Elk County schools

[Wilma]

Fiat School would be 2 miles south of the 1885 legal description.  Would that be right on the Howard Township line?  My 1903 map shows a school there on the south side of the line, but I don't have any identification for that location.

[genealogynut]

Just on the south side of the Howard township line, is where the Antioch school used to be, as Don went to school there for the first seven grades.  It is the road that goes by Ron Dellinger's residence.  The old Rural Vale school was located on what is now known as Quail Road, which was about 1 mile east and 1/2 mile north of where the Fiat school #112 was. So that would put both Fiat and Rural Vale in Paw Paw township.  The Rural Vale school was closed and the building was sold to a farmer, and the new school was built in Fiat and named Fiat School #112.

[Wilma]

The legal descriptions for both Fiat and Antioch are wrong on this ORSH thing.    It has Antioch in Sec. 2, Twp 29 Rge 11 and Fiat in Sec. 3, Twp 29, Rge 11  which would put them both straight east of Cresco and on Indian Creek.  Is Antioch about 3 miles north and 4 miles east of Howard?  And where would Fiat be from there?

[genealogynut]

Wilma, that is correct, Antioch is 3 miles north and 4 miles east of Howard. From Antioch, go 1 mile west to 19th Road,  then north 1  1/2 miles, then west abt. 1/4 mile on Pioneer Road and that is where Fiat school used to be.

[Wilma]

Was it close to a railroad?  Seems to me that what I have seen of Fiat was a railroad track.  Don't know that I ever saw any buildings there.  This 1903 map doesn't have Fiat on it. But there is a lot of other not there either.

[genealogynut]

Don says the reason of Fiat's existence was because of the railroad.  There was a stockyards for shipping cattle out on the railroad, and there were two general stores there at two different times.  There should be a picture on the Good Old days board of the general store named Shannon & Templer that was located in Fiat.  Fiat also had an Opera that was located on the the top floor of the general store, and there was also a blacksmith shop, in Fiat.  There is more information on Fiat in the History Book.  Don's great-great grandfather settled approx. 1 mile southeast of Fiat in 1880, and that farm stayed in the family for over 100 years.

[hhjacobs]

Fiat is straight east of the s curve on 99 that's not there anymore! Ha

[genealogynut]

I would like to suggest that additional research needs to be done before accepting the 1903 Elk County Plat Map to be "100% accurate."  Also, careful scutiny needs to be given before labeling/naming each and every school location, as I believe there are errors in the existing data that is out there on the web.  (Errors can happen to the best researchers!)

[Marcia Moore]

That is correct.  There are lots of errors in the 1903 plat book.

[Wilma]

So I have found.  Frustrating.