No. 42
Four more related photographs from the Stone Harbor Museum archives.
It looks like a very important day in Stone Harbor, and besides, it is also Memorial Day, 1915. This first image actually depicts the official dedication ceremony of the new public school building known as School No. 9 located at 93rd Street between Second and Third Avenues. Listening to the fine oratorical skills of the keynote speaker on the platform with celebratory decorations and 5 Stone Harbor felt pennants, the assembled crowd of people must have enjoyed this proud moment in the town’s early history. The record indicates that some of those in attendance included Mrs. Reese Risley, Marie VanThuyne, Mrs. Herbert, School Board President Alfred Cooper along with teacher Margaret McCraven who became the school’s first principal.
The group of men seated with instruments at ground level and sporting their bowler type and flat-top boating hats constituted Stone Harbor’s Volunteer Fire Department band and provided musical entertainment for this occasion. In addition, it is interesting to note that magnification of this image revealed of all things an advertising sign attached to the column or the pillar on the left side of the entrance to the building which bore the name of the painting company which may explain why everything was just freshly painted. Judging from this image the weather on that very day appeared to have been quite sunny and even a bit breezy from the appearance of the bunting on the platform railing gently moving in the air.
It should be noted that this school originally cost $12,000 to build and consisted of 4 classrooms on the first and second floors. The basement had ample space to house classes for home economics for the girls and manual arts classes for the boys. Furthermore, there were even classes offering music and art which rounded out the broad-based educational program available to youngsters at that time.
Here is yet another proud moment for education in Stone Harbor. In this undated fourth photograph, we see members of the Stone Harbor School Board of Education assembled for a photo opportunity on the occasion of taking delivery of the town’s brand new school bus for transporting children to and from school. Again, and upon enhancement of this photo, the words “Stone Harbor” appear and have been painted on the side of the bus near the front and just left of the doors. If you look closely you should also be able to see the flag pole behind the bus and directly in front of the school.