In “Lancaster County Pennsylvania – A History” by H.M.J. Klein in 1924, he noted that the Warwick, the village, had a log school building known as Huber’s school. After the 1843 Free School Law was enacted, the log building was demolished and a brick school was erected. It was still known as Huber’s school and continued as a Warwick Township school. It was at the 612 North Cedar Street location. As more families made their homes in Warwick Village, the distance children walked became an issue.
Items from The Lititz Record give an overview of the events leading up to the opening of the new school building in Warwick village. This building would be known as Warwick No. 1.
December 4, 1885 – Warwick Wants a New School House – An interesting meeting of the Warwick township School board was held at the “Warwick House,” last Saturday afternoon. After the usual routine of business was gone through with, and the teachers had received their pay, Captain John Bricker presented a petition, signed by forty-seven heads of families, praying for the erection of a new school house to be erected in town. The Captain presented the case in an earnest and forcible manner, showing that the house was needed, on account of the large number of pupils who now attend the school, and are compelled to travel a long distance through snow, mud and stormy weather. He said if the house was in the village of Warwick, only about five or six children would have to travel from the country in, while now some forty have to go from the village out.
This is an injustice done the many, to accommodate the few. At present many of the smaller children do not obtain more than three or four months schooling during the term, on account of the distance and bad weather.
The Warwick people claim that as the Brunnerville and Pine Hill schools are very large there could easily be another district located, relieving these schools and the Warwick school then be located in the center of the population, a measure granted to all the other schools in the township and which they also have a right to demand.
If a house was erected in town, the town patrons would, in addition to the regular term, support a summer session of two or three months, thus giving to their children a double advantage over what they have now.
The signers of the petition represent about 79 children, and the tax paid by those who want the new house amounts, to $343.06. The average tax paid to support the schools in Warwick township is $334. So that those who desire the new house pay more than the average tax to a house. The average number of taxables to a school in the township is 62, while the actual taxables to the new house is 74. (Paragraph is as written in newspaper.)
The average amount necessary to support a school in the township is $270. They pay $343.06 each year and our children only get about one-third the term.
Mr. Bricker’s remarks were well received, and from the conversation which followed, the cordial consent of the School Board to take the matter under consideration, we are led to believe it will not be a very great while before the new school house will be built.
April 16, 1886 – A meeting of the Warwick township school board was held at the Warwick House last Saturday afternoon to hear arguments in favor and against the long asked for school house in the village of Warwick. Numerous persons spoke in favor of it, while one represented those who were opposed. The board found that it was really a necessity to have a new school established and agreed upon granting the request of the Warwick tax payers and patrons. Just where the building will be located is not yet known.
September 17, 1886 – The new Warwick school house is now under roof. Some fuss was made while it was being built that the windows were too small and the door was out of proportion. The School Directors ordered that the changes be made, and the windows would now allow 100 square inches more light into the building, and the door was more pleasing to the eye.
October 8, 1886 – The new Warwick school at the rear of T. Frank Evans’ residence will open Monday (October 12) with Isaac K. Huber as teacher. This school was built with a large heater in the cellar instead of a stove in the school room.
October 22, 1886 – The new school house bell of Warwick does not have a pretty sound.
November 5, 1886 – The new Warwick school has 68 pupils. The teacher is I.K. Huber.
From the above information you can draw the conclusion that the Warwick school house was built and occupied before the deed transferring the property was written on March 28, 1887. Henry Reist Landis and his wife Maria sold the property to the Warwick Township School District for $510. The property was described as lying between the south side of Market Street and the north side of Middle Alley and containing 13,680 square feet. The deed was recorded February 20, 1891 in Deed Book M, Volume 13, page 500.
On May 31, 1889 it was reported in the paper that a petition is being circulated for signers asking the Warwick township school board to erect another school house in the village of Warwick, as there are about seventy scholars in attendance for the one school, which is entirely too large a number for one teacher. By June 21st the Warwick School Board decided to erect another school building at Warwick alongside the one erected a few years ago and July 19, 1889 the contract was awarded. Sealed proposals for the building of two school houses – one at Warwick and one at Brunnerville – were opened by the Warwick township school Board on Saturday. The bids were as follows: Seaber & Grube, $2,463; J. Sturgis & Son, $2,433; Samuel Habecker & Son, $2,226. The contract was awarded to Habecker, who transferred the contract to his security.
This second Warwick school would be known as Warwick No. 2, and was built back to back with Warwick No. 1 with a play ground separating them.
June 16, 1910 – The School Board (Warwick) has decided to establish two township high schools, one at Rothsville and the other in the village of Warwick. In Warwick another story will be added to the scho ol house (Warwick No. 1) and at Rothsville (Central Rothsville) a two story structure will be built.
March 14, 1935 – Annexing of Warwick In 1915 Made New School Necessary – When Lititz incorporated as a borough April 24, 1888, that portion of the town lying north of the Reading Railroad tracks was considered a part of Warwick Township, and was therefore not included in the Lititz Borough school district.
For many years the two sections of the town operated as separate units. When Warwick, that portion of the town north of the Railroad, began to grow and become an integral part of Lititz, it was annexed to the Lititz School District.
On August 19, 1915, a settlement was arranged between the Lititz and Warwick School boards for the acquisition of the two Warwick school buildings on Market Street.
On May 31, 1918 Public Sale was held by the Lititz Borough School District for a lot of ground containing 13,680 square feet on which was erected two 2-story frame buildings, one was 30 feet by 42 feet and the other was 30 feet y 49½ feet. It was described as being on Market Street in the 2nd Ward and would be sold in whole or in part.
Again the deeds were written and recorded after the fact. On December 2, 1918 a deed (Book T, Volume 36, page 24) dated December 2, 1918, transferred the school properties from the Warwick Township School Board to the Lititz Borough School board for $1.00. It was described as all that certain lot of ground on which are erected two (2) two-story frame school houses situate in the Borough of Lititz (formerly in the Town of Warwick, containing 13,680 square feet, fronting on Market Street for 60 feet and extending southwardly to Middle Alley. It was recorded April 7, 1944.
Deed T36-25 dated December 2, 1919 the Lititz Borough School Board transferred the property to D.M. Helman for $1,950. It was described as two two-story frame school houses on 13,680 square feet of ground. Deed T36-27 transferred the property from Helman to A. Mary Yerger wife of Levi H. Yerger for $1.00. It still contained 13,680 square feet of land. The property was described as being 12 East Market Street and 14 East Market Street but no longer extended all the way to Middle Alley.