Article taken from the Monday, May 22, 2000, edition of The Portsmouth Daily Times, Volume 150, Issue 55, by Kirsten Stanley.

When John Gabriel Daniels donated his land for the construction of Swauger Valley School, he probably didn't think about the lasting impact it would have on Harrison Township.

In the early 1890's, Daniels donated land on Swauger Valley Road to the Harrison Township Board of Education.  Daniels wanted a school to be built on the land, because of the transportation problems facing many rural children near Swauger Valley.  During the late 1800's, many children did not attend school simply because it was too far from them to walk.

"My grandpa had three children, they were 4, 6, and 8," Violet Canary recalled.  "He wanted them all to be able to get an education, so when my mom's brother was ready to start school he donated the land.  They didn't have any cars back then, so the kids had to walk and it was nearly impossible if the school was far away."

Although 83-year old Canary wasn't sure when the one-room school opened, a dded for the school was dated 1895.  After the original building was razed in 1937, a new two-room school was built on the same site.  The first school housed 1st through 8th grades, while the building that still stands housed 1st through 6th grades.

Canary and her 84-year-old sister, Opal Irwin, both attended the Swauger Valley School and have fond memories of their school days there.

"Each morning our teacher, Elizabeth Elliott, would walk by our house and take us by the hand and walk us to school," Irwin said.  "There was one teacher and she taught all of us at once."

After the construction of modern elementary and middle schools in Minford, the Swauger Valley School was closed.  As poart of the original agreement, if the land was not going to be used for education purposes, it was to be turned over the Daniels' family.

"My grandpa made them agree to give it (land) to his heirs, and they stuck to the agreement," Canary said.

But, because of the large number of family members, Daniels' descendants decided to donate the land back to the Harrison Township trustees, who now use it as a polling place during elections.

Because of his contribution to Harrison township schools, Daniels was given a posthumous honor from Senator Mike Shoemaker, D-Bourneville.  Canary displays the certificate proudly in her home.

Photo from:  www.oldohioschools.com/Scioto%20County.htm