The first school was built by Austin Badger and the first teacher was Caroline Babbit. In 1824, a brick school was built by Parker Pelton on his farm near River Styx Road and Wadsworth Road.
In 1873, Montville Township had eight school houses distributed over the area according to need.
- Chase School was at the southeast corner of River Styx Road and East Smith Road
- Anderson School was at the southwest corner of River Styx Road and Sharon-Copley Road
- Maple Grove School was on River Styx Road 3/4 mile north of Wadsworth Road on the west side of the road
- Cap School was at the southeast corner of Paradise and Guilford Roads
- Saw Mill School was on the west side of SR 3 and Paradise Road
- Poe School was 1/4 mile west of Poe on Poe Road (about where Poe Road crosses Interstate 71)
- One School was on the west side of SR 3 and Sharon Copley Road
- Bunker Hill School was on the northwest corner of Wadsworth and Sharon-Copley Roads
By 1923 these schools were consolidated and a new brick building was constructed with classrooms for a community elementary school (formerly the Montville Township Hall which has since been razed). School was held there for the first eight grades and the high school pupils were transported to Medina by bus.
Records show that some of the early teachers of the township children were Clara Hartman, Bernice Couthamel, Lorine Hammet, Caroline Babbitt, Sam McClure, Dan Pelton, Lizzie Fisher, Jake Nold, Fred Roshon, Mrs. Dan Pelton, Mrs. Fred Roshon, Helen Gray, Marjorie Gault, LaMont McFadden, Velma Smith Kelser, Violet Gray Hoddinott, Willard Plough, Ava Reusch, Albert Kahl, Earl Walters, Irene Ferguson, Clara Day Porter, Genevieve Stevens, Marjorie Holmes, Pauline Leatherman, and Velma Kelser McFadden.
Archives indicate that some of the early school board members were Elva Moor, William Neff, David Fulton, Ed Leohr, Joe Myers, Mary Fulton, Lloyd Pease, Christine Selzer, Russell Blough, Walter Smithberger and Clair Fulton.
Early bus drivers using teams of horses were Holly Hartman, William McFadden, J.C. Carpenter, DeForest Hunter, John Kelser, Frank Kindig, George Fulton, and Roy Shaw. Early bus drivers using motor vehicles were Luther Nixon, William McFadden, Harry Switzer, Paul Rodgers, Blinky Ewing, John Selzer, Forest Hunter, and Mary Fulton.
Early janitors were Charles Siders, Elva Moore, Harry Switzer and George Porter. David Fulton was appointed to the school board in 1921 and served until 1942 when Clair Fulton took the position and served until 1951 when they closed the school.
It was in October of 1923 that the school board members moved an old school bell from an older school to the new school building. Years later when the building was no longer used as a school, early school board members, David and Clair Fulton stopped at the school house and found the school bell in a junk pile. At his request the janitor then gave it to Clair. He kept it until 1970 when he gave it to Edwin Kelser who had it mounted in the Poe Methodist church belfry where it still rings every Sunday.
From the Archives: If the church ever closes, the bell is to go to the Montville Township Trustees so it can remain in the township.
The Old Poe School
