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Kuhns, Wolfes, and Other Natives Attended Foxville School Reunion

Deb Spalding Yes, the Kuhns and the Wolfes were out for the Foxville School Reunion on May 17, 2015, at the school house. So were the Brandenburgs, Buhrmans, Hurleys, Willards, Delauters, Klines, and Clines, in addition to members of other homestead mountain families as students of the former Foxville School reminisced while enjoying a lunch of homemade fare. “The reunion has been held since 1986, and since that first gathering, 86 people who were present at the first reunion have passed away,” said reunion coordinator, Don Hurley. Students shared stories about arriving early to fire up the wood stove; cutting firewood at the school to use when coal rations ran out; sneaky boys putting pencils in a girl’s braids; playing on a big log in the woods behind the school house; and shimmying out a window and running home to avoid staying after school (there was no mention of the escape the next day). Before the Foxville School was built in 1924, North Franklin School and East Franklin School served smaller groups of school children in the Foxville area. The current Foxville School building was used until June 1961. It was planned that the school would close earlier but there was much organized resistance to the idea. When it finally closed, the entire student body consisting of about 60 students was transferred to Wolfsville.  At that time, Mr. Marshall Leatherman retired from the principalship and Mr. Kenneth Frushour was assigned as principal. Mrs. Virginia K. Draper was assigned as a sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Judith (King) Raun was assigned as a new first grade teacher, and Miss Joan Lawyer (now Spalding) was assigned as a new third grade teacher. The students from Foxville continued to attend the Wolfsville School until the new Sabillasville Elementary School was built and occupied in September, 1965. Sabillasville Elementary School will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with special activities this fall. The anniversary will also be honored at the opening ceremonies of the Thurmont & Emmitsburg Community Show in September. For more information about the Foxville School Reunion, please call 301-416-0798 or 301-416-0185.

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This photo was taken in the “Little” room of the school where grades 1, 2, and 3 were taught. Pictured left to right front row are Beverley (Hurley) Kolb, Margaret (Buhrman) Sigler, Ethel (Hurley) Fitzgerald, Betty Willard (former teacher at the school), Elva (Weagley) Schultz, Jane (Hayes) Draper, Janet (Wolfe) Monn, Jean (Wolfe) Cline; 2nd row, Diane (Hessong) Vaughn, Carolyn (Brandenburg) Fishack, Ruth “Pat” Willard, Nancy (Hurley) Glass, Evangeline (Willard) Brown, Judy (Kline) Willard, Patty (Jacobs) Willard, Genevieve Delauter, Paul Delauter; 3rd row, Dot McAfee, Henry Buhrman, Sara (Testerman) Hurley, Clarence Lee Willard, Rob McAfee, Don Hurley, Harold “Bill” Brandenburg, Eugene Brandenburg, Karl E. Brandenburg, Rayetta (Willard) Brown, Austin  “Ott” Wolfe, Richard Willard, Jim Kuhn, Ken Cline, and Walter Lantz, Jr. Photo by Deb Spalding Foxville School — 1948 or 1949 The photo was taken on the front steps of the Foxville School.

Foxville School Reunion - 1948 or 1949

First row: Cyrus Brown, Gary Kendall, Unknown, Merle Toms, Dick Abraham, Clifton Pryor, Bonnie Kuhn, Joan Fox (?); 2nd row: Kenny or Paul Smith (brothers), Charles Linton, Richard Toms, John Stottlemyer, Leah Willard (also known as Leah (Wolfe), Kay Swope; 3rd row: Bob Testerman, Robert Duncan, Ralph Hurley, Arthur Brandenburg, Frankie Linton; 4th row: Joan Draper, Beverley Hurley, Harold Willard, Leon DeLauter, Josephine Buhrman, Dorothy Stottlemyer, Betty Pryor, Margaret Kuhn; 5th row: Ronald Swope, Julia Brandenburg, Roberta Hauver, Imogene Brown, and Gary Swope.