The Olyphant Elementary School was sometimes referred to as the Mid-Valley Elementary School in Olyphant. The original two-story part of the building was located on the corner of Church and Susquehanna. It was designed by Lewis Hancock, Jr., and was built in 1910. In 1915, a three-story annex was completed that extended the building to the corner of Susquehanna and Lincoln. The annex was designed by Edward H. Davis. The original part of the building was an elementary school, but the annex was a hybrid. In the annex there were twelve classrooms and an auditorium. Some classrooms were for elementary grades, and others were used for senior high school classes. The senior high school was across the street. Some senior high students used to cross Lincoln Street when changing classes.
On December 22, 1976, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry notified the Mid-Valley School District that the Olyphant Elementary School was not in compliance with the Fire and Panic Law. The building had highly flammable oil-soaked wooden floors. There were also open stairwells that would aid in the ventilation of a fire. Their concern was that if there was a fire while classes were in session, the building would quickly become fully engulfed in flames. An evacuation would not be able to be completed in a panic situation. They also cited health related concerns such as the permanent stench in the lavatories. They said that if the remediation was not performed to bring the building into compliance, they would condemn the building, and order it closed.
After school, on the afternoon of February 10, 1977, we noticed that building inspectors were moving about in the school. Apparently, they took note that very little (if any) work had been done. Toward the end of practice, a state inspector had a sidebar conversation with our band director, Mr. George Kinsley. Mr. Kinsley relayed the message to the band that the school building had just been condemned. The band was allowed to practice until our parents came to pick us up.
Before we left, my father and I, along with other parents and band members talked to a maintenance man. He told us that the Dickson City Elementary School was going to be condemned next. (It was condemned on March 4, 1977.) He said that the junior high school in Dickson City had enough classrooms to accommodate the students from both schools. The junior high school students and senior high school students would then attend classes in the senior high school across the street on split sessions. While exiting the building for the last time, I remember hearing a parent say, “Last one out; don’t forget to turn off the lights.”
The building was razed in 1982. The Valley Covenant Community Church Glory Garden occupies the property where the school once stood.
(Thank you Kevin Novak and Andy Palumbo for photographs.)
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