Buch’s School

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Buch’s School house is now a private residence. Photo date 2009. Courtesy Martha Xakellis.

Buch’s school was located on West Orange Street at Lime Rock Road. The building is still there and is now a residence.

In March of 1866 David R. Buch and his wife Elizabeth sold 30 perches of land to the Warwick Township School District at a price of $60. This piece of ground on which a school building would be erected was to be used for no other purpose. When it was no longer needed for a school, the building was to be removed and the property would revert to David Buch or his heirs for the same price, or the building would be included for a mutually agreed price. This deed, dated March 17, 1866, was recorded on February 20, 1891 in Deed Book M, Volume 13, page 492.

On March 26, 1892 another deed was drawn up in which David Buch sold an additional 72 perches to the Warwick Township School District for $145 with the same conditions outlined. This Deed was recorded on December 22, 1893 in Deed Book L, Volume 14, page 597.

(A perch and a rod are the same measurement, and when applied to area is assumed to be a square perch, but an abbreviated form is used. There are 160 square perches in an acre, 80 perches to a half acre, and 40 perches to a quarter acre.)

In 1904 David Buch sold the surrounding property to Nathan K. Buch, and the deed recorded in Deed Book S, Volume 17, page 509 lists three small parcels that were not part of the property. Included in the description were the two parcels sold to Warwick Township School District along with the statement that the Warwick Township School District Directors on February 23, 1937 resolved to abandon the property known as Buch’s School as it was no longer needed for school purposes. It was to be turned over to the successor in title of David R. Buch for $204 and would be declared the property of Nathan K. Buch and heirs.

From the Lititz Express paper published on Thursday, October 22, 1936

“The headline reads “Sunday School Held at Buch’s 50 Years Ago”. The records of this Union Sunday School, according to the article, were held by Benjamin L. Miller of Spruce street. His father who was one of the officers had carefully preserved them. The Sunday School was started before July 23, 1871 which is the date when John Beck, the founder of the Academy for Boys in Lititz, made a special visit to the school. The date was recorded in the secretary’s book. On May 4, 1873 the school was re-organized and David R. Buch is noted as the secretary. The Union Sunday School continued with its ups and downs to October 25, 1874 when it was announced that two weeks from that date the last session would be held, and the superintendent would make his final address.”

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