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HISTORY OF DARRTOWN & MILFORD TWP. SCHOOLS
We begin our story of the Darrtown schools by discussing how they ended.
We know that the mid-20th century Milford Township High School was located in Darrtown. The property was bordered on the north by Oxford Street, on the west by West Street, on the south by Schollenbarger Road, and on the east by the alley that runs from Oxford Street to Schollenbarger Road. (This is the land parcel where the Darrtown Baptist Church stands in 2008).
We believe that Milford High School closed around 1938 or 1939; we know that it was operating in 1937, as we have a photograph of the 1937 graduating class.
Beginning in the late 1930's, elementary students from the Darrtown and Collinsville areas attended the Collinsville Elementary School and students from the Somerville area attended the Somerville Elementary School.
After the Milford Township High School in Darrtown closed, the Milford Township paid tuition to three area junior and senior high schools so that Milford Township students in grades 7-12 could choose to attend Seven Mile High School or Oxford Public (Stewart) High School, or McGuffey (Miami University Laboratory School) - however, students could only attend McGuffey School via an application/acceptance process.
In 1955, consolidation of schools throughout Ohio, spearheaded by the Ohio Department of Education, resulted in the creation of the Talawanda School District.
Consequently and effective with the 1954-55 school year, Milford Township students could no longer attend Seven Mile High School (Milford Township students who were entering their senior year at Seven Mile High School were allowed to continue at Seven Mile). All other Milford Township junior-high and senior-high school students were transferred to Stewart High School.
The class of 1956 was the last to graduate from Oxford Stewart. Talawanda High School opened in 1957 for grades 9-12. The Stewart building then housed the junior high school students.
The Collinsville Elementary School continued to serve the elementary students in the southern part of Milford Township, until it was closed by the Talawanda School Board at the end of the 1982-83 school year. Elementary students in the north part of the township attended the Somerville School, until it closed (in ____ ?).
Personal Recollections of Darrtown Schools
Some Darrtown School memories appear in the Recollections of Hazel Green.
Many Darrtown students attended the Collinsville School for their elementary schooling. We welcome and include memories from the grade school building that later became known as the Marie Schmidt Elementary School. See the Marie Schmidt page and Schools - Page 4.
Some Collinsville School memories appear in the Recollections of Fred Lindley.
If you have memories or photographs of Darrtown schools that you will share, please contact the Webmaster.
Recorded History of Darrtown Schools
SOURCE: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohbutler/cyc/562.htm
Webmaster Note:
The following content was excerpted from the Darrtown section of Milford Township history at the Rootsweb site. Therefore, the locations referenced in the following all relate to Darrtown.
Also, from the Rootsweb documents, it seems that the Darrtown schools preceded schools in other parts of Milford Township. The first Darrtown school is dated 1806; Collinsville's first school teacher is dated 1818; and Somerville was not laid-out until 1831.
"In the spring of 1806 the first school was made up in this part of the township and taught by George Howard. The house stood a quarter of a mile northwest the center of the town. It was a log building, with a large fireplace in one end, logs cut out for windows, roof covered with clapboards, which were held down by weight-poles. This house lasted and was used for twenty-five years.
Among the teachers were John Blackburn, Enoch Morris, and Robert McManus, an Irishman, who was a fine scholar and a gentleman. The Irwin boys, the Kegards, Stouts, Haynes, Prices, and the Darrs were among the scholars.
The second schoolhouse was a frame, which stood on the public square, erected in 1830, or thereabouts. Abram Darr and Philip Brown were among the first teachers. This building was used for about eight years.
For the third schoolhouse, the Darrtown people had frame building, which stood near Darr’s distillery. The house is now used for a dwelling, near the center of the town. William Hewett and David P. Nelson were two of the first teachers.
The fourth school building, a frame, was erected about 1848, and occupied a site two hundred yards west of the center of the village. This building was used until the present brick was put up, with an Odd Fellows' hall above, but which has been sold to the school directors for school purposes. Richard Chambers and Gardner Darr were among the first teachers. Mr. Cornelius Jones, of St. Charles, is the present teacher. There is an average of seventy scholars."
The "present brick" may refer to the brick structure that stands at the intersection of West Street and Schollenbarger Road.