Ex-students get final look at North Lincoln School before demolition

Benjamin Duer, The Repository
Updated ·2 min read
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ALLIANCE − For nearly a century, North Lincoln School was the linchpin for the neighborhoods around it.

Soon, that touchstone will be no more, though, as it soon will be demolished.

More: North Lincoln School final walkthrough: April 11, 2023

Rich Petersberger, 64, and other former students returned to their old schoolhouse for a final open house Tuesday night. The event, sponsored by Alliance City School District, attracted at least 320 people for tours of the World War I-era school.

"This was the heart of the neighborhood," Petersberger said.

"Some of the most fun years of my life." Looking back at beloved North Lincoln School in Alliance

For many, the final walkthrough sent them back to simpler times, thinking about their favorite teachers or their first crushes.

Rich Petersberger, 64, of Alliance, attended North Lincoln School in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was sharing some stories about his time there.
Rich Petersberger, 64, of Alliance, attended North Lincoln School in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was sharing some stories about his time there.

They also shared stories of playing music on stage, playing at recess on the playground or stopping at the old corner store after school for sweets. Like the school soon, that store no longer exists.

Maria Noling Storpki, 57, of North Benton, and Vicky Specht Castina, 57, of Sebring, were classmates at North Lincoln School in Alliance during the 1970s.
Maria Noling Storpki, 57, of North Benton, and Vicky Specht Castina, 57, of Sebring, were classmates at North Lincoln School in Alliance during the 1970s.

"The fifth-grade teacher would send us over to get soda crackers, peanut butter and jelly for snacks," said Vicky Specht Castina, 57, of Sebring, who attended North Lincoln in the 1970s. "It's still one of my favorite snacks."

North Lincoln opened in 1914 and served mostly as a neighborhood school. It expanded in the 1950s, having 16 classrooms for kindergarten through fifth graders. It closed in 2003.

It reopened for a short time as Alliance Career Center and Robert T. White School of Practical Nursing. In recent times, the school served as a storage unit for the school district, and was considered blighted.

"Never Give Up" is written on a wall inside the former North Lincoln School in Alliance which is expected to be demolished. The school was built in 1914.
"Never Give Up" is written on a wall inside the former North Lincoln School in Alliance which is expected to be demolished. The school was built in 1914.

Jennifer Hawkins, 37, attended North Lincoln twice − first in the early 1990s for grade school, and again in the late 2000s for career technology. She said the walkthrough brought back good memories.

"I wished we could've gone upstairs," Hawkins said, "But it's fine just downstairs. It was fun. It was good."

Ingrid Lee, 49, of Alliance hadn't been back to North Lincoln since went there in the mid-1980s. She went room-to-room, filling in the empty spaces with her memories.

"There's the stage where I played in the band," Lee said.

Marilyn Marty holds up a photo of her eighth-grade graduating class during an open house Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at North Lincoln School. Marty shared that she met her husband while attending the school from 1943-1946.
Marilyn Marty holds up a photo of her eighth-grade graduating class during an open house Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at North Lincoln School. Marty shared that she met her husband while attending the school from 1943-1946.

City officials have not scheduled a date for demolition work to begin at North Lincoln. There was a delay in the bidding process for the contract and that has pushed back the timeline.

But, the school is expected to be torn down soon.

In the meantime, former students said they're sad it soon will be torn down, but were grateful for the closure. "It's nice to be back. I'm glad they gave us an opportunity to stroll through it," Castina said.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @bduerREP

A limited number of bricks were available as souvenirs Tuesday, April 11, 2023, during an open house at North Lincoln School.
A limited number of bricks were available as souvenirs Tuesday, April 11, 2023, during an open house at North Lincoln School.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former students say goodbye to Alliance's North Lincoln School before it's razed