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IN MEMORY OF
SCHOOL 23891 East Delavan Avenue
Buffalo, Erie County, NY
by Sharon Troy Centanne
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Here is an excerpt from a published history of School 23:
From the book "School Days of Yesterday: Buffalo Public School
History" by
G. Morton Weed, just published privately:
SCHOOL 23
891 E. Delevan Avenue
"School District 23 was created by the Black Rock Annexation. At the time,
there was small tuition supported one room schoolhouse on Grider Road east
of Adams Road. The enrollment was fifty-eight and the name of the teacher
was Ruth Winspear. A three room schoolhouse was built at the corner of
Delevan and Wyoming in 1868 and rebuilt in 1872. In 1896, a modern
steamheated building replaced the old outdated school in order to
accomodate the tremendous population growth in the area. A large addition
was built in 1928. School 23 was closed in 1980 as part of the Buffalo
desegregation plan."
Sharon's mother's memories:
My mother, Alice Kellermann, (now Troy) went to
School 23 for nine years, kindergarten to eighth grade (1932-1941).
Her kindergarten picture of the entire class, was published in a Buffalo
newspaper back in 1932. The teacher was Mrs. Evans.
Alice's favorite teacher was Mrs. Carmady in third grade (1935) and she also liked
Mrs. Poffenbach that she had for both fifth and sixth grades (1937-1938).
Alice's family, the Kellermann's, lived almost across the street
from School 23, between Cambridge and Wyoming at 908 East Delavan from
1938 to 1949. Both of her older sisters, Mildred "Millie" Kellermann (now Bauer)
and Lillian "Sis" Kellermann, (now Heine),
went to PS 23 as well. When my grandfather, Carl Wilhelm August Kellermann
died in 1956, my grandmother, Bernadine Versch Kellermann, gave their piano to School 23.
At that time, pianos were about as high tech as classrooms got.
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Sis, age 11, Alice, age 9 and Millie, age 12, were all students at School 23. The
older girl in the rear is their cousin Margaret Hermann from Ohio. This picture was taken
about 1936.
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Here are some memories of School 23 from my online friends:
Mike Schalk writes:
I went to 23 while in Kindergarten from 1964-1965. The teacher was a
Mrs. O'Toole and I believe the principal was a Mrs. Navaugh. My sister
followed two years later and her teacher was a Mrs. McCartney. Maybe
someone has ALL the words to the School 23 song. It went something like:
To School 23, I Pledge my Loyalty..." If I lived in Buffalo, I would have
been at the demolition site trying to save the entablature off the front.(when the school
was demolished). |
Karen Kolb writes:
"School 23 was torn down about 1 or 2 years ago. I drove by and was amazed that
it took so long. A neighborhood woman told me it was because they found
asbestos. I haven't been by in a while - it was an empty lot, but I
think it was or will be turned into a community center. I worked there
in the older section from 1972-1973. I parked my car in a relative's
driveway on Wyoming that year.
"The Library was in the old building on the top floor facing Delevan. I was
the first official librarian, and prior to that the principals each year
had a fund to buy books.I was at 23 for only 1 year and only part time.
"I have twin great aunts, both teachers, Katherine and Anna Herbst, and one of
the two worked at School 23. They were born in the 1880s."
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This page updated July 6, 2001 by
Sharon Troy Centanne,
Genealogical Researcher and Internet Trainer, and Local Historian