Horner’s Cemetery Historical Society Announces 10th year Page 6
The Home News Your Local News
MAY 24-30, 2018
Bath Farmers’ Market kicks off 11th season
Melinda McGouldrick and daughter Zoe.
Annual ribbon cutting. By RACHEL HOLLY and despite the overcast weather, With the change of the seasons, the event inspired a sunny mood something exciting sprouted up for all who were in attendance. in the heart of Bath this weekend “We had a great turnout,” — and the excitement is entirely beamed market manager Sarah homegrown. Fulton. “The [vendor] mix has Friday evening marked the changed, we definitely embraced kick-off of the 11th Annual Bath Farmers Market in the borough, Continued on page 2
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Looking by Back Ed Pany Public Education Part Two Today we continue to look back at early local education using the research found in the pamphlet by my friend Larry Oberly, “Schools of Allen.” With the passage of the Common School Act of 1834, every township, borough and city were required to create a school district. The state of Pennsylvania created a Department of Education and a State of Superintendent. In those days schools were run by a county school board who hired a county superintendent of schools. The county board decided the issues of teacher salaries, set grade levels, assigned students to buildings and bought textbooks. The first county superintendent was Valentine Hillburn of Lower Saucon Township. Locally, three different academies provided secondary education. The Allen Township Academy of 1783 would become the Wolf Academy in honor of the Governor, George Wolf. Vanderver Academy was founded in 1819 and the Weaversville Academy was built in 1856. All provided many opportunities for secondary education. During the Civil War, schools suffered as funding was cut in order to support the war effort. Women replaced male staff members so that the men
could go off and fight the war. Some members of the public feared the children would be “feminized.” Members of the school boards conducted examinations of the students. In many, the test results were equal to or greater than newer, largergraded schools of the cities. High schools were not established by the law. High schools came into being first in cities or boroughs with multiple wards. Allen Township School District built the Brooklyn School in 1886. The school became part of the Borough of Alliance in 1902, the present Borough of Northampton. In 1903, changes in the law allowed students living in a district without a high school to attend high school in another district with tuition paid by the sending district. Allen Township students selected either Coplay High School or Northampton High School. Bath students attended Northampton, Nazareth and some old timers attended high school in Bethlehem. Some of the older residents recall their days at Coplay High School. The last Allen Township students graduated from Coplay High School in 1960. The old Coplay High School is the present municipal building in the Borough of Coplay.
Greater Bath Area Scholarship Page 5
Northampton Council Page 8
77th Year, Issue No. 21 www.homenewspa.com
USPS 248-700