The old schoolhouse has become the stuff of American tradition, nostalgia, folklore, and of course, corny lyrics like, “School days, school days, dear old Golden Rule days.” Nevertheless, it was also the centerpiece of a revolution in public education that was at the foundation for trying to build a strong, diverse, educated group of citizens in order for American democracy to flourish.
“Local Schoolhouses and the Three R’s in 19th Century Alliance,” a presentation by Robb Hyde of the Alliance Area Preservation Society, in conjunction with the Alliance Historical Society, will take a look at the dozens of school houses that dotted the landscape across the Alliance area during the 1800s
The program, a One Book One Community event, will be given at both 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, March 6. It will feature photos of many of the old buildings, and trace the lives of some of the buildings that remain standing to this day. It will also detail the local efforts to establish a broad-based, and well supported education system in our community and through Ohio in the state’s first 100 years. Some of the memorable artifacts of the time such as the McGuffey Reader, the chalk slate, that hickory stick, and naturally, reading and ’riting and ’rithmetic, will be discussed.
Registration is required.
[REGISTER FOR THE 11 A.M. PRESENTATION]
[REGISTER FOR THE 7 P.M. PRESENTATION]
Hyde is the president of the Alliance Area Preservation Society, the group best known for operating the Haines House, a historic station on the Underground Railroad. He is the retired director of the Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster, and previously spent 15 years at the Canton Museum of Art as director of marketing and development.
He holds a BA in Communications from Mount Union and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a past president of the Ohio Museums Association; served as chair for Leave a Legacy Stark County; and has served on the City of Alliance’s Historic Preservation Commission and the Castle Crusaders’ Capital Campaign Committee.
He’s also father to Sarah, Andrew and Marissa; and grandpa to Logan, Sarah Ann, Liam and Wyatt.
Hyde is currently working on two books: At The Crossing: Alliance, Ohio’s Railroad Journey and Trailblazers, Freedom Seekers & Abolitionists: The Story of the Haines House.