THE OLD GERMAN SCHOOL IN MIFFLINVILLE
Residents of a German heritage living in the Mifflinville area built
the school in the mid-1800s, exact date unknown. They were the early
settlers who came from Berks and Lehigh counties. The parents were
reluctant to have their children taught in an English speaking school.
The Germans wanted to keep their language which was essential in
retaining their culture. Attending an English speaking school would have
accelerated the assimilation process and eroded their cultural identity.
Over time this initial ethnic division between German and English
inhabitants diminished and eventually the building became a public
school in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
By the early 1880s with an increase in students and the need for a
more modern building, the school officials decided to build a new school
at the corner of Fifth and Race Streets. Few years later the old school
house became the home of a fraternal organization, Washington Camp #684
of Patriotic Order Sons of America (P.O.S. of A.), in 1893 until it
disbanded in 1968. During this time the building was available for use
by various community groups and as a polling place. Still visible over
the front door is the faded symbol of the P.O.S. of A.
When Mifflinville celebrated its bicentennial in 1993, there
developed a strong interest to repair and restore the structure that had
undergone a decline from neglect and deterioration. The outgrowth of
this desire to save the building was the creation of the Village
Committee. Through their leadership many improvements have been made,
such as installing electricity, adding heating, repointing the bricks,
plastering, and painting, resulting in rehabilitating the building and
bringing it back into use as a community hall.
