Minerd.com Profile of the One-Room Harbaugh School of Somerset County, PA

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The Harbaugh School
1876? to 1930

Above: The Harbaugh School as pictured in the 1911 teacher's souvenir booklet. Below: The school in the 1920s, with teacher Nan Whipkey in back, far left.

Our family claims a school named after one of its major branches. The one-room Harbaugh School No. 3 was in operation for nearly five-and-a-half decades, from at least 1876 to 1930 in rural Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, PA.

The schoolhouse was located near the old homestead of half-brothers Joseph Harbaugh and David Harbaugh, whose parents, Leonard and Martha (Minerd) Harbaugh, settled there in 1837. The school site is now owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the farm by the Clairton Anglers Club.

A number of the Harbaughs' descendants attended the school over time.

An early reference to the school is found in an 1888 Meyersdale Commercial newspaper article. At that time, a building was being constructed "in Turkeyfoot township, just across the Somerset county line," reported the Connellsville Keystone Courier. Messrs. Gearhart are the contractors."

The teacher in that new schoolhoue was Alice C. Eyer in the 1888-1889 year, with 34 pupils enrolled but with average attendance of only 15. Her monthly salary was $23.

Above: The school circled on the 1876 atlas map of Lower Turkeyfoot Township, in the Harbaugh District, south of the farm of David Harbaugh and the waters of Harbaugh Run. Below: 1931 U.S. Geological Survey map showing the school's precise location (circled), in the same place as the 1876 map, about a mile east of the Fayette/Somerset County border ("Laurel Hill"), and southwest of the town of Scullton (upper right).

Over the years, some of the teachers were Thelma B. Glover, Daniel "Garfield" Younkin (1898-1899, son of James "Dempsey" Younkin), George W. Steyer (1905-1906; 1920-1927; 1928-1929), Nancy "Nan" Whipkey King, Jesse Lenhart (1911), Clara Coughenour (1912-1913), Ethel Henry (1913-1914), Iva Mountain (1914-1915), Mary Lingenfield (1915-1916), Charles Henry (1916-1917), Grover Nichols, Emma Violet Younkin (1918-1919), daughter of Colwell Seveno Younkin of the family of Jacob J. Younkin and George W. Steyer (1919-1926).

When Emma Violet Younkin signed her contract in July 1918 with the Lower Turkeyfoot School Board, having recently graduated from Connellsville High School, the Meyersdale Republican stated that "Being a bright, intelligent young lady and much interested in the study of botany, there is no doubt that she will make a very successful teacher."

The following March, the Republican reported that she "has been doing good work since taking charge of the school, and is giving entire satisfaction. Two weeks ago she held a box social at the school house which netted about $20 which was expended in procuring a globe for the use of the school. The globe is something that is very useful to the advanced classes in geography."

Year	Harbaugh School Details
1888-1889	School Directors: ? Teacher: Alice C. Eyer Students: 34
1893-1894	School Directors: ? Teacher: Mary Cramer Students: ?
1888-1889	School Directors: ? Teacher: Sadie Pyle Students: ?
1898-1899	School Directors: ? Teacher: Daniel "Garfield" Younkin Students: ?
1905-1906	School Directors: President, James B. Colborn. Secretary, E.S. Thomas. Met at the Hotel Gilchrist in Confluence. Teacher: George W. Styers/Steyer Students: ?
1906-1907	School Directors: ? - Met at Confluence. Teacher: George W. Styers/Steyer Students: ?

Harbaugh School booklets, L-R: 1910-1911 -- 1913-1914 -- 1914-1915
Courtesy Sylvester Everhart Jr.

Year	Harbaugh School Details

1910-1911	School Directors: President, John Colflesh. Secretary, Samuel Thomas. Treasurer, K.B. Lenhart. At large: C.L. Graff, Manvah McNair. Teacher: Jesse Lenhart Students (23): First grade, Jesse Conn, Clinton Conn, Oscar Firestone, Orville Firestone, Dillon Ohler, Thomas Ohler. Second grade, Rebecca Burkholder, Olive Ohler. Third grade: Iva Ohler, Ida Pletcher, Bertha Ream. Fourth grade: Daniel Burkholder, Ira Conn, Charles Ohler, Lillie Ohler, Rosa Ohler. Fifth grade, Ida Burkholder, Gertrude Conn, Gilbert Ohler, Mae Ohler, Anna Pletcher, Edward Pletcher, Edgar Ream.

1912-1913	School Directors: George W. Tannehill, John F. Colflesh, W.W. Colborn, L. Scott Rush. Met in Humbert. Teacher: Clara Coughenour

1913-1914	School Directors: John F. Colflesh, President. Scott Rush, Treasurer. G.W. Tannehill, Secretary. At large: K.B. Lenhart, J.A. Lingenfield, L.S. Rush, William W. Colborn. Teacher: Ethel Henry Students (22): Dillen Ohler, Zachary Conn, Ralph Burkholder, Grace Pletcher, Olive Ohler, Clinton Conn, Iva Ohler, Daniel Burkholder, Orville Firestone, Rosa Ohler, Iva Conn, Wilson Conn, Elva Ohler, Susan Pyle, Jesse Conn, Rebecca Burkholder, Ida Pletcher, Samuel Conn, Homer Conn, Oscar Firestone, Edward Pletcher, Ida Burkholder.

1914-1915	School Directors: W.W. Colborn, President. Secretary, G.W. Tannehill. At large: F.S. Rush, J.F. Colflesh, K.B. Lenhart. County Superintendent: D.W. Seibert. Met at the Hotel Humbert. Teacher: Iva Mountain Students (23): Iva Conn, Charlie Ohler, Homer Conn, Samuel Conn, Clinton Conn, Jesse Conn, Oscar Firestone, Orville Firestone, Dillon Ohler, Wilson Conn, Earnest Ohler, Daniel Burkholder, Rebecca Burkholder, Iva Ohler, Ida Pletcher, Grace Pletcher, Olive Ohler, Elva Ohler, Ralph Burkholder, Zacharia Conn, Lester Conn, Susan Pyle, Ruth Conn.

1915-1916	School Directors: President, W.W. Colborn. Treasurer, G.W. Tannehill. At large: F.S. Rush, J.F. Colflesh, K.B. Lenhart. County Superintendent, D.W. Seibert. Met at Humbert. Teacher: Mary Lingenfield. Students (19): Iva Conn, Olive Ohler, Daniel Burkholder, Susan Pyle, Clinton Conn, Velma Cochran, Ralph Burkholder, Rachel Cochran, Eliza Porterfield, Ida Pletcher, Rebecca Burkholder, Charles Ohler, Grace Pletcher, Bessie Cochran, Jesse Conn, Dillon Ohler, Maud Cochran, Elva Ohler, Roosevelt Porterfield.

1916-1917	School Directors: Met at Humbert. Meeting took more than five hours to elect 10 teachers in a highly contentious negotiation. Teacher: Charles Henry
1917-1918	School Directors: R.S. Rakestraw, others. Met at Humbert. Teacher: ?

1918-1919	School Directors: K.B. Lenhart, John Colflesh, Freeman Brougher, William Colborn, L.R. Goller. Met at Hotel Dodds in Confluence. Teacher: Emma Violet Younkin. Students (10): Ralph Burkholder, Dillon Ohler, Lester Conn, Miles Ohler, Jesse Conn, Elva Ohler, Clinton Conn, Robert Pearry, Charles Saline, Grayce Pletcher.

1919-1920	School Directors: ? Teacher: George W. Steyer

Annually the Lower Turkeyfoot school directors met to hire teachers for the year and secure contracts for fuel services. Likely because the headcount of pupils fell regularly, the Harbaugh School usually was one of the last to fill the teaching position. In July 1918, at their annual meeting, at the Hotel Dodds in Confluence, the directors are known to have chosen J.W. Ohler to furnish fuel for the Harbaugh School at a fee of $24.

L-R: School director Nolan Kimmel and teachers Iva Mountain (1914-1915) - Mary Lingenfield (1915-1916) - Emma V. Younkin (1918-1919). Teacher images courtesy Sylvester Everhart Jr.

Year	Harbaugh School Details
1920-1921	School Directors: ? Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1921-1922	School Directors: ? - met at Hotel Dodds. Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1922-1923	School Directors: President, H.P. Miller. Vice President, K.B. Lenhart. Secretary, C.L. Groff. Treasurer, Nolan Harding Kimmel. At large: R.L. Goller and John Enos. Met at Hotel Dodds. Teacher: George W. Steyer
1923-1924	School Directors:? Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1924-1925	School Directors: Secretary, C.L. Groff. Others. Principal business accepting bids for applying two coats of paint to the Harbaugh and other schools. Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1925-1926	School Directors: President, N.H. Kimmel. Secretary, Franklin E. Wirsing. Treasurer, John Enos. At large: K.B. Lenhart, W.H. Rush. Met at Hotel Dodds. Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1926-1927	School Directors: ? Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1927-1928	School Directors: ? Teacher: Thelma Beatrice Glover.
1928-1929	School Directors: ? Teacher: George W. Steyer.
1929-1930	School Directors: Teacher: Thelma Beatrice Glover.
1930-1931	School Directors: President, Russell R. Goller. Secretary, Frederick E. Wirsing. Others: L.R. Goller, W.H. Rush, Harvey Conn. Met at Hotel Dodds. Principal business was to provide transportation for children of the district from their homes to the Confluence schools. Bus Contractor: George W. Steyer, submitted the low bid for driving routes for the Harbaugh and Brushton school communities at an annual fee of $1,795.

New public school in Confluence

Annually the Lower Turkeyfoot school directors met to hire teachers for the year and secure other contracts for services. Likely because the headcount of pupils fell regularly, Harbaugh School teaching positions usually were one of the last to be filled. In July 1918, at their annual meeting, at the Hotel Dodds in Confluence, the directors are known to have chosen J.W. Ohler to furnish fuel for the Harbaugh School at a fee of $24.

In 1930, the school was closed during the Great Depression, as part of a township-wide consolidation to cut costs and offer better advantages to children. The students were bused to Confluence Public Schools where they were admitted on a "straight tuition basis."

The Republican issue of June 26, 1930 said that Steyer provided the low bidto provide transport services for students on Route 5 comprising the Harbaugh and Brushton school communities, for which he was to be paid $1,795. On the first day of the new school year that fall, the Lower Turkeyfoot school directors rode on some of the buses to experience the ride for themselves and to assure that everything went smoothly.

Minerd.com extends its gratitude to Sylvester Everhart Jr., Carol D. Whipkey and the Meyersdale Public Library for providing valuable images and written content for this page. Some of this text originally was published in our 1997 reunion booklet, A Sense of Wonder.