On 26 April 1936, former one-room school teacher Christie [Boyer] Latsha, reflected on her time in 1902 as a teacher at the Troutman School in Lykens Township, her year as a teacher in the Raker School near Loyalton, and her two years as a teacher in the Gratz schools. The reflection was in the form of a letter to the Elizabethville Echo, written from her home in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.
In addition to discussing her teaching career, Mrs. Latsha also discussed methods of returning to the Lykens Valley via train and stagecoach, and later by auto.
Former Valley Resident Recalls Many Changes
Lyndhurst, New Jersey
25 April 1936
The Elizabethville Echo,
Dear Mr. Editor,
What a flood of memories came to mind as I read you “Echoes of 35 Years Ago” column yesterday, and found therein a paragraph telling of my graduation from Gratz High School 35 years ago.
The years have passed quickly and yet as one looks back over the experiences in the meantime, it is a long time ago.
The year following my graduation from High School, I taught at Troutman’s School, just west of Klingerstown, walking to and from the school across the mountain each day until the weather became too bad, Then I would stay at the home of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Williard, whose sons were pupils in my school, or perhaps put up for the night at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Troutman, whose children also were pupils of mine. One of their sons now operates the gas station in Pillow Gap.
The next year I taught at Raker’s School, near Loyalton, where many folks, now well known citizens of Elizabethville and surrounding communities, were pupils at that time. The two years as teacher of the primary grades at Gratz,
After graduation from the Millersville Normal School in June 1906, I taught in East Donegal Township, near Marietta, Lancaster County, for two years, and in the spring terms taught in the Normal Department of Albright College at Myerstown, while I studied in the college classes.
In the fall of 1908 I came to Short Hills, New Jersey, to teach, and taught seventh and eighth grades there for four years, when I was married in June 1912, to John S. Latsha, a native of Lykens Township, but then employed in New York City, just fifteen miles from Short Hills. We have lived in Lyndhurst, nine miles out from New York City, for almost twenty-four years. Here, I was a substitute teacher for a number of years, but more recently have taken up newspaper work as my interest outside of my home, in addition to teaching a Bible Class in the Methodist Episcopal Sunday School, and a community Bible Class which meets on Tuesday afternoon.
When I first came to New Jersey it was a full day’s journey to get home to Gratz by train, and stagecoach from Elizabethville to Gratz. How well I remember some of those stagecoach trips when the wheels sank into the mud so deep that one worried whether or not we would ever reach our destination. Now we get into our own car and drive to Gratz in from five and one-half to six and one-half hours, depending upon the time of day.
We do not seem so far away now. And the nearness of other Lykens Valley folks makes it still nearer. Several years ago I was absent one Sunday afternoon and when I came home I found the former Miss Sadie Moyer of Gratz, now Mrs. Lee Propes of Newark, and Mr. Propes on my front porch. We had not seen each other in twenty years. What a reunion! We see each other quite frequently now.
Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of having as our guests, not only Mr. and Mrs. Propes, but also Mr. and Mrs. Mark Swab. Mrs. Swab is the former Miss Katherine Stanley of Williamstown, and Mr. Swab is a former resident of Elizabethville. Once in a while, in these visits we even take to talking Pennsylvania Deutsche and have lots of fun. Each time we meet, we talk over the news we have found in The Echo. It keeps us in touch with many of the happenings which we might never know otherwise.
We might remind ourselves of the sad trips home when death called parents; we might speak of the vacation trips to beautiful Lykens Valley; we could tell of many thrilling experiences on trips back and forth, among them a delightful view of some Pennsylvania mountains in their foliage last October; but I have already written enough to tire a busy editor, and I must stop.
I think of my classmates at Gratz High School [who] have been called to the Great Beyond. I wonder whether the others have seen your kindly notation.
Best wishes for the success of your paper which brings us so many items of genuine interest each week.
Very truly yours,
Christie [Boyer] Latsha
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Article from Newspapers.com.
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