The Sun and the Erie County Independent from Hamburg, New York • Page 8

Page 8 The Sun Thursday, August 31, 1995 mm Athol Springs school children, 1908 i From the look on their faces it would seem that these youngsters from Athol Springs were no happier than present school children as they returned to school in the fall of 1908. Of course local school districts open their classrooms next Wednesday for the area school kids. The setting for the children in the photo was quite a bit different than what present children will experience next week. This was a one-room school building located on Big Tree Road between St. Francis Drive and Route 5.

St. Francis Drive at that time was called Mertle Avenue. The building still stands at the site and today is a private residence. It seems that teaching methods were different as well. All eight grades were taught in this one-room school by one teacher.

Of course, the course of study was basically the three Rs. The students arrived about 8:45 a.m. and entered the school from the rear door and sat at individual desks in the back of the room. When the teacher announced a lesson for one grade, those students would come to the front of the room, sit on long benches and be given the day's lesson. When that was completed, the next group would be called up until all the children had their lessons for the day.

It must have been a tough day for both students and teacher. Certainly far different than todays classroom The school day was from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and it seems from the above scenario that the day must have been filled with, mostly the business of learning. However there was some play time allowed at noon following lunch.

These youngsters played on the Bchool playground which today would be located on the northwest corner of St. Francis Drive and Big Tree Road. Like most one-room schools at that time, this one passed into history by the end of the second decade of the 20th century. However for those who attended the school and learned their three Us, the school and their teacher are not forgotten. By 1920, the citizens of the Athol Springs Community proudly opened their new school on Camp Road.

Left to right in the photo are: Top row Frank Phillips, Joseph Ahrens, Arnold Edel, teacher Clara Frank Foster, Elizabeth Busch, Charlotte Hooper and Floyd Saunders. Center row Raymond Hooper, Irving Kelderhouse, Robert Hooper, Milford Burgwardt, Christ Ahrens, and Emily Hooper. Front row Grace Hooper, Bentley Dennies, Josephine Busch, Katherine Way, Laura Ahrens, Samuel Kelderhouse, Florence Burgwardt, Harry Hooper and Minnie Edel. Photo: Helen and Harold Fredrikson. From the From the annual report of the United States Life Saving Service (Forerunner of U.

S. Coast Guard) June 30, 190 1 Archie Farrell of Buffalo received a silver medal for rescuing Miss Laura McLeod from drowning at Woodlawn Beach, New York, August 15, 1897. Miss McLeod, while in bathing, got into dangerous water and called for assistance to which one bather responded, but was unable to help. A large crowd gathered on the beach, but no one volunteered to go to the aid of the girl. At that time Archie Farrell arrived at the beach, quickly comprehending the perilous situation, threw off his clothing and plunged into the surf.

Miss McLeod had sunk once but for the timely arrival of her rescuer probably would have -drowned. Farrell placed a life-preserver under her and kept her afloat until a life boat arrived. He then; swam to shore. Material for this feature is compiled by Hamburg Town Historian Jim Baker. Persons who have material to be considered for this feature, can contact Baker at the Hamburg Town Hall, 649-6111, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m. Some perennials like hot, dry weather I RUIIL ASSOO ATES II architects planners UlllbttUUMUtUlli) residential commercial industrial iMTawiTiEMiinwffi-sttrafimMninwjB LI 1 DERBY, NY TEL: 9474444 FAX: 947-5738 Tho Southtowns Gardener by Kenneth P. Brown I WATER VALLEY NURSERY GARDEN STORE AND LANDSCAPE COMPANY AWARD WINNING LANDSCAPING Trees Shrubs Perennials jCT V1M1UK 6666 Route 62, Hamburg, NY 14075 AYSWlMIMIi Flowers to 1 inch across in clear sky-blue bloom in June and July. Oenothera missouriensis Ozark sundrop. The plant has' trailing branches 3 to 6 inches long.

Large, flowers, about 4 inches across are bright yellow. They open in the evening, and remain open until the end of the next day. Rudbeckia fulgida "Goldsturm" orange coneflower. A hardy North American herb with leaves usually alternate, veins prominent, margins deeply toothed toward tip. The variety fulgida has daisy-like flowerheads, 3 inches wide, ray florets bright orange-yellow, central disk florets black.

"Goldsturm," a compact form, is about 2 feet high with larger flowers. Sedum spp. stonecrops. Most low-growing sedums are particularly adapted to the rock garden, but a few species can be used in, flower borders. They are easy to grow in well-drained soil in sun.

"Autumn Joy," "Ruby Glow" and "Dragon Blood" all are quite well established named varieties in perennial borders in today's American gardens. Stachys byzantina Lamb's ear. A very useful plant in flower borders. It is very easy to grow in average well-drained soil in full sun. Coarse textured leaves on 18 inch plants are covered with soft, white woolly hairs.

Its foliage is very ornamental. Flowers 1 inch across, purple, in densely flowered whorls. Tolerates dry soil. Ken Brown is a free-lance garden writer and a horticultural consult-ant specializing in Integrated Pest Management. Summers in Western New York, pleasantly hot and frequently dry.

As with any normal summer, thun-dershowers blow through, leaving some areas soaked and others with-. out a drop. It is those dry locations that often frustrate gardeners who don't have irrigation systems. Plants wilt and don't, grow and bloom as well as expected. There are several corrective mea-sures to consider; run hoses, put in an irrigation system or select plants that like it hot and dryTWith perennials, there is a wide selection of plants that don't shy away from the heat.

Here's a few: Coreopsis. "Moonbeam," 18 to 24 inches high, with light yellow flowers; and "Zagreb," which is 18 inches high with yellow flowers. They bloom till late summer and need not to be deadheaded. Echinacea purpurea purple coneflower. The plant is about 2 to 4 inches high.

Flowers daisy-like, 3 inches across, ray flowers, pink, sometimes white (the cultivar, "white It is a native to North America and very easy to grow in the open border. It will stand sun and wind. It is drought tolerant. Euphorbia spp. Most species are easy to grow in dry, well-drained garden soil.

Plant in full sun. Plants release a milky sap when a stem, leaf, or root is broken. It might cause an allergic reaction, and should be kept away from eyes. The herb species have flowers with no petals or sepals that are showy only because of their often highly colored bracts (as poinsettiaa). Gaillardia grandiflora blanket-flower.

Plants are from 8 to 36 inches. Leaves slightly hairy. Flow- era red and yellow, 3 to 4 inches wide. Flowerheads are extremely handsome, the rays 3-toothed or almost fringed. Disk flowers at the center are purple.

It is a showy North American herbaceous plant from the western U.S. Gypsolphila paniculata baby's breath. They are bluish-green herbs with opposite, small leaves and slightly joints. Flowers are white and numerous in profuse branched panicles. They are very easy to grow from seeds or division.

Plants could get to 3 feet high. They will rebloom if cut back before flowers go to seed. Helictotrichon sempervirens blue oat grass. This attractive ornamental grass will get to 2 feet high with glaucous blue foliage. Blades narrow, to 12 inches long.

Arching stems to 3 feet long, holding sum-. mer flowerheads well above foliage. "Comb" out dead leaves in late winter with a bamboo rake. Almost all of the ornamental grass are drought resistant. Liatris spicata gay-feather.

A rather weedy but showy native to North America. Plants are 4 to 6 feet high with dense leaves on stems. Flowerheads are purple or white dense spikes of 6 to 12 inches long. The cultivar "Kobold," 18 to 24 inches high, with dark purple flow-era- Iinum perenne Perennial flax. The plant is about 1 to 2 feet high.

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