This article was written by Suzanne Sickler Ohl, one of the first members of the Tyrone Area Historical Society.  It was originally published on January 19, 1991.

            St. Matthew’s School has a long history in Tyrone.  Over six generations of Tyrone area people have received their elementary education in this “fine school on the hill.”  Started in 1869, the first site of the school was in the old Elliott Building on the south side of 10^th Street, now known as the Citizens Fire Company building.  The school lacked any of the “modern conveniences” of the day except for a cold water tap in the kitchen.  In cold weather the students wore their heavy wraps to keep warm.

            Within a short time it became possible to build a new school at 10^th Street and Lincoln Avenue, near where the Richard Searer home is now located.  Constructed as a large, one-room building, it had a pot-bellied iron stove in the center of the room.  The children were responsible for feeding coal to the stove.  The teacher came from Sinking Valley; the students sat around the room according to grades.  In 1876-1879 classes were held in the Acklin frame house on Lincoln Avenue and 11^th Street.

            On April 20, 1885 the present school was opened to 112 students.  Six Sister of Mercy nuns came from the new Motherhouse in Loretta, PA to teach in the school.  Twice, in 1902 and 1973, because of the shortage of teaching nuns, the Sisters of Mercy were withdrawn from the school.  In 1979 the school was staffed by lay faculty with two nuns teaching part-time in addition to being in charge of Christian Doctrine in the Parish.  In 1982 the present [1991] Sister Rose Tomlinson came to teach.  She became principal in 1989 upon the retirement of Mrs. Marie Lindsley.  Sister Lambert Hagg (a Tyrone native) joined the faculty in 1985 to teach sixth grade.  She now is the school secretary and in charge of the music for the Mass Liturgies.  Today [1991] St. Matthew’s has a teaching staff of two nuns and three lay faculty.

            There was a high school from 1919 to 1925 until Altoona Catholic High School (now Bishop Guilfoyle) was opened.  (Of interest is that a graduate of that first high school, Rita Seymour, became a teaching Sister of Mercy.  Sister Thaddeus Seymour soon [1991] will celebrate her 65^th anniversary as a nun.  She lives at Mercy Center in Dallas, PA.)  The seventh and eighth grades were continued until 1987.  Kindergarten classes were started in 1982.  At the present [1991], St. Matthew’s provides a complete elementary curriculum (including library and computer experiences) from kindergarten through grade six.  Students then go on to Tyrone High School or Bishop Guilfoyle High School.  They share in a variety of programs (athletic, etc.) available to all public schools.  Thanks to a recent [1991] action of the Tyrone Area School Board they will receive Speech and Hearing Services to replace those dropped by the IU-08 [Intermediate Unit] in cut of funds and lack of special monies to help out in this area.

            The first major renovation program began in 1951 with improvements taking place periodically in succeeding years.  When the “Monsignor Harkins Parish Hall” was built, this gave the school a cafeteria and an auditorium.

            In 1961 a Home-School Association was organized.  Its purposes were to foster cooperation between home and school for better education of the children, and to promote child welfare in the home, school, church, and community.  It has provided speakers on educational topics; sponsored activities to raise funds to purchase school equipment; and held events such as Christmas parties, First Communion, Penance, and Confirmation celebrations, St. Patrick’s Day parties, and Graduation dinners and awards ceremonies.

            Last October [1990] the Association sponsored a day-long festival to raise funds for the operation of the school as well as to provide a wholesome and fun-filled environment in which people of all ages could meet and find pleasure.

            The Tyrone Area Historical Society calls attention to the following notice that appeared in the St. Matthew’s Church Bulletin on January 20, 1991.

            WE MADE THE BIG TIME.  A color photo of our church building is printed in the February 1991 issue of Pennsylvania magazine, published in Camp Hill, Pa.  Twelve pictures of old churches of this State were featured in an article by Robert Shriner, who says, “Its tall redstone bell tower and huge circular stained glass window are like jewels atop a crown when viewed in bright morning sunlight from U. S. 220 [now I-99] which runs along the other side of the valley.”

            The history of this church dates back to May 29, 1853.  When the church became weakened by shifts and drops in the earth, it was necessary to do some rebuilding of those weakest sections.  Eventually it was decided to build a new church.  The cornerstone for the present church was laid in June 1895 and the church officially opened on February 9, 1896.

            Probably the most beautiful adornments of the church are the fifty-seven stained-glass windows all sizes.  The large circular stained glass window, referred to in the Pennsylvania magazine article, contains over seventeen hundred pieces of glass.  It is a representation of “The Heavenly Pastor” and is a memorial to the deceased pastors of the congregation.