Boyertown PA
4-20-2025 4:25am

Boyertown Area High School Archives Grows, Invites Photos

by Betty J. Burdan*

The early history of Boyertown High School, whatever form, has always been of interest to me. So, when a 1918 cabinet card photo of the Senior Class Day exercises surfaced, I was very interested. The only information noted, besides Erb’s Photography Studio of Boyertown, on the front, was a hand written note on the back, saying it was the Boyertown High School Class of 1918 and the 1st girl on the right was Florence Fox. This was noted much later as her married name was Fox and she was Florence Erb when she graduated. Florence Erb Fox, a teacher for 52 years, is a story for another day.

The photo (below) depicts the 32 graduates, dressed in their finest on an impressive stage presenting a playlet named “Star Spangled Banner.” The Class of 1918 predates the auditorium in the high school on Fourth Street and the Washington School had no stage, so where was the stage?

The hunt for more about the photo was on. In the June 15, 1918, Reading Times, two articles appeared about the Class of 1918. One said their Commencement was held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Boyertown. The second article described the 1918 Class Day activities, which was a playlet called “Star Spangled Banner.”

Prior to an auditorium at the high school on Fourth Street, activities requiring a stage were customarily held in the Lyric. That location was confirmed for this photo by the second article. The two flags on the piano in front reflected the theme of the day, “Star Spangled Banner.”

Additional information on the class  was recorded in the Reading Times, Reading, PA – June 15, 1918

32 GRADUATES OF BOYERTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, 24TH ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT HELD LAST EVENING

Boyertown, June 14, 1918 – Class Officers: Russell Landis, president; Gordon Borneman, Vice-President; Hilda Schwenk, Secretary; Hilda Seidel, Treasurer. Conducted at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Boyertown.

Invocation: "Star Bangled Banner" and many musical offerings. Opening Address by Rev. John A. W. Haas, PhD, LL, D. president of Muhlenberg College

Diplomas awarded: Hon. Thomas R. Houck, President of the School Board

Benediction: Reb. A. M. Weber

Class Motto: “Out of Life’s Sea, Swiftly Glides Our Bark”

Class Flower: pink and white roses

Class Colors: Orange and black

Oration: Lester Rhoads, “Patriotism”

Oration: Elva Oberholtzer, “The Spirit of Young America”

Oration: Hilda Schwenk “Democracy”

The Erb Studio was owned and operated by Irvin N. Erb from 1906 to his retirement by 1950. The son of Jacob and Malinda (Nagel) Erb of Boyertown, Irvin was born in 1879 and died in 1951. On January 27, 1900 Irvin married Annie Keller (1881-1945) daughter of Amos and Henrietta Keller. At that time Irvin was a day laborer and not yet a photographer. By 1910 he and Annie were living in half a double brick home at 319 East Philadelphia Avenue. The family had grown by 4 children: Ruth, Leon, Harry and Charles, and Irvin was now a photographer.

There is reason to believe that Irvin learned the photography trade from a photographer named Saylor at Saylor’s gallery on South Reading Avenue. On May 6, 1906 Irvin bought the Saylor photography business and did business at that location for the next 9 years. In 1915 the folks who owned the gallery building needed to build a garage at that location, so Irvin had to move. He contracted Daniel Bauer to build him a 16 by 34 foot, 2-story studio and gallery building near North Franklin Street to the rear of Ebeneezer Methodist Episcopal Church. It was also to the rear of 317 and 319 East Philadelphia which Irvin and Annie now owned. He did business there until he retired.

Whether Irwin was the only photographer employed by the Boyertown High School is unknown, but it is known that many photos of students and student activities were taken by Erb. In 1950 he was commissioned by the school to put together an album of every graduating class from 1906 to 1950. Whether they were all taken by him is not certain.

This graduate album resides in the Boyertown High School Archives, where Bill Cherkasky, Telecommunications Teacher at BAHS, has been hard at work collecting, digitizing and adding items to those already held by the school.

Irvin was a busy and prolific photographer. There have to be many cabinet card photos out there stored in attics, closets, garages and dusty boxes under a bed. Photos that grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, Aunt Sophie or Uncle George kept in remembrance of their years at Boyertown High School or their children’s years. Photos that you just couldn’t toss but were unsure what to do with. Those photos would date from 1895 at the Chestnut Street high school, through the 20 or so years at the Washington School and up to 1938 at the high school on Fourth Street.

In 1939 the high school produced its first year book, called The Bee. Thereafter, the seniors, their clubs, sports and activities were captured, recorded and published in the yearbooks. The archives has a copy of every yearbook from 1939 to date. It is the images of the students and their activities pre-1939 that are of interest and might be missing from the archives.

The archive is growing thanks to Bill’s efforts, but any photos out there collecting dust and missing from the archives would be a welcome addition. If anyone has one of those photos, they can contact Bill at his e-mail address bcherkasky@boyertownasd.org or contact me at mine bjburdan@dejazzd.com and I will see that he gets the information.

* Betty J. Burdan writes for pleasure and shares with other publications. She climbed the family tree in 1990 and got hooked on local history. She has a special interest in WWII and local veterans and is willing to share.

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