Area History: A Centennial History - Mahanoy City 
CHAPTER VI - PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND LIBRARY
PAGES 34 - 39 
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A CENNENTIAL HISTORY:
THIS MATERIAL IS TRANSCRIBED FROM THE 1963 CENTENNIAL BOOKLET ENTITLED
“MAHANOY CITY, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 1863-1963, A HISTORY”.
THE HISTORIANS WHO COMPILED THIS HISTORY WERE:
JOSEPH H. DAVIES, CHAIRMAN
CHARLES H. ENGLE
ELWOOD M. YOUNG

Transcribed by:
Shirley E. Thomas Ryan
June 22, 2002


CHAPTER VI

PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND LIBRARY
 
Page 34 - 39

The following information relating to the public schools of the borough is condensed 
from the writings of Mrs. Thomas L. (Augusta Dillman) Thomas.

The first school board was comprised of five members representing both the town and 
township.  It was organized before the incorporation of the borough.  Serving on it 
were Dr. Louis Thompson, Frank Carter, Benjamin Walburn, David Klingerman and one 
other, whose identity is uncertain.  These members elected the first school teacher.

Oliver Bechtel, afterwards President Judge of the Schuylkill County Courts, was the 
successful candidate.  The schoolhouse, a log structure, in which Mr. Bechtel taught, 
was located on what is now Spruce Street, near Linden Street.

A student who attended the school, in describing it, said there was one middle aisle with 
a row of desks and benches on each side.  Each bench was occupied by half-a-dozen children 
“or as many as could be crowded thereon at times”.

In 1863, a four-roomed brick building was erected west of the log school.  The teachers 
who taught in this structure, in addition to Mr. Bechtel, were Harry I. Williams, 
Anna K. Wilson and Melinda Demmick.

In 1864, Oliver Bechtel resigned and James S. Brunner was elected to succeed him.  
The schools, at that time, were graded as High, Grammar, Secondary and Primary.  
Mr. Brunner was the first High School teacher and Mr. Williams the first Grammar School 
instructor.  The Misses Wilson and Dimmick taught in the Primary Grades.

In two years time there were been 600 and 700 names on the school roll.  This was due 
to the opening of the mines which caused in influx of settlers from other parts of 
Schuylkill and adjacent counties and many Welsh, Irish, English and German immigrants.

It became necessary to erect another school building, so in 1867, the “old” Pine Street 
building of brick was erected at a cost of $7,646.82.  Solomon Faust was the contractor.

Page 35 - Consists of photos of James B. Brunner, First High School Teacher and Principal 
(elected 1864) and Anna K. Wilson, Primary School Teacher (1863-1865).  She became 
Mrs. Brunner in 1865. There is also a sketch of the old Pine Street School House with 
caption reading - Erected in 1867, it was torn down in 1884 and the present building 
erected.  The about sketch was drawn from memory by Clara Yoder (Stine), a graduate of 
the Mahanoy City High School with the Class of 1876.

Page 36 - 

While this building was being erected, the log school was used to accommodate the children 
and the basement of the “old” First Congregational Church, Seventh and Centre Streets, 
was used for the Primary and Secondary school children residing at the eastern end of 
the borough.  Elizabeth Jeffries and Jennie Thomas were the first to teach in this 
basement school, while Mary McHugh taught in the log schoolhouse.  The population 
of Mahanoy City at that time was about 4,500.

(Note by transcriber - there is a photo of Mary J. McHugh with caption - Teacher in the 
1860’s, 70’s, and 80’s.  She was the youngest teacher to teach in the schools of the 
community, beginning her duties at the age of 13 years).

At midnight, January 9, 1867, fire was discovered at the Spruce Street School.  Of 
incendiary origin, the blaze was extinguished with little damage resulting.  After 
being closed four days while repairs were made, the building reopened for classes.  
It was the only occasion on which a fire necessitated local schools to close.

In 1871, the first Centre Street building was erected at a cost of $20,000.  
Solomon Lutz was the contractor.  It was a three-story brick structure.  The east 
room on the third floor was used as the high school room until 1880 when the high 
school was transferred to the old Pine Street building. A brick annex of six rooms 
was added to the Spruce Street building in 1876 by Jacob Rhoads, contractor.

Because boys wee given employment at the collieries as early as eight years of age, 
Superintendent William L. Balentine, in 1873, organized an ungraded day school for 
working boys in the basement of the first Pine Street building, of which Benjamin 
Scheirer was the first teacher.  He was a disciplinarian as well as an educator.  
Another teacher of the Working Boys School was Moses Zweisig, who came from Berks 
County.

During the 1880’s Nigh Schools succeeded the ungraded Working Boys Day School.  Under 
Superintendent Balentine’s supervision, these night schools prospered, continuing under 
Superintendents Miller and Ehrhardt until 1907 when the benefits of the Free Text Book 
System and the Compulsory Education Law made the age at which children were permitted 
to work such that they received a fairly good education in the elementary branches.  
The last year that night schools were held was 1907.  Misses’ Ethel Powell and Elizabeth 
Price were the last night school teachers.

The Nigh School was followed by Continuation School, which was created by law.  Boys and 
girls,  at the age of 14 years, were permitted to enter industry, if they completed 
Sixth grade, provided that they attended school sessions certain days each week until 
they reached the age of sixteen years.  The law had been in effect several years before 
the local school was established in 1927 with Mrs. Bina Ryan as instructor.  The rapid 
growth of the school soon resulted in the segregation of the boys and girls, the girls 
continuing under the tutelage of Mrs. Ryan until the project was abandoned in 1934, 
while the boys had the following instructors, in succession, Alphonse Stine, George Hobe 
and Frank McLean.  Legislative measures, which made sixteen years the compulsory school 
attendance age, resulted in the closing of the Continuation School, which included in 
its student body pupils from Mahanoy City and Mahanoy Township.

Page 37 -

By the year 1884, the “old” Pine Street building was deemed too small, so it was torn 
down and a new eight-room structure erected on the site.  During the erection of this 
building, the high school was held in the Armory Hall and the grade schools in the 
Hersker building, where the Morton Furniture Store is now located.  This building 
housed the high school from 1885 until 1898.

During the 1880’s the immigration of Poles and Lithuanians to the coal fields increased 
the school population making it necessary to erect another building in 1888.  This 
building, erected on Mahanoy Street, in the First Ward, was completed in the fall of 
1888.  This was the last building erected while Mr. Balentine was superintendent. 
Three buildings and one annex were built while he held the position.

The continued increased in school population made it necessary to erect the Twelfth 
Street school building in 1893, at the northeast corner of Twelfth and Pine Streets.  
This building was opened in December 21, 1893.  While this building was being erected, 
students were taught in the Lithuanian Parochial School building which was also 
rented when the D Street school building (now Newhard’s Hall) was erected about two 
decades later.  Frank S. Miller was the superintendent during that period.

(Note by transcriber: There is a photo of the Graduation Class of 1876 with the 
caption - Upper row: Amanda Whetstone, Michael Groody, Ella Haughney and J. Arthur Jones.  
Lower row: Godfrey Wade, High School Principal, Clara Yoder, Ella Hurd and 
William L. Ballentine, Superintendent).

The high school was organized in 1864 and the first class to hold Commencement exercises 
was that graduating in 1875.  The Grammar School was organized in 1864 also and its 
first Commencement was held in 1892 under Superintendent Miller.  The consolidation 
of the Grammar Schools, forming the Central Grammar School, was consummated in 1915 
and in 1918 this became the Junior High School.

Page 38 - 

The honor of teaching the greatest number of years fell to John Linton who taught 
42 years, dying in 1914 while in the profession.  The youngest teacher was 
Miss Mary McHugh, of Philadelphia, who began to teach at the age of thirteen years.

The superintendents who have served the Mahanoy City School District are: 
Elijah Bull (1865-1868); 
Channing Stebbins (1868-1869); 
Eli S. Reinhold (1870-1871); 
William L. Balentine (1871-1890)’ 
Frank S. miller (1890-1896)’
 William N. Ehrhardt (1896-1915); 
Hiram W. Dodd (1915-1916); 
Harry A. Oday (1916-1935); 
Joseph F. Noonan (1935-1937), 
serving also as superintendent of Mahanoy Township School District); 
Harvey S. Bolan (1937-1942; 
and Joseph E. Boyle (since 1942).

MAHANOY CITY HIGH SCHOOL STAFF IN 1907 
(photo taken at the NW corner of Pine St School)
First row (left to right); Kate Larkin, Margaret McGuire, Mary Leahy, May Edwards, 
Ellen Wyatt, John Linton, Helen Donahue, Ella Flail, Superintendent William N. Ehrhardt.

Second row: Jessie Green, Katie Davis, Annie Byron, Katie Rinck, Hannah Edwards, 
Elizabeth Flanagan, Minnie Reed, Carrie Hassell, James Dochney, Mary B. Entwistle, 
Sadie Matz, Ethel Powell, Katie Pounder, James Prosser.

Third row: Anastasia Whalen, Sallie Hough, Bridget McCaulay, Rebecca Morgan, 
Elizabeth Hornsby, Mary Galagher, Amy Dilcher, John Filer, Margaret Collins, 
Margaret John, Charles Hower (High School principal), Homer T. Bagenstose, 
Minnie Huppert.

Fourth row: Irene Williams, Gertrude Delong, Mary Muldowney, Mattie King, Roy Snyder.

Fifth row: Mina Haldeman, Sarah Sullivan, Mary McAtee, Annie Becker, Inez May.


The Mahanoy City School District became a part of the Mahanoy Area Joint School System 
on July 6, 1959.  The other members of the jointure are Gilberton Borough and Mahanoy, 
Delano, Rush and Ryan Townships.

Joseph E. Boyle, superintendent of the Mahanoy City School District, was elected 
administrator of the system and is still serving in this the borough’s centennial year).

Page 39 -

The youngest student to graduate from the Mahanoy City High School was J. Arthur Jones, 
Class of 1876, who received his diploma when he was one month past his fourteenth 
birthday.

The graduates of MCHS, Howard Bensinger, ’75, and George Britz, ’93, served during 
the Spanish-American War.  During World War I, 286 young men who had graduated from 
Mahanoy City High were in the service.  None were killed and only three were injured 
seriously, Robert Evans, 1904, Charles Hagenbuch, 1904, and Arthur Schoener, 1916. 
Many were gassed and suffered from shell shock.

The following graduated who made the supreme sacrifice during World War II are 
memorialized on a plaque at the High School:

Jerome Szematowicz, John Shovlin, Albert W. Petcavage, Basis Kaczmarczyk, Frank Barone, 
Francis Pieri, Bernard P. Silkowski, Joseph A. Litsch, Clarence Marshall, Edward Tomcavage, 
Theodore G. Sisak, Michael Kustra, William G. Berwick, John W. Foley, Joseph J. Zagorski, 
James R. Larkin, Joseph A. Gonzales, John M. Sluzevich, Joseph C. Kubilus, Robert O. Stitzer, 
John Lowatti, Robert T. Lowe, Edward Kiselewski, Paul Lotwick, Mark A. Noonan, 
Alphonsus Chiginsky, Francis Truskowski, Bernard Susavage, Leonard Matulavage, 
John A. Brocker, Wilbur L. Brill, Michael Hydock, William J. Blackwell, William J. Foley, 
James D. Haley, Joseph A. Urban, Harrison Fetterman, Anthony Miskavage, Edward R. Conrad, 
George J. Alberici.

Space does not permit paying tribute to well-beloved teachers whose careers were devoted 
to training the youth of the community nor to list graduates who have achieved distinction 
in many walks of life.  These deserved tributes must await the time when a more complete 
history is written.

PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS

Identified with the community’s educational life for much of its history have been the 
schools established by the various parishes.  St. Fidelis School was the oldest.  
Others were established by St. Canicus, St. Joseph’s, St. Casimir’s and St. Mary’s Slovak 
congregations.

In recent years St. Mary’s and St. Fidelis schools wee closed. 

High School students from the local parishes attend the Immaculate Heart High School 
at Fountain Springs.

MCCANN SCHOOL

A business school, long identified with the life of the community, is the McCann School 
of Business, which adds to the community’s reputation in the educational field. 

Its present chief executive, Mrs. Harry D. House, is a worthy successor of the late 
Dwight McCann, who for many years headed the school after association with his brother, 
Charles and their father, the late L.C. McCann.

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Authorized by the Board of Education, the Mahanoy City Public Library was organized in 
September 1896.  The first trustees were L. V. Rausch, Reverend A. M. Woods, Abner Morris, 
Daniel F. Guinan, W. A. Haak, and Thomas L. Patterson.

It was housed in a second floor room in the Pine Street school building until 1920 when 
it was absorbed into the Library in the Mahanoy City High School.

On April 20, 1938, again under the sponsorship of the Board of Education, a Library 
project was started under the Works Progress Administration.  The first trustees were 
Thomas Monaghan, Mrs. Oscar Pearson, Miss Zelma K. Snyder, Reverend Edward H. Brewster, 
Reverend C. J. Raukauskas, Miss Mary Thomas, Attorney Arthur Ricchiuti and 
Joseph H. Davies.

The Library was opened in the Pine Street school building on May 23, 1938 with 900 books.
One June 28, 1938, the Library was moved to the Mahanoy Street building, and several 
months later to its present quarters in the former Knights of Columbus building which 
it purchased in October 1945.

The aid from the Works Progress Administration was discontinued on February 15, 1941.
On July 23, 1945, the Library was incorporated.

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