[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 144 (Thursday, September 11, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WHITPAIN--FRANKLINVILLE ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE 
                           150TH ANNIVERSARY

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                        HON. ALLYSON Y. SCHWARTZ

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 2008

  Ms. SCHWARTZ. Madam Speaker, I come before you today to congratulate 
the Historical Society of Whitpain on the 150th anniversary of the 
Franklinville School. The Franklinville School, a one room schoolhouse, 
was originally constructed in 1858 to serve the small area of 
Franklinville and served in that capacity until 1916. After its 
closure, Ralph Beaver Straussburger, a Naval Academy Graduate and aide 
to President Theodore Roosevelt, purchased the schoolhouse as part of a 
small estate when he married into the Singer family, of the Singer 
Sewing Machine Company.
  Mr. Straussburger modeled his estate after a French manor house and 
named it Normandy Farms. The Franklinville School was an integral part 
of Straussburger's estate, serving as a school not only for 
Straussburger's children but also for the children of the employees of 
the estate.
  In the following years, the schoolhouse was abandoned and fell into a 
state of dilapidation and disrepair. In 1983, The Historical Society of 
Whitpain was founded for the purpose of restoring the old schoolhouse. 
Over the next 14 years, volunteers tirelessly worked to raise money to 
restore the schoolhouse and in 1997, the Historical Society gained 
title to the Franklinville School.
  The Society has worked tirelessly to finish the restoration of the 
schoolhouse, including replacing the building's unsafe flooring. Prior 
to the completion of the restoration, the Society commissioned an 
archeological dig and recovered a number of artifacts that exemplify 
America of the 1850's, including medicine bottles, inkwells and an 1876 
Liberty Head quarter.
  Madam Speaker, once again I congratulate the members of the 
Historical Society of Whitpain on their tireless efforts to reclaim and 
restore the history that has made our country what it is today. It is 
through such efforts that we can hope to learn more about our Nation's 
past and ensure that our extraordinary history is accessible to future 
generations.

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