Shenango-Taylor Joint School - Shenango Twnp PA

In early 1922 the school districts of Shenango and Taylor Townships and the South New Castle Boro in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, began discussing a jointure of some sort. The main goal of the jointure would be to erect a consolidated schoolhouse to accommodate students throughout the Sheep Hill district. South New Castle Boro soon withdrew from the discussions, but Shenango and Taylor Townships went ahead with the plan. The two townships formed a jointure with Luther M. Reed, the reigning president of the Shenango Township School Board, overseeing the new organization as president. Warren H. Heile, the president of the Taylor Township School Board, was designated as secretary.

A seven-acre plot of land, located at the northeast intersection of Bryson Mill Road and Martha Street was purchased from B.F. Butler for $3,500. Bids were accepted in June 1922, and a contract was soon awarded to Ellwood City contractor E. P. Workley for just over $23,000. The six-room Shenango-Taylor Joint School would be built on the east side of Martha Street and be situated just inside the border of Shenango Township. The total cost of the new school was split with Shenango Township paying a sizeable 75% and Taylor Township the remaining 25%. Moving forward the cost of maintenance would be split based on the attendance figures from each township. The nearby schoolhouses of Sheep Hill in Taylor Township and Gaston in Shenango Township were also slated for closure at this time.
The two-story schoolhouse, known as the Shenango-Taylor Joint School or the “new” Sheep Hill School, opened for classes on Tuesday, January 2, 1923. Five classrooms were occupied by 193 students in grades 1-8. The first principal was Ruth Shaffer Hill (later Gilliam) who also taught the upper grades (7 and 8 possibly). The other staff members included teachers Mary Hasely, Jesse Gold Reed, Katharyn Hunter, and Edna Kelly. 8th grade graduates desiring to continue their education would do so at the New Castle High School.

The New Castle (PA) News of Friday, January 5, 1923, reported, “The new school is a two-story affair, constructed of a rough textured dark red brick, most attractive to the eye. Standing on a knoll out on Martha street about one and a half miles from the city line on the southern border, it is a monument to the foresight, the wisdom and the progressive spirit of the two townships which it serves… Instead of the old-fashioned boiler plate stove the school has a modern heating plant. Every room is splendidly lighted and the ventilation is of the best. No expense has been spared in providing the school with the most modern equipment and it ranks with any school in the city, either in appearance or in equipment. Over across the road from the new school is the woefully inadequate structure that served Taylor township as a school building (Sheep Hill School) prior to the opening of the new one. Several hundred yards away on the same side of the road is the Shenango Township building (Gaston School) that was used as a school. Somehow there seems to be an air of shame hanging about the old schools.”

The building was officially dedicated during a ceremony, presided over by Secretary Warren H. Helle, held on Thursday, April 19, 1923. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Lawrence County Judge S. Plummer Emery, New Castle Mayor Fred L. Rentz, New Castle Schools Superintendent Ben G. Graham, County Schools Superintendent Charles F. Ball, and County Commissioner George T. Weingartner.

Due to growth of the student population the sixth classroom was soon put in use In September 1931, and an additional fifty students were transferred to the school from other nearby areas. The New Castle (PA) News of Saturday, October 7, 1933, reported, “The Shenango-Taylor joint school started its term this year with the record enrollment of 215. About 65 of these pupils are transferred by bus from the Clifton Flats district. Grades 5 and 6 taught by Miss Lorenz, carried off attendance honors for the month, with a percentage of 98.8, with Grade three, taught by Miss Smith, a close second. It is expected to organize a student council in the upper grades in the near future, in order to emphasize the responsibility of the students toward the school.” The attendance seemed to hold steady throughout the coming years.

The school was being phased out by the late 1950’s as the jointure between Shenango and Taylor Townships was coming to an end. The students from Shenango Township were being transferred to the Shenango Township Consolidated School (opened back in August 1927) – and also to the new Shenango High School when it opened in September 1959. The students from Taylor Township were stuck in temporary limbo as the district’s main school building, the West Pittsburg School, was damaged by a fire in August 1955. It was rebuilt and remodeled and then completely lost to a devastating blaze in February 1957. On Friday, February 13, 1959, a young student from West Pittsburg also ignited a fire in the basement of the Shenango-Taylor Joint School as classes let out for the day. The small fire was extinguished before any serious damage was done. After several delays the new West Pittsburg School finally opened for classes in March 1959, and the old joint school was shuttered.

In July 1962 Taylor Township merged with city schools to establish a new entity known as the New Castle Area School District. Two years later, in July 1964, the Shenango Area School District was formed by the merger of the school districts of Shenango Township and South New Castle Boro.

The old Shenango-Taylor Joint School was sold to the South Hill Athletic Association in May 1959. The main part of the building was soon razed, but the basement was converted into a Cold War-era fallout shelter. Over the years the entire property was transformed into a community center with a social hall, a baseball field, and a children’s playground. In early 2024 ownership of the property, falling into disuse, was transferred back to the Shenango Township supervisors.

The Shenango-Taylor Joint School was opened on a seven-acre lot along the Martha Street Extension in September 1922. The six-room school was situated just inside the border of Shenango Township. The total cost of the new school was split with Shenango Township paying 75% of the total cost, with Taylor Township paying the remaining 25%. (c1930) Full Size

The Shenango-Taylor Joint School was located at the intersection of the Martha Street Extension and Bryson Mill Road. (Jun 1958)

A group of students pose in front of the Shenango-Taylor Joint School. (c1934) (Courtesy of Rob & Birdie Gilson)