BREANNA HANLEY/The Express State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-McElhattan presents the Gallagher Township Board of Supervisors a citation to honor the 175th anniversary.

CALDWELL — There’s a lot of history in a one-room schoolhouse.

There was a crowd of attendees at the kick-off event for Gallagher Township’s 175th Anniversary held on Sunday at the Caldwell one-room school.

The Caldwell School is a historic landmark that has seen better days. The structure has been vandalized in previous years and has the general degradation that is expected of an old building. But the memories held within the school hold strong, and the rich history of the area was celebrated within it.

Warren Gottshall, 89, who attended the Caldwell School from 1944 through 1952, spoke about his experiences at the school and invited those in the audience to ask questions and reminisce.

Some of the audience members also attended either the same school, or a similar one-room school, and shared memories of their time there.

According to everyone attending, there was no bullying at their one-room schoolhouse. There was no “horsing around” either — you went to class to learn and they learned a lot.

It’s a common misconception that those who did not attend a large public school were not as well educated as their peers. The opposite turned out to be true.

“When I went from here to high school in 9th grade, I was so far advanced — we all were — that it was worse to move to a school in Lock Haven. We already had it, and had it good,” said Gottshall.

When asked what would typically be in a student’s lunchbox, Gottshall reminded those in attendance that there was no electricity in the area in 1948.

“We didn’t have refrigeration before that other than an ice chest. We were real mountain people,” said Gottshall.

The Clinton County Commissioners presented a proclamation for the township’s demisemiseptcentennial, read out by Commissioner Jeff Snyder.

The proclamation contained some of the history of Gallagher Township, describing the events which brought Gallagher Township onto the map.

“Over the years, Gallagher Township has been enriched by numerous families… whose presence has further strengthened the community,” said Snyder, “Gallagher Township will proudly begin its year long 175th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, concluding on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in commemoration of its remarkable heritage.”

“We, the Clinton County Commissioners, extend our heartfelt congratulations to Gallagher Township on the occasion of its demisemiseptcentennial and celebrate its enduring legacy,” said Snyder.

The proclamation was presented by all three commissioners, Snyder, Angela Harding and Jim Russo to the Gallagher Township Board of Supervisors consisting of William H. Mann, Brian J. Hoy and William L. McCoy.

After, State Representative Stephanie Borowicz (Clinton/Union), shared her perspective on the township as a whole, praising the rich heritage.

“We only have each other, but that’s all we need as Americans. A government of, for and by the people. I love American history already, so to be here with you guys in an old one-room schoolhouse? This is just amazing to me. Thank you. This is what America is all about — small towns that love this country, love Jesus and love freedom,” said Borowicz.

Though she didn’t directly read the citation from the House of Representatives for the group, she did present it to the supervisors and put it on display to be read afterwards.

“We look forward to another 175 (years) and generations of freedom (for) families in Gallagher Township for as long as this nation continues,” said Borowicz.

Loretta Coltrane, 175th Gallagher Township Anniversary Coordinator, discussed the “then and now” of Gallagher Township.

“I have often felt that you have to know your history — you have to know your foundation, to know where you come from — and where you’ve been and maybe where you need to head in the future,” said Coltrane.

Gallagher Township was established on Sept. 18, 1849 and named for Judge Gallagher, formerly of Pine Creek Township, who was instrumental in the township’s organization.

The township was far removed from roads or towns, overrun with forests and inhabited by many animals. Early settlers encountered bears, panthers, wolves and more, and yet still chose to settle in the area. They cleared hundreds of acres of trees and rocks to create homesteads and farms to house and feed their families.

“We have roads now. When you forgot food back in the 1830s, you’re talking about having to walk. If you didn’t have any bread, you had to take the grain on your back whether you’re a man or a woman and walk to the Chatham Run Mill to have it ground up, and then walk back home. We tend to forget that — things have gotten very modern,” said Coltrane.

The first known settler in the area was John Gotschalk, who cleared land and built a log house around 1835.

“Shortly after he moved here with his family, he found out about the different weather up here. The weather is always 10 degrees different from what it is down in the valley,” said Coltrane.

Five Irishmen who had worked to build the West Branch Canal in Lock Haven — John Thomas Lovett, George Lovett, Andrew Nolan, John Hennessey and Michael Welsh — also settled in the township after the completion of the canal. They settled in an area that became known as the “Irish Settlement.”

“Some of them fell in love with women here and decided (to stay.) Others decided ‘this is a great place, let’s bring our family over here.’ They did work very hard to clear the land. They came here because they wanted a better life for themselves and their family,” said Coltrane.

Coltrane also spoke about famed columnist Clara Lucinda Crider Fritz who was born, raised and lived in Caldwell all her life.

Fritz wrote a popular and well-followed newspaper column for The Express for more than 30 years titled, “Out Caldwell Way.” The column preserved the rich history of the area, events of the township, family stories and the day-to-day life of residents.

“Her articles were read all over the place — she had correspondence coming in from California. When she became ill — she had a stroke about two years before she passed in 1965 — there was an outpouring of people from all over because they looked forward to her stories. (They) captured this community and how we lived up here, and how patriotic we all were,” said Coltrane.

“I’m not from here. I’m from Berks County. But we’ve been living here — we’ve had property for 35 years and living in our house for 25 — I’ve become fascinated by the people who settled this area and all of the hardships that they had to overcome. That’s part of what we’re doing today. We’re going to start looking at our roots and find out about our families during the next year… Today is just the beginning of what we the people of Gallagher Township want to do,” said Coltrane.

Along with planning for a year-long celebration, the committee has announced an amateur photo contest.

You don’t have to be a resident of Gallagher Township to participate, but the photo you submit must be original and taken within Gallagher Township.

There are multiple categories for the photos including black and white; “nature’s beauty” which includes trees, plants, waterfalls, etc.; people; historical finds such as buildings, monuments or artifacts; drone/aerial; outdoor adventure which includes hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. and abandoned beauty such as abandoned buildings, remnants of the past or forgotten places.

Any questions about the contest should be directed to Loretta Coltrane via email, coltrane.loretta@gmail.com or by phone at 570-769-6596

After the main event, many of the attendees stayed behind to reminisce about Gallagher Township as well as tour the current municipal building. There were also many photos and artifacts on display from the old school for guests to look at.

The big question asked at this event was whether or not the school should be rehabilitated and restored. Attendees were asked to fill out a survey on whether or not the school should be restored, many thought it should be.

Keep an eye out for additional events throughout the rest of 2024 and 2025! They will be posted on the Gallagher Township website at www.gallaghertownshippa.gov.

Anyone with old photographs of Gallagher Township people, buildings or landscapes, family Bibles or records (including baptisms, weddings or burial certificates), copies of deeds, historical artifacts or live on land that has old stone foundations or walls is asked to please contact Loretta Coltrane at 570-769-6596.