After exploring the old Dry Tavern Elementary School, we set our sights on the nearby Crucible Elementary school. Basically abandoned now, it was used by the Carmichaels Area School district until the 91/92 school year, when the kids went to the new elementary near the high school.
After being closed, the school was used by several local organizations over the years as a haunted house. It is now used by the Crucible V.F.D. for training. We were surprised to see that most of the scary decor from the haunted house was just left in place. It made it difficult to get good shots, staying focused on the building itself but we tried. So, disregard any skulls, spiders or scary graffiti you may see. The school was also dark and it was tough to see due to being boarded up. Not to mention the jackass who stole the wiring from the school, leaving the building without power and the town without a fire whistle.
After talking to some local folks we discovered that there was originally another building, similar to the Rices Landing schoolhouse, that connected to the new school via a hallway.It was constructed of wood and was heated with coal. The younger kids had class in the wood (or 'old school' school, if you will) and moved up to the new building. You can see the difference in the bricks near the entrance where the hallway was.
We really don't know too much more about the Crucible school. We're still researching and will update this post as we learn more. If you have any info about the school (especially pictures) as always, feel free to email us.
Special thanks to Kathy McAlanis for granting us access and Jim Rex for being our tour guide (twice!).
Some Video we shot in the school......
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| I bet these guys are super cool. |
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| Entire ceiling fell at one time. |
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| Class of 2012. Chip, Danielle, Evan and Jim |
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| Current |
A few videos of the demo below
Some video of the demo
I remember the cloak closets in the back of the rooms. Oh my, such a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI do believe the first class ro9om you were in after going down the stairs was my moms room.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty sad to see such a strong and historic building abandoned like that. The irony that it became a "haunted house," which basically sped up its degradation, is even more sad. I think I have some photos of the "old" school and will try to dig them up. Thanks for taking this interesting project!
ReplyDeleteMy mother went to the old school I suspect, but I would love to see those. Her name was Anne Bartholovich. nancy_lisi@yahoo.com. I'll check here too :) it's a great blog.
DeleteJeff, if you have any old pictures of crucible back in the day, the fire hall school and anything else, could you please let Cathy Barno or Laura Demchak know. Cathy recently set up a Crucible page on Facebook and we are looking for any one that would add some pictures on this site. I also have a Facebook page too,,,,, Greatly appreciated.....Although this shows as anonymous, this is Laura Shipley Demchak and that's how it appears on Facebook
DeleteI loved attending this school! Such wonderful, carefree, fun days (I probably didn't think that at the time, but that's how I remember it now). I had wonderful teachers too: Mrs. Katusa, Mrs. Pratt, Mr. Mrazack, Mr. Katela, Mrs. Voytek and Mr. Boltz. Sad to see what it looks like now, but I can close my eyes and still remember what it used to be back in the 70's. I think I'll stick with the memories.
ReplyDeleteAttended this school from 1956 to 1959. Sad to see the pictures but you have brought back memories. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThere were two buildings, actually. I believe you were in the newer one where grades one to five went. The other building was a darker brown for grades six - eight.Thanks for doing this. I went there from 58-66. I used to watch out the window as those mounds from the coal mine piled up.
ReplyDeleteI think the white building that had been torn down a long time ago housed first through 4th grades and the yellow brick building which is still standing housed 5th through 8th grades.
DeleteMy Great Grandmother Gideon taught 2nd Grade at Crucible Elementary. She retired in 1966.
DeleteShe taught me in Second Grade and was a wonderfully kind teacher, I remember her well!
DeleteI'm one of many Crucible Elementary alumni. Began in 1958, the first year of kindergarten classes at the school. The Kindergarten room was in the basement of the older building which was at the front of the school pictured here. Mrs. Guinn was the K teacher. The older building had eight classrooms, four per floor, a massive staircase that housed a grandfather clock on the mezzanine, and a bell tower with a functioning bell. Grades one through four were in this building, two of each grade. Boys and girls were separated for outdoor recess; the boys used the slate dump as their designated playground.
DeleteThe newer building, seen here, also had eight classrooms, grades six through eight. It had as auditorium in the basement with beautiful arched doorways on the street side.
Both buildings were heated with a massive coal furnace. Mr. Randolph never let the children get cold, and he never let the buildings get into disrepair.
Teachers included Mrs. Hathaway, Mrs. Rice, Mrs. Gideon, Mrs. Wright, Miss Arford, Mrs. Connor, Mrs. Ruth, Miss Zoldos, Mrs.Grey, Mrs. Ross, Mrs. Birch. Mrs. Feather.
Crucible residents walked home for lunch; bussed students brought their lunch from home and ate at their desks.
A flood of wonderful memories is coming to me. Perhaps I'll post more later.
Weren't we all blessed to have gone to school here?!
This reminds me of that History Channel documentary about what would happen to the planet if humans suddenly vanished.
ReplyDeleteThe playground for the boys was this massive, flat slate dump with crevasses running through it and small pieces of slate that got under your skin and stayed there the rest of your life. The girls got to play on the grassy hill.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I enjoy the old school blogs.
ReplyDeleteThis school was right down the street from my grandparents.
ReplyDeleteWho were your grandparents? I have lived in crucible since 1960 and am still here down East 4th Avenue that passes the old school
DeleteI was doing some work near the former school recently, then came across your blog when doing some personal research about it. Sad to see that it is nolonger in use. Thanks for sharing your research.
ReplyDeleteThis school was built by the owners of the Crucible Mine for the kids who lived in the "Patch" as was Nemacolin school.
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't any additional buildings to the school.
My father attended Crucible Grade School in the 30's, I attended it in the 70's. The entry way was where the bus let you off at and you entered the building through the first floor which were classes for kindergarten through second grades (special education was on the first floor too.) Second floor was 3rd grade through sixth grade, plus the principals office. Cafeteria was on the bottom level (the big arched windows that looked out onto the road) . Gym class was held there, and once a week we had library, which was located in a room off the cafeteria. The library room doubled as our band room.
We played on the slate dump, and we did get playground equipment (swings, a merry go round and monkey bars), all on asphalt that claimed our knees.
Summer classes and early fall classes were very hot, so the teacher would pull down the black out shades and we would have class in the dark. Winter time, we were very snug because the school was heated by a coal furnace.
Such a shame I remember every detail of my school days there.
I attended this school from 1967 til 1972. The second building was tore down a year or 2 before I started. My sisters went a few years before me and the building stood. My 3rd grade classroom was on the first floor taught my Mrs Randolph and her husband was the janitor of the school. 2nd grade teacher was mrs. Titus 4th grade was jeanie Ray Boback. 6th grade Joy Assad. Mr Gancey was principal. Many fond memories here
DeleteMy grandparents lived right there. Used to play over there alot in the late 60s to 70s. I remember a "spaceship" at the bottom of the slag piles. Grandparents were Utterback.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother was born in Crucible in 1920. Her family ( the Kagle's) owned a boarding house and her Dad also built ship's wheels. He'd been a furniture maker in Austria before moving to the United States. She always said they had been so poor that they didn't know there was a depression. Grandma passed away in 2004, I wish I'd written down all of her stories. She talked about playing piano in a local bar called The Bucket of Blood!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother grew up across the street of this school she was born 1938 or 39. Her backyard faces it. She was one of 12 kids and census shows that 2 boarders also lived with them. I remember their outhouse in the backyard when I was a little girl.
ReplyDeleteI went to 3rd grade there and I remember the fire department holding the haunted house ...miss those times..
ReplyDeleteAll five of my boys went their
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