The Gill Hall Schoolhouse
By Deb Morinello , West Jefferson Hills Historical Society
During the 19th and early 20th Centuries , little one-room schoolhouses peppered the rural area of West Jefferson Hills . Locals still recall one such school which sat in the Gill Hall area of Jefferson Township . Perhaps residents remember it because it still exists — though hidden in plain sight .
Believed to have existed as early as 1812 , this schoolhouse was certainly part of local history . It was in this building that the Jefferson Methodist Church on Gill Hall Road was founded . Early maps of the area — 1858 , 1876 , 1883 , 1890 — do indeed show a school positioned across the street from Jefferson Presbyterian Church on Gill Hall Road . Sometime after 1890 , however , the school district decided to move the schoolhouse to the other side of Gill Hall Road for a level space to play during recess .
Originally , the schoolhouse would have been heated by a coal-fed potbelly stove as there was no electricity or running water . One or more outhouses provided toilet facilities for the students and fresh water was hauled in buckets from nearby creeks and springs . As with other one-room schools of the day , one teacher would have taught all the required subjects for grades one through eight .
The Gill Hall schoolhouse continued to function as a school until June 1937 . In 1934 , the Jefferson Hills Township School District began consolidating the one-room schoolhouses in the district . Eight of the township ’ s one-room schools were abandoned , sold , or razed following the construction and opening of Roosevelt Elementary School in 1937 . As luck would have it , Gill Hall School was sold to a private party and thus saved from destruction .
As the community grew and population increased over the years , new schools were built in the now West Jefferson Hills School District . Ironically , Gill Hall Elementary School was constructed in 1955 not far from where the original log schoolhouse stood . Thus , after a gap of eighteen years , there was once again a school in Gill Hall .
BOROUGH OF JEFFERSON HILLS NEWS
Jim Huber Field
In July , we completed officially designating Front Field inside Andrew Reilly Memorial Park as “ Jim Huber Field .” Jim grew up in Scott Township and graduated from Chartiers Valley High School . He and his wife Sharon settled in Jefferson Hills where both practiced optometry in the area . Jim was a proud Jefferson Hills resident and a passionate youth sports advocate .
From the time his oldest son could throw a ball , Jim could be found at Tepe or Andrew Reilly Memorial parks practicing with his children . Jim strove to help his players realize their full potential on the field and to provide a safe space for them to achieve those goals . Over the 2016 Labor Day weekend , Jim learned he had stage 3 Colorectal Cancer . Jim passed away on July 13 , 2019 .
Even following his diagnosis , Jim continued to volunteer with TJ Youth Boys Baseball ( TJYBB ) organizing tournaments , ordering uniforms , and helping young people return to the field each spring . As a tribute to his impact on youth sports in Jefferson Hills , the Borough of Jefferson Hills Recreation Board requested that the field be formally declared “ Jim Huber Field .”
About the artist : Penn State University sophomore Cassidy Como is a 2021 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School . Cassidy is the recipient of the inaugural 2021 Jefferson Hills Recreation Scholarship , which is awarded to TJHS seniors who have exhibited excellence in the classroom , playing field , and community .
56 WEST JEFFERSON HILLS