LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - JANUARY 24, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio One of the traditional Hands On History programs that the Historical Society offers to the Wolcott Street school students is “The One Room School.” The kids have an opportunity to experience learning the 3 R’s and doing some geography. There is also a spelling B and sharing stories about what it was like to go to a one room school. This year, of course, they won’t be coming to LeRoy House, so we are getting ready to send the one room school across the street. We can’t move all the school desks and the black board and teacher’s desk, but we can send over the slates and McGuffy readers, and the chap books. We have written a short history booklet about the schools in LeRoy, beginning with the 1801 log school that was built on East Main Road and another early log school on Parmelee Road. Both those schools are remembered with a historic marker. There are several school houses that are still standing. Several are out in the country and there are three brick school houses in the village. Two have been converted into residences, and one is the Second Baptist Church on Myrtle Street. We have gathered some stories from students and teachers who remember going to these schools and have included some of those stories in the booklet. The memories tell of walking to school, playing games during recess, having to share a water dipper from a pail of water with all the other students, keeping the stove going in the winter, and puttinga snake in the teacher’s desk. But probably the most frequently mentioned story, is that all of them remember the outhouse. When this part of going to school “in the old days” is shared with the kids today, it is usually met with disparaging remarks. But of course, they have to be told that a lot of people had outhouses at home too. Running water wasn’t always available. I know that the kids are glad that their Hands On History experience doesn’t include having to use an outhouse! Although several of the old school houses are still standing, so far, I don’t think that any of those outhouses are still standing. I know one outhouse was moved, but I don’t know if it is still around. Some of the schools moved the facilities inside. The school on Harris road, converted one of the coatrooms into a toilet room. Sometimes, when recreating the good old days, we forget that there are some not so good memories of the old days and outhouses are probably in that category. Just the thought of walking out to the outhouse in the winter, or in the middle of the night, is enough to discourage many folks from reliving the past. LeRoy has a “famous” outhouse. Well maybe not so famous, but it is the only outhouse included in the book “The Architectural Heritage of Genesee County.” The photo appears on page 207 and the caption reads: “ Mr. Loren Fox, 6928 Cole Road, LeRoy. This octagon outhouse had seven seats, three on each side for adults and a child-sized one in the center rear, when the Fox family moved there in 1963. Because of the poor condition of the structure, it was necessary to gut the inside and the building is now used for a tool shed. Oral history states that a man built this outhouse for his bride-to-be many years ago. However, the bride changed her mind and the wedding never took place. “When I read that, I thought, no wonder his bride-to-be walked away. What bride would want an outhouse!And then I also thought, building an outhouse with seating for seven certainly indicated his aspirations for a large family. There are plenty of stories about outhouses. On Halloween, it was not uncommon to find an outhouse in the middle of the road at Routes 5 and 19. Outhouses were tipped over and some were stolen. There is even a story of an outhouse being hauled up a flagpole in Pavilion. Outhouses were sometimes equipped with toilet paper, but it was not unusual to find Sears Robuck Catalogues in the use. As it was said, not only was it a cheap substitute for expensive toilet paper, it provided reading material. Just an interesting note, it was Seth Wheeler of Albany, New York who obtained the earliest United States patent for toilet paper and a dispenser. Scott Paper Company began marketing toilet paper on rolls in 1890. I thought it was funny that as late as the 1930s, the Northern Tissue Company was advertising that its toilet paper was “splinter free.”And of course, a reflection on the recent toilet paper hoarding should be mentioned. An outhouse was a necessary facility. In fact, at one time, outhouseswere called “necessaries.” If you visit Washington’s Mount Vernon, there are two necessaries. Each had three seats. It is believed that there were at least four necessaries at Mt. Vernon. I have always wondered where the necessary was located behind LeRoy House. A Necessary Discussion