Fate of Weatherly's Schwab School uncertain

Powerful industrialist Charles M. Schwab was a major player on the world stage.

Among his achievements, he turned Bethlehem Steel into the largest independent steel-maker in the world.

But his heart was drawn to a small town located an hour north of Bethlehem.

For very good reason, Schwab was drawn to Carbon County.

That's because he fell in love with a local gal, Weatherly native Emma Eurana Dinkey.

Eighteen years after their wedding, the couple returned to town and something special happened.

It was May 5, 1901, and they were given a personal tour of Weatherly.

Grateful Charles reportedly said, "We would like to do something for the community. My wife is a native of Weatherly and I would like to remember the town that gave me such an excellent wife. You must decide what you want."

Out of that promise came a new education center on the corner of East Main, Spring and Pardee streets.

A contract was awarded to Andrew Breslin of Summit Hill on Sept. 3, 1901, to build what would be the Schwab School.

Ground was broken on Sept. 26. The three-story brick structure featured 10 rooms, an auditorium and other rooms.

As one of the finishing touches, Breslin placed a large town clock atop the building in June 1902, from the Seth-Thomas Clock Co.

Finally, in July 1903, the Schwab School was completed. It was 125 feet tall from basement to dome and a flagpole on top of the dome was 25 feet high.

There were 106 windows and 76 doors in the building.

The Schwab School was the pride of Weatherly and an instant landmark.

But it has since fallen on hard times and its future is uncertain. For a while, the place was in the hands of a private owner who neglected it, then lost it to foreclosure.

According to a recent story by Times News reporter Chris Reber, the school, last used in 1991, will be listed for sale by the bank that owns the property.

While costs associated with stabilizing the architectural masterpiece and bringing it up to code would certainly be substantial, the effort would be worthwhile. The place offers great promise as a venue for adaptive reuse.

Carbon County salutes Eurana Dinkey Schwab and her family in other ways, such as in the naming of Dinkey Memorial Church in Ashfield and Weatherly's Eurana Park. But the majestic school needs to be a lasting part of that legacy.

Quite simply, the building needs to be saved.

The historic Schwab School means as much to Weatherly as the 1874 Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Depot means to Tamaqua and the 1861 Asa Packer Mansion means to Jim Thorpe.

In later life, Eurana Schwab devoted herself to philanthropy. She died on Jan. 23, 1939, in Manhattan, at the age of 79, suffering from heart disease. She's buried in Monongahela Cemetery in western Pennsylvania.

Hopefully the proud borough of Weatherly will find a way to preserve the sparkling gem that towers over the community in her honor.

On top of that, it's tangible proof of the greatness of a native-born daughter and her world-class industrialist husband, who loved not only her but all of the residents of her special hometown.

By Donald R. Serfass | dserfass@tnonline.com