In September, 1938, the “new teacher” was Leona Rodgers, from Bergholz, Ohio. The school board was President Delbert Nixon, Clerk was Charles Draa, Bea Dobson, Ada Nixon, and Roy Glass were the teachers. Other teachers that year were Elizabeth Warren – grades three and four, Iva Bray – grades five and six, and Nelle Brown – grades seven and eight. While Mrs. Brown was sick, Mrs. Le Troy taught for her during this time.
In 1939, Delbert Nixon taught, George Johnston, took his place on the school board. Other new board members were, McKinley Nixon and Harold Wright. Charles Draa and Bea Dobson were the only carry overs.
In 1940 Charles Draa moved out of the area and was replaced by Maud Shook, as a member of the Stratton Board of Education. Esther Long was a subsititute for Delbert Nixon for three months .
STRATTON GRADE SCHOOL SONG
When the schools of old Ohio
With their learning and their lore,
Fly their colors to the heavens
Blue and White we love you more.
For you’ll see the Stratton Grade School
With its wrealth of life’s best joys,
In the front ranks proudly standing
Telling of its girls and boys.
When the schools of dear Ohio
Catch the King of Learning’s call,
And they all stand up to answer
Stratton School will lead them all.
Then if you would pay some honor
To the greatest school you know,
Give three cheers for Stratton Grade School
And watch her grow and grow.
Chorus:
Stratton Grade School, You do we adore,
Dear old Stratton, we love you more and more.
Stratton Grade School, May we ever stand,
Loyal, true and faithfil to the best school in the land.
{Stratton School 6-7-8}
SOME OF THE EARLY TEACHERS WERE:
| Chester Minesinger Willa Fleming H. Lumley Harry Pittenger James Huff May McLean Pittenger Miss Winters Ruby Chambers Ballie Miss Ward Hazek Tarr Kestner Julia Stevenson Garnette Tarr Steel Mary Tarr Ruth Tarr Secrest Alice Tarr J.H. George Victor Tarr |
B. M. Grayham |
{Stratton Girls – School Group Photo}
PORT HOMER
{The Stratton Village Story, A community History 1880 – 1976, by Mary Ekey Robinson} A history of Ekeyville – Stratton would not be complete without mention of our fine neighbors and friends to the north in Port Homer.
In 1839, one hundred thiry-seven years ago, a post office and store were located at Port Homer. Mail reached this little post by men on horse back and by stage coach.
How did it start? A man by the name of William H. Wallace came from Quebec, Canada and in partnership with Jacob Groff at Linton (Yellow Creek) opened a small store in 1831. Business slowed down until it did not pay Mr. Wallace to stay on, so he looked for a new location. He came three miles south to the mouth of another creek, Goose Run. The site is not known, but he opened a new store and post office.
He named the location Port Homer after his son, Homer. It soon became a prominent shipping point for the entire section. Products from distilleries, flour mills and salt wells were brought here to be shipped on river boats.
Old timers say a barge would be brought downriver from Pittsburgh, left at the whark while the tow boat went downstream. Sheep growers would bring their wool, there would be long lines of these wagons waiting for the wool to be weighed and loaded on the barge. Apple growers brought in thousands of barrels of apples to a large warehouse, stored until the market was right, then loaded on barges.
Cattle and sheep were brought to Port Homer by professional drovers to cross the river. At this point crossing was easy because of the many islands, sand bars and the river was shallow.
Mr. Wallace sold out his business in 1851 and moved to nearby Hammondsville where he started another store and post office.
From early 1839 to 1856 people from Empire, all along the river and back country had to go to Port Homer for their mail. The first roadway along the river had been opened in about 1904 stretching from Brilliant up to Yellow Creek. This was a very narrow road maintained by the county. It was like the early pike roads going up and down all of the hills, through the valleys, forking all creeks and little streams. Travel was not easy.
William Maple came to Port Homer from Trenton, New Jersey as early as 1797. His son Benjamin Maple bored one of the first salt wells in the northern part of Jefferson County on Hollow Rock Run. The boring was done by spring pole. He also started to build a mill but sold it unfinished so he could carry produce on a kneel boat on the Ohio and trade in furs.
The Port Homer one-room school house was up the hollow of Goose Run. It stood on the property now owned by Grimm’s widow, Edna Nixon Grimm. It was used for fifty years or more, heated by a pot belly stove with water being carried in from a neighbor’s well.
In 1930 a new four room brick school building was opened and used until the Empire, Stratton, and Port Homer districts were consolidated.
EARLY FAMILIES OF PORT HOMER
Campbell HUDSON Wife - Kate Carwford Hudson
Their children were:
- Ethel, Gertrude, Helen, Tom
David BRANT Wife – Berdie Brant
Their children were:
- Eliza, Henry, Earl
Abel CRAWFORD Wife – Amelia Garrison
Their children were:
- Fouler, Elizabeth, Kate, Howard, Edward
Cy MARK Wife – Mary Housen Mark
Their children were:
- Ed Housen
Edward CRAWFORD Wife – Luella Grey Crawford
Their children were:
- Tracy, Dorothy, Dohrman, Enid
Holmes SPROUL Wife – UNKNOWN
Their children were:
- Dorothy, Frank, George, Hough
Benten MILLS Wife – UNKNOWN
Their children were:
- Tom
Ephraim COOPER Wife – Martha Cole Cooper
Their children were: Wife 2- Harriet Stewart Cooper
- Armor S., Edwin W., Lorena, Chase D., Ralph H., Charles
Abraham G. DeSELLUM Wife – Lucy Nessley DeSellum
Their children were:
- John, Chase.
Frank GEER Wife – Lizzie Geer
Their children were:
- Ellen
Jack BOLE Wife – Alica Mackey Bole
John BRANT Wife – UNKNOWN
Chester BRANT Wife – UNKNOWN
Howard GLENN Child – Anna, and a son
John TAGGART Child – Emery
Notes about Sammis Plant, Ohio Edison Company – Located on a 787 acre site along the banks of the Ohio River in the Village of Stratton, construction was started in 1956, completed in 1962 with additions in 1971-72.
