The Manchester School, or school house number three, built in 1897, was
the second brick schoolhouse constructed in Fairview Township. This
school replaced the original number three school built on the property
of the Swan family, which is located farther east on West Lake Road.
Due to the natural slope of the land upon which the Manchester School
was built, a walk-out basement was built underneath the school house,
which was used for recess during the winter. This one-room school house
taught grades one through eight. Grades first through fourth were often
taught on the east part of the room, while grades fifth through eighth
were taught on the west side of the room. Past students claim that at
one point there was a physical divide that separated the room. An
outhouse was rebuilt outside the school house in its original spot, and
the toilet seat is from the original structure remains. According to
former students, a boarding house for teachers was located across
Manchester Road from the school house, and students were honored when
they were chosen to go to the boarding house and fetch their teacher’s
hot lunch during lunchtime. The boarding house is now a restaurant.
The Manchester School closed in 1952. The school house was then used
for storage, and has since housed a florist shop, antique shop, and dog
obedience school. From 2003 to 2013, the schoolhouse remained
abandoned, but has recently been restored for a tavern and event
business. The new owners have restored the original chalkboards, the
school room floors, the original teacher’s closet, as well as the
cobblestone walls and ceiling rafters in the basement. The Manchester
School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
|
Sources: Freeman, Sabina. “Fairview Schools Have Long History in Erie County.” Cosmopolite Herald (Girard). February 12, 1976.;
The Fairview Area Historical Society, Touring Fairview Township, 2015.
|