"East
Line, so prominently known in the old times,
had a good school"
--From
"The History of Saratoga County, NY", published 1878--
East Line
Common School #8 around 1930 when Ruth Roerig attended
--Photo courtesy of the Ballston Journal Newspaper--
Memories
of Ruth Weed Roerig
--January 1, 1991--
As a student in that
school in the 1930's I can remember many things. there was
always a Christmas program which I suspect was mostly paid
for by the teacher, Miss Daisy Scidmore of Ballston Spa.
A tree was planted each Arbor Day, and our teacher and the
students took in a stray dog named Pooch, who lived in
Relyea's barn when school was closed. Daily Miss Scidmore
brought him food, as did some of the students. He spent
every day in school. In this manner we were taught to love
and respect animals.
Art classes were held every Friday for all eight grades.
There were daily excersises for our physical being,
and each day was started with a salute to the flag.
A huge copy of Stuart's portrait of George Washington hung
on the wall, and I can remember admiring the father of our
country.
When I had completed my eight grades, I went to Ballston
Spa Public School for my schooling through twelfth grade.
East
Line had a reputation of being
a "tough neighborhood". The Weed, Hennessy, Murphy, O'Neil,
Raymond, Denton, Vedder, Relya, and Gowers all farmed and
had strapping big boys. One day this group of roughnecks
decided they were sick of school, and would rather be
fishing, so they tied the teacher to a tree in the
schoolyard, and off they went.
Another time, around Halloween, the "East
Line Boys" took a block and tackle,
and hauled "Bessy" the cow up to the top of a farmers roof.
As you might have guessed, the farmer didn't hesitate to
load up his shotgun and fire away at the boys as they
bellied through the cornfield.
Students
gathering on the porch of East Line Common School #8
Picture taken before the 1890 remodel, as the children are
sitting on the old wooden steps.
One
final memory.
Daily Miss Scidmore baked potatoes in the furnace for those
children who wanted or needed the nutrition. Some of the
more prospereous students brought the butter. She would
open the door of the furnace which had a large ledge just
inside the door. The potatoes went in to bake at 11:00 A.M.
sharp, and they were done by noon.
-
Students of
East Line Common School #8, c. 1927-30
(front row) George Relya, Robert Gower, William Sebasta,
George Solotruck, Thomas Malone, Harry Gower, Robert Weed,
and Joe Prock.
(middle row) Donald Kelley, Paul Sebasta, Eugene Frank,
Miss Agnes Noonan (teacher), Frances Sebasta, Herbert
Eckstrom, and Alice Weed.
(back row) Dudley Malone, Elanor Gower, Charles Riddervolt,
Thomas Clark, Dorothy Weed, Anna Masters, Lawrence
Guilfoyle, and Julia Timko.
In
1898 N.B. Sylvester wrote
the following
about the old East Line days:
Lewis Smith, of Mechanicville, now
in his ninety-third year, recalls the school and the
following incident, though the names of teachers and
scholars are fading from his memory:
He (Lewis) was a "little boy." The fat, good-natured old
teacher was asleep in his chair, and the larger boys gave
Lewis twenty-five cents (which seemed to his eyes an
immense fortune) to carefully tie the school-master's
ankles fast to the chair. He succeeded in doing it. Then
the "big boys" made a noise, and woke him up. Rising
suddenly, his feet refused to move, and he fell his full
length upon the floor, at imminent risk of life and limb,
though, fortunately, he was not much hurt.
There is no profanity in Mr. Smith's remark when, in his
quaint way, he said to the writer, "It was a devil of a
fall." He gives the older boys credit for standing by him,
and the schoolmaster was unable to find out who did
it.