HOME Part 1
Introduction
William Stall
Part 2
John Stall
Part 3
Stahl School
Part 4
Daniel Stahl/Stall
Part  5
John C. Hay
Part 6
Elizabeth Stahl
Part 7
Susan Stall
Part 8
William Stall/Stahl
   

Letters From Larry
Part 3
Posted August 28, 2002

The Stahl School

The townships of Coshocton County all supported what is known as the "one room schools". That is each schoolhouse had one room and in that room all pupils were taught grades one - eight. If a student wanted a higher education, the student would have to go to a big town to get the remaining grades taught. The rule was back in the early years a student went until passing the eighth grade or reached the age of 21. Believe it or not some obtained the age of 21 before passing eighth grade.

In the early years of the townships the education was poor as the teachers were little in advance of the students. Early schools were often in abandoned homes, churches, rude structures, whatever was handy. Also early schools were mostly subscription type schools, each parent paying a teacher a certain amount for a term of school taught. Beginning in about the 1830's the education in schools were taken in earnest as the population of the county increased and more money was had to support schools. As stated before, all of William and Susanna's male kids were literate, but the girls were not. How the older boys were educated in the wilderness, I do not know but in his later years evidence exists that Daniel was a strong supporter of what was known as the Stahl school.

The school was first built after a redistrict change in Adams township in 1854. At the time it was built on the boundary of lands owned by Sam Daugherty and Arnold Babcock. The Daugherty land would later be owned by a family named Hoffman. Babcock's land went to Anthony and then later Daniel Stahl. For 75 years this school was on the Daniel Stahl farm border and was often known as the Stahl School. In some records it is called Babcock School, or Daugherty's School. The Hoffman family sometimes calls it Hoffman's School. But it is by far known as the Stahl School, and many written records exist calling it such.

In the early years the enumeration was large as families were large and many farms existed of 20-40-80 acres. Later as families moved west the size of farms increased as those who remained purchased the small farms, increasing the size of their farms. Also later it seems that a lot of families were smaller than in the 1800's.

By the 1920's the schools became small and with the depression no money was to be had. As schools consolidated the one room school houses were one by one closed. The Stahl school closed in 1932 and students were bused to Bakersville. All of Daniel's kids went to the Stahl School and most of his grandkids did also, only Kenneth and Edith Stahl, children of John didn't attend as they were too young.

This picture was taken in 1888 and shows the first Stahl school. This burnt in 1888 or 1889. Only eleven people are identified on this picture: 1. Jim Swiget, 2. Lewis Dreher, 5. Albert Stilgenbaurer, 6. George Swigert, 7. Lou Stillengbaurer, 9. Dan Dreher, 10. Emily Stilgenbaurer, 13. A.C.Miller, teacher, 33. D. Edward Stahl, 34. William J. Stahl, 35. John H. Stahl

As stated before by the 1920's the school barely existed:

Florence, Chester, Harry are children of John Stahl; Lucille daughter of Ed Stahl.

Nothing remains of the school today. The schoolhouse was sold at auction and moved to Orange and made into a house beside the Tuscarawas River. The land reverted back to the farms that the land was taken from when the school was formed. When I was young you could still see the rail fence around the school lot, but time has removed all trace of this also. In the later picture in the background is the privy and behind that the coal shed were coal was stored for winter. According to old records, most of the coal was furnished by different members of the Stahl family.

Because Daniel Stahl's house was near the school he often boarded the teachers. In the house was a room off of the kitchen that had a separate set of steps to the upstairs. There was a door to this room and the lock was on the kitchen side of the door. That was the only way in or out of that room, and as the window was on the lower side of the house, the window was almost three stories high. When a person was in this room, the room could be locked from the kitchen and the person could not get out until the door was unlocked. This was the room where the teachers boarded. Whether or not the room was ever locked or not, I don't know, but it was an option.

Note on part two:  I made an error on John Stall's oldest son who was Irwin Stall, sometimes spelled Erwin. Irvin Stall was a son of William Stall Jr. To Irwin's descendants, sorry about the mistake, to the others who may be coping these notes, there will probably be more mistakes. If you ketch one let me know. 

 

Ok - next will be Daniel Stall/Stahl

HOME Part 1
Introduction
William Stall
Part 2
John Stall
Part 3
Stahl School
Part 4
Daniel Stahl/Stall
Part  5
John C. Hay
Part 6
Elizabeth Stahl
Part 7
Susan Stall
Part 8
William Stall/Stahl