Elizabeth Prater, 103, of Plymouth Township, passed away on Tuesday. Prater taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Idetown during the 1924-25 school year. Only one to three children were in a grade and Prater taught all of the grades. The students sat on a long bench, similar to a church pew, and each had a slate on which they wrote with chalk. A pot belly stove heated the room. Water was accessible only from a pump outside and students had to use an outhouse.

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE DALLAS POST

You may remember a story I wrote in early May about Elizabeth Prater, a 103-year-old woman who taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Idetown during the 1924-25 school year.

I’m sad to say Prater passed away on Tuesday.

Prater moved in with her son, John, and daughter-in-law, Ingrid, in their Plymouth Township home in March of 2002. That was the site for my interview with her. From the moment I arrived at the house, I couldn’t believe Prater was 103! Even though she could no longer walk and relied on her hearing aids, she looked like a woman in her late 70s or early 80s. That might still sound pretty old, but that’s a 20 to 30-year difference less than her real age.

At 103, she was still knitting, mending, doing crossword puzzles, keeping a daily diary and writing letters to her other two children who live out of town. She also was not a smoker or a drinker. And I must say that Prater’s mind was definitely sharp.

The Forty Fort native was able to tell me about her year at the Idetown schoolhouse, to which she commuted via trolley and foot. She remembers having a room of children in grades kindergarten through eight. Only one to three students were in each grade and they all sat across a long bench similar to a church pew. Each child had a slate they wrote on with chalk.

The room was heated by a pot-belly stove and water was only accessible from a pump outside. If someone had to go to the bathroom, he or she had to use the outhouse. But the kids were used to being in the cold. They all walked to school, some from as far away as Harveys Lake. Prater would make the children sit in front of the fire and rub theirs hands until they became warm.

Prater also vividly remembered how she and the children all drank water from the same dipper in the same bucket. She said it didn’t kill any of them and laughed about how people carry their own water bottles today and won’t even drink water from the kitchen faucet.

And if teachers today think they get paid unjustly, consider this: Prater’s pay for the entire 1924-25 school year was a mere $900. The following school year, Prater was hired at Fort Street Elementary School in Forty Fort where she taught for two years until she got married. At that time, married women were not allowed to teach in the Forty Fort School District. That just boggles my mind. Years later, the rule was changed and Prater returned to teaching in Forty Fort.

Thankfully, I had the chance to tell Prater’s story before it was too late. I’m glad I got to meet her and judging from her sweet personality, I’m sure she is in a better place. I give my deepest condolences to her family.

About the Author

Rebecca Bria has been reporting for The Dallas Post since June of 2007. She is a 2007 graduate of Wilkes University and previously interned with the company at The Weekender and The Times Leader.

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