Historic Moment: Shepard Settlement schools
By Beth Batlle
Town historian
Why do students who live in the Town of Skaneateles go to school in Marcellus? Going back to1812, the New York State Legislature established the school system and decided that all schools should be within walking distance of five year old girls and boys. Under good conditions, this should take from 20 to 30 minutes.
As a result there were two schools in this area: Shepard Settlement which was east of Chapman Road on Stump Road, (then called Snake Hill Road) and West Hill on the left side of the Turnpike and east of the landfill. Skaneateles, then, was still part of Marcellus, so this school was on the west side of the Town of Marcellus.
The first school in Shepard Settlement was a log cabin. The second was near the corner of Stump Road and Shepard Road. This school burned in 1853. Joel Chapman donated land for a new school building and that same year a third school was built.
This school, painted red at first, had hand-hewn beams and lath and plaster walls. A coal-burning stove heated the one room building. Later, outside, a white picket fence and a flag pole were added and maple trees were planted. This school was to serve the community for 83 years.
Water was obtained by students from the neighboring Chapman farm. Once a lazy student dipped his bucket into water in a nearby ditch instead of walking to the farm. Students were disgusted to see crickets swimming in their drinking water.
At first students used a common dipper to drink. However, after the influenza epidemic of 1918, the State Health Department mandated that individual cups be used.
Bathroom facilities consisted of an outhouse at the rear of the property. One winter a rather hefty teacher needed to use this facility but was afraid of falling on the treacherous ice and snow. The students came to her rescue by using a sled to pull her across to the outhouse and back.
A former student recalled avery cold day at the West Hill School when as the students prepared to write their lessons, they found the ink in their ink wells had frozen. The teacher suggested that they all place their ink wells under the stove to thaw.
The teacher became busy with her lessons and forgot all about the ink bottles. All of a sudden they all heard the cork tops go Pop! Pop! Pop! As the tops flew in all directions, the students jumped as if they had been shot. The teacher told the students to come and pick up their ink bottles, and corks, “if you can find them.”
Students attended the Shepard Settlement and the West Hill Schools up to the eighth grade. After that point, if students wanted to further their education, they had to attend the Marcellus school. They had two options – they could hire on as a live-in workers for a family in the Village of Marcellus or walk to school. Those students at the West Hill school decided to walk to the Marcellus School which was then located at the right side of the sharp S curve as the West Seneca Turnpike entered the Village, a distance of 2 to 2 1/2 half miles.
Then, on August 15, 1935, Marcellus residents voted to centralized all the rural schools into one central school district. The vote was 826 for and 77 against, A new school, completed in 1937, was built at the end of North Street in the village.
The west side students that had been walking to the former Marcellus school, wanted to remain with their familiar teachers and fellow students. So in 1938, they and Shepard Settlement residents also voted for centralization and their school was annexed into the Marcellus District. Students were now bused to their new school. (The Skaneateles Schools did not centralize until 1950.)
The old Shepard Settlement school was sold to the Grange who held meetings and other events there up until 1966. Then the building remained vacant for some time. Finally, in 1985, the dilapidated building was torn down and all that remained of the old school were fond memories.
