An Amish friend who attended the old Bart Township School at Green Tree embedded the concrete letters of the school’s name in a brick wall on his property after the school was demolished in 2015. Now he wonders about the history of the school.
That history rests in a file cabinet Barry Girvin and Scott Frantz maintain in an educational addition to the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Church along Valley Road, the highway that connects Quarryville with Green Tree in Bart Township.
“This is where the old Bart Township High School opened in 1903,’’ says Girvin, who is retired from teaching history at Conestoga Valley High School and local colleges. “I never went here, but a lot of the memories of those who did are kept in those files.’’
Scots-Irish settlers opened a private academy in a one-room addition to the church building in the late 19th century. It yielded to Bart Central High School, a public school that opened in 1903.
That school room was used until 1927, when the township built Bart High School about a mile away at Green Tree. Bart was a three-year high school. If students wanted to take another year, they went to Quarryville High.
In 1947, Bart Township joined in consolidating the high schools of Southern Lancaster County as Solanco High School.
The old high school at Green Tree became an elementary school (for grades 3 to 8) called Bart Central. Girvin attended that school. So did the Scribbler’s Amish friend. The Amish attended public schools until they opened their own schools in the late 1950s.
The Scribbler asked Girvin to recount memories of his days in elementary school at Bart Central. One of those memories involves Hiram G. Troop, a primary influence on Bart students from 1918 through the early 1960s.
Troop became principal of Bart High School at Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian in 1918. Later he taught at the brick school at Bartville. When schools were consolidated in 1947, Troop remained as principal of grades three through eight at Bart Central.
Troop inspired Girvin’s interest in history while impressing him with his mastery of discipline.
When Girvin and James Adair were in seventh grade, they played a game at recess called “hunter.’’ As the hunter, Adair hit every student except Girvin with a ball. Girvin remained on the loose as Troop rang the bell to summon students back to the classroom.
Everyone else returned, but Adair continued to pursue Girvin in a heavy rain. Girvin made a beeline for the school just as Troop was coming out the door with his paddle. Adair threw the ball and it smashed through a window beside Troop.
“Safe inside, I paused to observe James’ fate,’’ Girvin remembers. “It was a scene to behold. As Mr. Troop yelled “James Adair, foolishness’’ with each swing, James jumped about a foot off the ground. His wet trousers added to the sound and sting of the experience.’’
Girvin escaped with a stern stare.
This story and others are in that Bart alumni file cabinet at Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian. The old school room was open to the public from 1:30 to 2:30 Sunday afternoon, prior to the annual Celtic Advent service at 3 p.m. at Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church just across Valley Road.
The museum is maintained by the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation. Girvin, target of that errant ball many years ago, is curator. Sandra Shenk is archivist.
Jack Brubaker, retired from the LNP staff, writes “The Scribbler” column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.
