Dillingersville Union School and Church - Dillingersville, PA, USA - There's a Book About It on Waymarking.com

I stumbled upon this book on the internet archive:

(visit link)

and it was published in 1955 by the Pennsylvania German Society of Norristown, PA. The printer was the Van Rees Press in New York City. As it is such an old tome, it does not have an ISBN Number. However; I can provide you with details about the building and its' history:

The original settlers in this area were from German states bordering the Rhine Valley and those who came to the Dillingersville area were Lutherans. In 1735, the built the first Church and School on a tract of land consisting of 29 acres and 137 perches (fun fact: a perch is an outdated unit of area which it 16+1/2 feet squared).

After the arrival of the Lutherans, members of the Reformed (now UCC) and Mennonite faiths began to populate the area. Since all were religiously minded they grouped together in both school and church affairs, building a common "union" school building which served as both a schoolhouse, church, and community meeting house for the members of the three faiths. Thus practice is still seen in Eastern PA with "Union Churches".

The first building at this site was constructed from logs in 1735 and served as a schoolhouse, church, and meeting house. In 1799, the congregations met to formulate a plan to continue to original school and formed the Dillingersville Union School and Church Association (which is still active) and they constructed the second building in 1799. A third school was constructed in 1848. In 1885 the fourth and present school building was constructed on the site still under the ownership of the Union School and Church Association. In 1941, the school closed down and has been used as a meeting house and community center since then.

In the beginning, German was the language taught exclusively. Eight grades were conducted by one teacher in the typical "one-room" building. The varying sizes of desks determined the grade in which a child was placed. Dunce stools were conspicuously placed for those students not performing to the best of their ability. Silence was mandatory; disturbances were dealt with by disciplinary flogging enforced by means of a hickory switch, wooden paddle, or leather strap. Well, it was the 1700s and 1800s.

ISBN Number: TooOldtoHaveOne Author(s): Andrew S. Berky

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