History Spotlight #7 - History of Martin School

The History of Martin School

By Evelyn Gerry (Sec'y East Kensington P. T. A.)

From the Dispatch Golden Jubilee Edition

Nov. 21, 1941

The first log school in this district was located near the old Indian Trail, midway between the present Girl Scout Little House and Seventh Street Road, close to the brown of' the hill. It was built on Martin's property. This school, built in the early eighteen hundreds, and first used for a dwelling, was rather sparsely furnished. For desks apple boughs were stuck in chinks in the walls for supports and boards laid across them. the seats were boards with pegs in them for legs. The seats had no backs and scant attention was paid to the height of the children in relation to the height of the seat. The little folks had to sit with their legs dangling in midair with all of the children with their backs to the center of the room and fire. Due to the scarcity of students, at one time the log school was occupied as a dwelling. A large stone chimney was built up through the center with a partition, making it into two rooms.

In 1880, a frame school was built on the present site, on Stewart property, on the Major Martin place and has always kept the name of Martin School. This school originally had one room.

In 1895 Levi Beamer owned land on the Seventh Street Road, including the school property.

The school board, the following year, leased the school property at a rental of five dollars a year. This rental was paid for several years and then Mr. Beamer gave the board a clear deed.

In 1896 twenty scholars attended this school, after it had been closed for five years for lack of pupils.

In 1912 a second room was added and in 1914 the school was enlarged to four rooms.

The community continued to grow and in 1925 an eight-room brick building was completed.

In 1930, when a. portion of Lower Burrell Township was taken into New Kensington, the Martin School was also included and since that time has been under the supervision of the city.

The parents and the Community Circle of the Martin School district have always been noted for the interest they took in the school and its welfare. The East Kensington Community Circle installed the first gas lights and the first furnace in the four-room frame building. They have given liberally of both time and money to help the school and we can be proud that not only was the first school started in our community but now we have one of the most modern up-to-date grade schools to be found anywhere.

There are twelve classrooms, a music room, an art room and an auditorium. From a humble beginning of not more than a half-dozen families represented, we now have a representation of two hundred eleven families. In the early days there were not more than ten or twelve pupils, on an average, and on bad days there were fewer present because of the difficulty in getting to school. The enrollment on October 1st,1941 was 365. From the time the school was started until 1912 there was only one teacher employed. In 1912 there were four, in 1925 there were eight and in 1936 three more were added, making a total of eleven teachers.

The school grounds are the most attractive in the city and all of the work has been done by the children, under the direction of J. M. Pryde, principal. The landscaping of the school grounds has been no expense to the school board, because all shrubs and other plants were donated by the children and other interested residents of the community. It is expected that the enrollment of the Martin School will have as rapid a growth in the near future as it had in the past due to so many locations for private home sites.