For the past eight years, Leona Baker, president of the Historical Society of Salisbury Township, has spent time interviewing people both in person and over the phone, gathering photos and completing research about local one-room schools. The result of her work is a new book, "How They Learned Their ABC's."
The book, which features contributions from former teachers and students, will be unveiled at a book launch on Saturday, July 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the annual White Chimneys' Living History Event. Baker will sign and read from the book in the bridal suite at White Chimneys. There will also be a display of one-room schoolhouse photos at the event, as well as memorabilia.
Baker explained that the idea to compose a book about one-room schools came about after the annual Pequea Valley Alumni Association dinner in 2015. At that event, the Historical Society of Salisbury Township featured a display about public one-room schools in the Salisbury Township area, which included photos of the schools' teachers.
"Those who saw the display began sharing their memories as they looked at the pictures," Baker explained in the book's introduction. "I was intrigued and began asking for interviews. Some people told their friends, and more names entered my notebook."
Baker conducted most of the interviews in people's homes. Recognizing that some of the interviewees felt uncomfortable with a recorder, she wrote notes by hand. In most cases, she returned to the contributors' homes to check for accuracy. "I wrote the notes and typed them out and took them back or mailed (the notes) to them," she explained. "Each time I went, I took a gift of some kind. (Sometimes) they thought about other things to add while they were waiting for me to come back."
The result is a softcover book with more than 400 pages, with each chapter highlighting a different school with text and photos, both in color and black and white. "It's filled with pictures, so if you went to a one-room school, your photo is probably in the book," Baker stated. "I was able to chronicle more than 29 public one-room schools operating in Salisbury Township between 1836 and 1966, some longstanding, a few operating for only a few years."
Baker noted that members of the historical society, including Brett Snyder, Anna Mary Groff, Wanda Smale and Leonard Groff, helped her with the technical aspects of the book's publishing. "They are the ones who helped me put the book together," she said. "My sister, Carol, who is a published author of fiction, helped with proofreading and suggested ways to say things better."
Historical society members believe that local residents as well as those interested in history will enjoy the stories and photos in the book.
White Chimneys Estate is located at 5117 E. Lincoln Highway, Gap. Books will be for sale at the book launch on July 22. Members of the historical society will receive a discount.
To learn more about the book and the historical society, visit http://www.salisburytwphistory.org or search for "Historical Society of Salisbury Township" on Facebook.
Leave a Review