Mining for Souls
Page 40
Schools page 3
MERRILL SCHOOLS
The Barrow School - District No. 17
Miss Gertrude Shutts taught here for years
A need for education became the concern of the
Merrill area about 1850 when people began settling along the banks of Chateaugay
Lake, and when Darius Merrill, original founder of this community, bought
a large tract of land on upper Chateaugay Lake. A steady flow of new
families populated the area. It was a short time later that a school was
built at the county line, a short distance up Spear Hill. Minnie Merrill,
the teacher, was a sister to Charles Merrill, the old guide of the recently
published book The Old Guide's Story. Miss Merrill, who lived where
the Merrill House still stands, used a boat nicknamed "The Arc" to travel
up and down the lake, picking up pupils along the way. At this time, also,
one of the first schools in Merrill, a log structure, was located in a corn
field opposite to what is now Alex's Service Station. At this point,
but farther back in the field was the Fienberg Bottling Company. Where the
Service Station now stands was the former Alpert Store. It seems that at
this time beer was shipped in barrels and was bottled and distributed locally
by the Fienberg Company.
In 1897, the people of Merrill spent ten dollars
to purchase a quarter of an acre of land from Mrs. Barrow for the purpose
of building a school. This land was located on Route 374, a short distance
from the present Hollywood Restaurant where a mission church now stands.
Darius Merrill constructed a log building which had been used but a short
time when it burned down . Children atended school temporarily in what was
known as the Dove Cottage, opposite the Merrill House. This later became
part of the Alyc Bentley School of Rhythmic Dancing. It was here that a ~Select
School' was established. One could attend as early as four years of
age, and the tuition was twenty-five cents a week. A student was required
to bring his own desk
and chair. Some came with polished desks, while others came with pieces
of plank or rough lumber for a desk and chair, the pieces being either too
high or too low for the youngsters. Gertrude Shutts taught at this school
and received the tuition the students paid as her salary. Miss Shutts held
a Third Grade Certificate.
The Barrow School, known as District No.17 School,
was rebuilt. The settlement around this school was known as "Shuttsville".
Some time later, another school was constructed on the property owned by
Dominic Blanch and was called the District No.9 School. It was here
that Mrs. Grace Furness, granddaughter of Darius Merrill, devoted many years
as a teacher.
District No. 9 School - near Freeman Supley's Home
Mrs. Grace Furness taught here for years-a mother to all,
and granddaughter of Darius W. Merrill who in turn was founder
of Merrill community.
In 1905, residents of the Bigelow Road
assembled and voted to establish a school which became known as District
No.20 School or the Lake View School. Land was purchased from Edgar Shutts
for the one-room building. It was here that Molly Gadway gave twenty-nine
years of her life as a teacher.
In the ensuing years, students from District No.
9 and No. 20 came to Lyon Mountain to attend high school while students
from No.17 went to Chateaugay. Subsequently, these schools contracted with
the Ellenburg School District or Lyon Mountain School, and the country schools
were closed. All of these districts are now part of the Northern Adirondack
Central School
System.
Lake View School - District No. 20 where Molly Gadway taught.
Bradley Pond
In 1894, a branch school was opened at Bradley
Pond where a large settlement of people was located, most of whom were employed
by the Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company. Sylvia Nole was one of the first
teachers at this school. In 190~ there were twenty-three students registered
from the age of six to fourteen. That year Miss Nole received a salary of
ninety dollars for teaching from January sixteenth to May fifth, and five
dollars for doing the janitorial work. When asked on her yearly report if
she had planted any trees in celebration of Arbor Day, she said, "No, since
there are already one thousand and one trees on the school grounds." It
is not known when this school was closed.
In summation, it is evident that our early pioneers
placed great importance upon education and learning, and as you trace the
progress of schools throughout this area, this assertion is well sustained.
In 1875, there were four districts in the town of Dannemora, and nine teachers
were employed. The number of children between the ages of five and twenty-one
was four hundred thirty-three, of which two hundred eighty-nine attended
school . The average daily attendance was one hundred forty-six. The value
of the school houses and sites was $730.00. When one thinks of today's schools,
costing four and a half million dollars or more, with budgets reaching into
millions, expanded facilities, greatly enlarged curricula, and the tremendous
increase in high school and college enrollment, one can envision to some
degree, the strides which have been made in education in the last century............................Submitted
by Florence Harrica
Sources:
Adirondack Museum photos, Blue Mountain Lake, NY;
History of Clinton County, New York;
Go to Page 1 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.
Go to Page 3 of The History of
Lyon Mountain.
Go to Mining History for The History
of Mining in the North Country.
Go to Page 5 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.(for article on Lyon Mt. and Mineville)
Go to Page 41 of Mining for Souls.
Back to Page 39 of Mining for Souls.
Go to Page 1 of Mining for Souls.(cover
page)
Rod Bigelow
Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
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