacher is Elizabeth Hatfield.
acquaintance of a neighbor he didn't know he had Amok!
Lowell whose family had lived a mile or so away for a year.
Applegate Corners on Hie. 79 was a busy place from 18m
when John Applegate. Peter Banfield and John White ar-
rived. The next year, they were joined by the Jonathan Rolfe
family from South Amboy, N.J. and one year afterwards
carte Samuel Rolfe. After donation of a site by the first
Rolfe, an early cemetery association was formed.
Whaz in now Rte. _$%was Pat'[ Of a stage tonne between
Richford in Tioga County and Bath in Steuben County. Rue
Jericho Turnpike, as it was called, was chartered in 1804.
Enfield's veri first road connected Enfield Center and Ap-
plegate Cornets where there was a tavern, burred since
World War 11. !is site is commemorated with an historical
marker. One of the tavem's last operators was Joe Tebb, an
emigrant from Englad, who was postmaster late In the
18o0's.
Although Enfield has ne post office now, there were once
three, one at Enfield Center, one at Enfield Falls and the one
at Applegate Comers which was called simply the Enfield
Post Office. The tavern was, of course, the receiving and
Shipping Point for mail and merchandise soot by stage coach
help", federal mail delivery became a general service to
rural areas.
There have been numerous schools in the township. The
one in Enfield Center accommodated so many pupils in its
final years that it had two rooms. The elementary school
which stands today between the Center and Hie. 79 is part of
the Ithaca School system. Before centralization, however,
Enfield Center School had the following students in I901-0Y: from left. aeted, Horace Wright, Charlie Wilcox
and James Harvey; front low, Leland Hadley with Jessie Massey [lire sea behindCarl Palmer with DeVce
RumseY behind and Partially hidden, Ina Wilcox, Nellie Harvey, Bessie Harvey and Nora Jones (Dodd) with
Irene Mdlfer iBrown) behind her. George Hines and Nellie Wiltox ; back row, Lynette Wright, b'anny, Curry,
Thurza Babcock, Margaret King, the teacher Will !Hiller, Asa Cummings, CI.^.yton Bailey and Hugh Cum.
some of the one -room schools closed for lack of pupils and
the districts contracted to have children transported in bad
'.weather) to the nearest school, paying tuition for attendance
U...
At a short distance south of Applegate Corners stood a
stone stricture which housed scholars of that district. Its
remains were ultimately used in road construction, actor•
ding to the memory of some long -Crone resident. There
previously has been mention of rite scoot in publication
saying it was north of the comers. hfrs. Brown is certain it
was south.
She has record books kept by trustees of District 5 dAP.
plegateI and District 6 1Enfieid Center) from early i3w,s to
1915. At District 5, in1888. school operations cost about goo
and the tax levy provided 30-03 of that. Some purchases
were a 50-cent water pall, wash dish and dipper for 25 cents,
one eraser at 20 cents, a fire shovel for a quarter, and a
boom which cost 30 cents.
The Center School had only one room in IM and the
budget for the year came to $321 with a total tax warrant of
S34.30. As always. costs of operating schools went upward
only. By 1912, the two -room Enfield Center School required a
budget of $517.94.
In those 1880 years, teachers' -wages ranged from about $5
Per week to as much as $7.50.
The Center school underwent some major improvements
in 1385. There was a new ceiling, new lathe, plaster and
paper. The 900 feet of basswood ceiling cost U150 and a mli
of plaster board $1.90. The delivery charge for them was
$1.75 and whoever went to Ithaca to buy it was paid G cent
for what amounted to a half day's labor. The same amount
was Pad for the same period of time needed to pea oil on the
new ceiling. In addition, it cost the district $1,40 to board the
men while they placed the new ceiling and aryWer $5.93 for
their wages.
The district was charged $1 for tearing off old lathe and the
same for painting the wall and plastering. Eight doubt- rol's
of wall paper cost $1.93, one gallon and three pints of paint
me cato $1.16, 20 pounds of it", at rents with caste for
papering and labor for same. $2. Fora door sills con 8o cents.
Wooden blackboards, in 1901. cost $1.50 for lumber and
V.16 for making and installing.
Some of the district costs at Applegate's stone scheoi tell a
story, too. 18%: paid for bringing a stove from Ithaca and
setting it up, 50 cent; 1897. a pump "and .fixings" %rom
Treman King and Co. $3.09 and for putting it n. 50 cent.
Also, in 1899, flag rope, 30 cent; "for fixing pump '-,vice, 25
cant"; 1900, for well chain, bucket, tin pail and dipper. $1.27.
arid for one globe, 25 cent; for coal skuttel isle) and wash
dish, 50 cents; 1901, slating for blackboard. 50 cents, latch for
door.15 cents and padlock for schoolhouse, 35 cents.
Sometimes the district trustees "made" a little moneytowards expenses by selling the hay in the school yard. The
farmer, customarily did his own tutting. District 6 received
50 rent for its hay in 1889.
Insurance on the structure then cost $11.62. Where the kp.
plegate pupils were taken to Enfield for schooling in 1906,
trsrsca.ztion cost the district about $100, paid to two dd-
fereni men "according to contract for two terms.
We [[tank Mrs. Bmwn (Lee !Hiller) for her help I.
gathering this information. Incidentally, she was both Pupil
and teacher at Enfield Center, over a period of tines It was
finer grandfather who utilized the Presbyterian Church for a
sere, moving it to his lot. HIS home was just south of the
Pr•.sbytenian Cemetery
in the store was also Wortmai s undertaker establfsh:-
mein. living quarters and.:psairs, a public hall..Ariother of
Wortman's endeavors was caohet-making. A palm -sized
wooden box, shaped like a heart, formed from two or three
woods of different colors, is one of Mrs. Browns most prized
Possessions, demonstrating !its ability along these pines.