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- Jockey Hollow School
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Photo Credit to Ray Hazlett,
a graduate
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Jockey Hollow - a One Room School
The last generations to attend Jockey Hollow, I would say were very
fortunate. They of course had to bear the discomforts of the outdoor
privy, and most walked to school over roads that were either muddy or
dusty, and sometimes covered with drifted snow. But they learned to
take care of each other, they were civil to one another, and as adults
they were responsible citizens. Above all else they knew there was a
right way and a wrong way. They maybe didn't always stay on the narrow
path so well described by John Bunyon in Pilgrim's Progress, but if
they strayed they at least knew they were straying. Here are a few of
the last students to attend Jockey Hollow, followed by a few of the
first students and a few from the intermediate years, and a story or
two.
In 1924, the farm, which included the small plot of school ground, was
owned by John W. CLARK. The fall of that year, Betty Jean CLARK, his
eldest child, began school as a near-six-year-old. She continued at
Jockey Hollow through the spring of 1929, when the CLARK family moved
to nearby Glass Rock.
Brother, John Evan CLARK, joined her in the fall of 1927. The two
CLARK children were surrounded by a crowd of cousins. One of them,
Reynold (Ray) HAZLETT, has joined in these remembrances.
Listed in alphabetical order are every student the three of them can
remember, without regard as to the exact year they attended:
Alden, Edward (Edy), Mary and Lucille AXLINE;* Ferrel BARE; Dora, Fawn
and Flossie(twins), Halbert, John, Kenneth, Pansy and Pearl (twins) and
Ross CAMPBELL;* Irene COBLE; Gerald, Reynold (Ray), Kenneth, Lillian
and Bernard HAZLETT*; Ivan, Floyd and Lawrence MITCHELL; Reynold and
Meredith MOHLER; Aurel, Elmer, Sadie, Ruby and four or five other SNOOK;
Philip, Fred and Delpha TAYLOR, also Harley, Joe and Jack TAYLOR.
Betty Jean's cousins are marked with an*. Everyone was related to
everyone. Ray reports that Lawrence MITCHELL is first-cousin to Ray's
father, Olin HAZLETT; Lawrence just turned 90 a few days ago.
Three teachers were: Florence HARE, Fern LECKRONE and Glorinne
HENDERSON. Evan CLARK recalls that he was Glorinne's first student. He
was the only one in the first grade when Glorinne came to teach in the
fall of 1927. She was the last teacher at Jockey Hollow; they closed it
in 1932 and began bussing to Glenford. Olin HAZLETT was one of the
first school bus drivers.
We had the very great honor of visiting with Glorinne HENDERSON at the
1996 reunion of Glenford High School. This was Betty Jean's 60th high
school graduation anniversary. Ninety-year-old Glorinne HENDERSON
GORDON remembered her and her aunt, Faye CLARK LECKRONE and she inquired
about Faye; they had been in high school together.
School in these last years was not much changed from the first years.
There were more women teachers, unmarried of course, than men, whereas
at first there had been many more men. The same school bell called out
across the fields. And if the ringer was to enthusiastic the bell would
flip over, as it had always threatened. When that happened an agile
older student would climb up into the belfry and disentangle the rope
and the bell.
Pony races were but one of many excitements that stimulated the young
minds of the students in the closing days of the school, just as they
had in the first days of Jockey Hollow. In the last years of the school
it was the Axline's pony against Robert GORDON'S pony. Clarence AXLINE
built a shed on Olie CAMPBELL'S land, across the road from the school,
to house a horse or two and a cart. His children came to school in a
pony drawn cart. The pony was fed and watered and waited patiently for
the return trip home. Robert GORDON kept his pony there also.
There was the inevitable badgering, "My pony is faster than yours."
Answered by, " 'Tis not." On many a fine day this resulted in a race -
down to the bridge and back. One such race may have ended the Jockey
Hollow pony races - one of the riders fell off his pony and broke his elbow.
There was at least one other significant injury in those last years: the
boys allowed the girls to have the uncontested use of the school yard
while they repaired to a field across the road for a soft-ball game.
Rocks marked the bases. On a close call at second, Jack TAYLOR slipped
and cracked his elbow on the rock-marker.
We were thinking of the fearful pain those kids felt, and of the young
teacher out there in the country, miles from a doctor. What examples of
courage and resourcefulness were set by that young teacher and the older
students!
Other outdoor games were not quite so dangerous: May I? Prisoners
Base. By far the most popular was Andy Over! For this latter game, the
students chose sides, one half on one side and the other half on the
other side of the school building. A strong thrower called "Andy over"
and tossed a ball over the roof of the school house. If it was caught
by the other side, that person could go around the school and attempt to
hit one of the opponents. If successful the one hit had to leave that
group and join the other group.
During the noon hour on a rainy day, Tic-tac-toe at the black board was
the most popular indoor game. And there were chores to be done.
Usually these were privileges granted to the best students. For one,
the ever popular cleaning of the erasers. Banging the chalk filled
erasers against a tree provided very satisfying clouds of white dust. A
water crock with a spigot was the pride of the school and the all time
favorite chore was bringing cool, clear water from Olie CAMPBELL'S
spring.
Which takes us to some earlier generations.
In 1860, the Perry County Board of Education reported that there were
eight one-room schools in Hopewell Township. Jockey Hollow school on
Abraham BOWSER'S 109-acre sheep farm in Section 12, Hopewell Township,
Perry County, Ohio, was known to be numbered as #1. It was no doubt
built as a result of the recent law (1853) which was the basis for
Ohio's educational system for the rest of that century. For instance:
the law guaranteed a free education (eight-years and later 12),
provision was made for raising money by taxation, teacher's requirements
were better defined, and county libraries were funded.
Jockey Hollow started with the lower grades and as children advanced
into the higher grades these were added. There were ultimately
eight-grades. About 1855, Abraham's 12-year-old son, John, began in the
first grade. Abraham's brother, Henry, was his next door neighbor to the
east. Henry's 12-year-old Louisa, 10-year-old Susannah and 9-year-old
Edward were all there.
Now we advance toward the turn of the century, and we know these CLARKS
who lived 3/4 of a mile to the east all graduated from Jockey Hollow:
They were descendants of John Milton CLARK and two Plank cousins, first
with Mary A., and second with Susannah PLANK.
Mary A.'s daughter, Martha E. CLARK, born: 1855. Susannah Plank and
John Milton CLARK'S children all attended Jockey hollow:
Elmer Ellsworth CLARK m Allie Lorena CAMPBELL (she was from near by
Section 6, Madison Twp.
Clara Leota CLARK Born: m.1866 Robert Rob S. CAMPBELL
Mary A. CLARK Born: 1869 (May have married a Sny(I)der)
Emma CLARK Born: 1875 James WALSER
Meta CLARK Born: 1881 Elmer WALSER
Elmer Ellsworth CLARK and Allie Lorena CAMPBELL's children are some of
the students mentioned above in the introduction,
Charles Wilbur CLARK Born: 1887 m Lettie H. PYLE - moved away. Rena
May CLARK Born: 1890 m Olin HAZLETT They are the parents of
those HAZLETT children named in the introduction.
John Wesley CLARK born: 1896 m Ada Miriam ORR. Their first children were
Betty Jean and John Evan, both went to Jockey Hollow. They had two
other children Anna Louise and William Holmes..
Elsie Marie CLARK b 1800 m. Claude KING moved away.
Faye Mildred CLARK Born: 1907 m Edgar LECKRONE moved away. (Faye is our
only surviving Aunt)
(Ray reports, "They had a little pony and cart that they rode in to
school;"
Christmas at Jockey Hollow (A Story by John Evan Clark)
The 1927 celebration of the birthday of Jesus the Christ, was memorable
in a very special way. The Christmas tree, as usual filled one end of
the schoolroom. It had a beauty that few readers will ever have seen.
Candles on every limb provided a spectacular lighting effect.
But now the attention of children and parents is fixed upon Santa. He
is giving out popcorn balls to each child who had been good all year.
And they all have been very, very good! Amazing! As Santa stoops over
to get another supply of gifts from his bag, his coat bulges out in the
rear and touches one of the candles. Santa goes out the window quicker
than he ever came down a chimney. The story has a happy ending with
Santa cooling off his derriere in a convenient snow drift.
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