Generations of people from the area held memories of attending the Ashville Union Free School through their youth, with reunions held each year to celebrate the memory and connection of all that attended. After 43 years, these alumni have ensured that the memory of the once beloved location continues to live on throughout Ashville.

On July 16, 1885, Floyd L. Darrow would go to then District Clerk Harry Bouton to gauge the public perception on a consolidation of schools within the area. Specifically, Darrow would be referring to a consolidation between Harmony School District No. 3, which was located near the intersection of North Maple Street and Stoneledge Road, and Busti School District No. 3, which was located in what was known as Boomertown on South Maple Street. With much of the merger being directed at the state level, dissatisfaction grew in the community. It would culminate with Houton putting in his notes that voters were against the idea of the merger. However, a meeting later that same day at the local Congregational Church would yield very different results. It was said that at this meeting the merger of the two schools was approved by a substantial majority, and thus the Ashville Free Union School was born.

Following this meeting, organizers would begin to coordinate on where the united school would be constructed. The final decision would be made for the school to be put in place near what is now 2089 South Maple Ave. This would mean that the school was incorporated before the creation of the Panama School District, meaning that much of the area was served by smaller schoolhouses at the time. The building would go on to be replaced by an even larger building in 1919, which would allow for the school to expand capacity further. When the area’s united district was later created, with Panama Central School being created in 1928, the Ashville Union Free School would remain a separate entity for quite some time.

Despite expansions suggesting strong growth, such as a new gym and kindergarten classrooms being added in 1949, the school would be annexed by the Panama School District in 1956. The consolidation with the Panama School District came as a result of new state requirements that were emerging at the time. These requirements stated that all schools must have an available high school area by September 1956. The school had previously not offered junior or high school at the building before the annexation, but did go up to eighth grade. After the annexation only elementary grades were taught at the school. Following eighth grade, students at the time had the choice to finish the rest of their education at either Chautauqua Central School, Lakewood High School, or Jamestown High School. The school would even assist with transportation to the nearby schools in Chautauqua and Lakewood. With the school not having a sufficient number of students to receive state aid to create a high school building, the annex allowed for students to have a set and consistent place to transfer to following their time at the school.

The former school building under the ownership of The Resource Center. Photos via Facebook

By 1982, the school had fallen to a point beyond recovery. The Panama School District’s Board of Education stated that not only had the enrollment become severely unsustainable, but that the building also required extensive renovations to comply with changing energy standards at the state level. The board recognized that Panama Central School would have the ability to absorb the student population from Ashville with no problems, and thus the Ashville Union Free School would cease operations on June 30, 1982. The building did not go to waste though, as it was quickly taken over by The Resource Center to hold classrooms and various child programming. Despite this takeover, the building’s deteriorating condition would ultimately force the location to be sold off to a private entity in the early 2000s. In 2008 the building would go on to be demolished, with the only physical memory still standing today being a history marker commemorating the site.

Today the many alumni of the school continue to keep its legacy alive over four decades after the school ceased to exist. For many years, the alumni of the school would frequently gather at Alfie’s Restaurant in Lakewood to reminisce on the memories they held. Each year the alumni association continues to share a wide range of photos and memories through their Facebook page, and hosts an annual reunion to bring everyone together too. Various shirts, mugs, and other merchandise are made each year for alumni to purchase and continue to share the memory of a school that brought them so much. The association even has a fund, with profits from sales going directly towards adding to the fund for future endeavors. Despite this significant piece of history seeming to have vanished from the minds of so many, there are so many members of the community that continue to work to keep the school’s legacy alive.

A student plays on the swings formerly located outside of the school.