Ambridge in Beaver County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Schools
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, September 13, 2022
1. Schools Marker
The large, two-story Blaine House was dismantled and reassembled here some time after the June 1824 arrival of the Harmony Society at Economy. According to tradition, the building was used as one of the places for the first Harmonists in Economy to stay while they built the town. It was later used as a school, and eventually a warehouse. After the close of the Society in 1905 it served as a Presbyterian church for a short time and later as an apartment building with major renovations (circa 1930).
The Harmony Society built a new school in 1884. Many Harmonist hired workers' children attended this school. Prior to becoming trustees of the Harmony Society, John Duss (1860-1951) and his wife Susie Duss (1859-1946) taught school in this building. After the Society closed in 1905, the structure stood vacant until it was turned into an apartment building around 1930.
Constructed in 1904, the third school was the Economy Public School, also known as the Fourth Ward School of Ambridge. The building was designed by the first female architect in western Pennsylvania, Elise Mercur Wagner. It was razed in 1964.
Erected by Ambridge Historic District, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Ambridge Rotary
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Communal and Utopian Societies, and the Rotary International series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1824.
Location. 40° 35.883′ N, 80° 13.939′ W. Marker is in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, in Beaver County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Church Street and Laughlin Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ambridge PA 15003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Harmonist Church and Fire Department (within shouting distance of this marker); Distillery, Cider Press, and Laundry (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Blacksmith and Wagonmaker Shops (about 500 feet away); Economy Hotel (about 700 feet away); Harmonist Church / St. John's Lutheran Church (about 700 feet away); Water Pump, Bank, Restaurant, Croatian Club (about 700 feet away); Harmony Society Church (about 700 feet away); Carriage House and Summer Kitchen (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ambridge.
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, September 13, 2022
2. Schools Marker
Lower Left Photos
James Blaine (1766-1832, left) and his son Ephraim Lyon Blaine (1796-1850, right) sold their "Sewickley house" at the southern part of modern-day Ambridge to the Harmony Society in 1824. They lived south of Pittsburgh in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Ephraim's son, James Gillespie Blaine (1830-1893), represented Maine in the United States House of Representatives (1863-1876), served as Speaker of the House (1869-1875), United States senator (1876-1881), and Secretary of State (1881, 1889-1892), and ran for president for the Republican party in 1884 against Grover Cleveland.
Lower Center Image
Elise Mercur (1864-1947), the first female architect in Pittsburgh, married K.R. Wagner (1872-1949), an associate of the Harmony Society, in 1889. She is noted for her designs of the Women's Building (1895) at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, St. Paul's Episcopal Church (1896) in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and Washington Female Seminary (1897), which was later renamed McIlvaine Hall at Washington and Jefferson College. Mercur designed the Second and Fourth Ward Schools of Ambridge.
James Blaine (1766-1832, left) and his son Ephraim Lyon Blaine (1796-1850, right) sold their "Sewickley house" at the southern part of modern-day Ambridge to the Harmony Society in 1824. They lived south of Pittsburgh in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Ephraim's son, James Gillespie Blaine (1830-1893), represented Maine in the United States House of Representatives (1863-1876), served as Speaker of the House (1869-1875), United States senator (1876-1881), and Secretary of State (1881, 1889-1892), and ran for president for the Republican party in 1884 against Grover Cleveland.
Lower Center Image
Elise Mercur (1864-1947), the first female architect in Pittsburgh, married K.R. Wagner (1872-1949), an associate of the Harmony Society, in 1889. She is noted for her designs of the Women's Building (1895) at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, St. Paul's Episcopal Church (1896) in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and Washington Female Seminary (1897), which was later renamed McIlvaine Hall at Washington and Jefferson College. Mercur designed the Second and Fourth Ward Schools of Ambridge.
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, September 13, 2022
3. Schools Marker
First Three Schools in Economy
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, September 13, 2022
4. Schools Marker
Looking east from the cotton mill, circa 1910, the buildings used as schools can be seen from left to right: the Fourth Ward school, the 1884 Harmonist school, and the Blaine House.
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, September 13, 2022
5. Schools Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2022, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 97 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 13, 2022, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
