Mining for Souls
Page 38
Schools
Lyon Mountain
Lyon Mountain School - 1975
Education became a concern of the early pioneers
of the Lyon Mountain; Chazy Lake, Merrill and Standish areas as early as
1850. As far as it can be ascertained through research, the first teacher
in Lyon Mountain was Sadie Smith, who taught in a log cabin at Hog Alley
near Third Street extension in 1875. This cabin served as both a school and
a church. By 1878, one hundred miners were employed and about thirty men
worked around the kilns and separators. There were at about this time forty
comfortable dwellings with outbuildings which dotted the clearing.
In the years that ensued, school was held in a building on Mine Hill near
the bridge. This building was subsequently occupied by the Amos Revoirs,
and later by the McKinney family. It has since been torn down.
Lyon Mountain School - on the Hill
The school on the hill, a modest wooden structure,
was probably erected about 1890. The building, presently the home of Lorraine
Farrell,, at that time housed all of the students of Lyon Mountain.
In 1894, four teachers were employed in District No. 4, Town of Dannemora,
and the school was headed by Principal G. H. Bruce. Because of the mushrooming
of the town
and increased enrollment, a primary class, known as the "Chart Class", was
held in a large room in the house presently occupied by Philip Stacavich.
In 1905, the Lyon Mountain Union Free School was
established as a Regents' institution of middle grades with 305 pupils registered
and a faculty of seven teachers. The school was well supplied with charts,
maps, reference books, casts, mounts, microscopes, and other equipment essential
to the highest grade work. The library consisted of 500 volumes, properly
apportioned among works of fiction, biography, history and reference books.
Three departments had been approved by the
State Education Department: the elementary, the advanced, and the academic.
The elementary consisted of the eight grades, the advanced prepared students
for a teacher's certificate, and the academic what later was called the
high school. The academic course admitted pupils who held the Regents' preliminary
Certificate, or who possessed the ninth year Commissioner's Certificate.
The academic was a two-year or a three-year course, the latter the Latin-Scientific
Course, prepared students for Normal School entrance.
In 1905, Frederick J. Mason served as principal,
teacher and librarian. He was assisted by Anna Feehan, and the grade
teachers were Lois Brown, Rena Gardenier, Esther Davies, and Mary A. Kelly.
The Board of Education was comprised of W. F. Brown, M D., F. W. Koch, L.
J. Wood, T. C. Flynn and E. W. Harrica. Frank Langey was secretary, and S.
W. Healey,
Treasurer. Francis A. Mullen, the first candidate to receive an Eighth
Grade Regents' diploma, certified for a teacher's certificate in 1905.
In 1906, Nellie Harrica and Albina Arpin were two of the seven graduates.
It was in 1910 that the Union Free School had its first graduate in the Academic
Department, Henry Arpin.
As the years rolled along and the population of
Lyon Mountain increased, it became necessary to build an addition to the school
on the hill. Because of the larger enrollment, a kindergarten class was held
in the old "Bunk" house. It was here also that school activities such as
dances, graduation, basketball games and movies were held.
C.B. Murray - Principal from 1916-1926
The years from 1910 on saw a series of principals
from M. A. Hallahan to H. J. Baldwin. Then in 1916, C. B. Murray came to
Lyon Mountain Still vivid in the memory of many local residents is this knowledgeable
man who earned the love and respect of all who watched the school grow under
his able direction, advancing to Senior Grade and later to high school. C.
B.
left in 1926 to become Superintendent of Schools in Plattsburgh, and later
earned distinction as Executive Secretary of the New York State Teachers
Retirement System.
It was during the administration of Maurice Osborne,
C. B. Murray's successor, that serious consideration was given to building
a new school. Because the mines were temporarily closed in 1926-29, and because
of the foresight and resourcefulness of J. R. Linney, President of the Board
of Education and Superintendent of the Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company, the
abundant supply of skilled workers in the village were employed to build the
Linney Auditorium, which saw its
first graduating class in 1929. Bernard Hart was one of the seven
graduates in that class. Blocks for this construction were made from
sand from the ore piles and with local help. Plans had been formulated
at this time to build a school. Peter S. McMenamin, Chief Engineer of the
Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company, drew up the meticulous plans and specifications
for the construction. The school was erected in 1931 and dedicated in 1932.
In the years that followed, a beautiful athletic
field, the best in the area, was built. It boasted a grandstand, bleachers,
a band stand, and a complete refreshment area. A swimming pool was
constructed next to the school and was open for the enjoyment of youngsters
throughout the summer. It is still in use today. A clubhouse, now the Harrica
residence, was opened as living-
quarters for teachers and local engineers. It replaced the Annex,
presently the home of Bernard Chase, as the residence for these professionals.
Across the street from the Club House were tennis courts which at one time
were very popular but have since vanished.
When Principal Osborne left in 1930 to accept a
post at the State Education Department in Albany, he was succeeded by Leo
Allen. Early in the forties, Duane LeTarte was principal. It was
in 1947 that Bernard Harrica came to Lyon Mountain as Chief School Administrator,
a position he held for twenty-five years. During these years, the curriculum
was greatly expanded
and the school flourished. Much credit must be given to P. J. McMenamin,
President of the Board of Education for many years, for his leadership in
education, and to such men as J. R. Linney, Howard Pigg, and T. R. Evans
for years of dedicated service to the school. It is impossible to give credit
to the many outstanding citizens who have given generously of their time
to help build a good school system with a comprehensive education for our
youth, nor is it possible to name the many dedicated teachers. Edith Duffy,
Nellie Thurber, Cecile Langey and Mary Susnosky are examples of those fine
instructors who devoted many years of service to the Lyon Mountain School.
And how could the history of the school be written without mentioning Mr.
Owens who worked as a janitor for over fifty years hand-firing the furnaces
to keep the school warm and often at his post at four in the morning!
With the changing of time came the day when Republic
Steel Corporation decided that it was no longer financially feasible to operate
the mines. With this announcement of their closing in 1967 came the
realization that our school must merge with other districts if it was to survive
economically. Consequently, in 1969 the Lyon Mountain School District
merged with Altona and Ellenburg, and a new centralization was born-the Northern
Adirondack Central School.
The foregoing depicts more than one hundred years
of education in Lyon Mountain. People can be duly proud of the quality
of education in our community. Parents, teachers, school personnel, Board
of Education members, and administrators have worked together to provide Lyon
Mountain with' a fine school system. This Centennial marks a significant educational
milestone in the history of Lyon Mountain.
B.P. Harrica - last principal of the Lyon Mt. School 1947-1972
continued on Schools 2....
Sources:
Adirondack Museum photos, Blue Mountain Lake, NY;
History of Clinton County, New York;
Go to Page 1 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.
Go to Page 3 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.
Go to Mining History for The History
of Mining in the North Country.
Go to Page 5 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.(for article on Lyon Mt. and Mineville)
Go to Page 39 of Mining for Souls.
Back to Page 37 of Mining for
Souls.
Go to Page 1 of Mining for Souls.(cover
page)
Rod Bigelow
Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
BACK TO
THE HISTORY PAGE
BACK TO
BIGELOW HOME PAGE
