Rialto School, Alllen and Rialto Roads The Rialto School was built prior to 1870 and served as an icehouse and storage building in later years. It was razed in 1995. (photo courtesy of West Chester Township Historical Society)	Early Union Township School "Bus" (photo courtesy of West Chester Township Historical Society)

The first schools in Union Township were the subscription schools.  There is a difference of opinion as to which one was really first, but undoubtedly the two which were first was one located on the farm owned by W.H. Aufranc, and the other located in West Chester, where Mr. Shick's barber shop now stands.  In addition to these two, there was one in the Rialto district and one in the Eighteen Mile Stand district.

Following the subscription schools came the district schools of which there were seven:  Eighteen Mile Stand, Tylersville, Mauds, White Section, West Chester, Wakefield and Rialto.  At the time of centralization the district schools had all been in use since the Civil War.

The vote to centralize was carried in 1915.  Due to court action the building proceedings did not start until 1916 and the present building was finished in 1917.  In 1929 the Union township trustees built a township hall on part of the school site which they purchased for this purpose.  Part of that building is now used for school purposes.  In addition to these two large buildings, there is a two-room frame building which houses the domestic science and the Smith-Hughes departments.  This building replaced a barn which had been built to care for the horse-drawn vehicles at the time of centralization. . .

Eighteen Mile School The school was built in 1861 and sold in 1895. 1890 Students (first seven):  William Coy, Jake Hutzelman, Omer Patchell, Elmer Shepherd, Clifford Coy, Edward Patchell, Harry Rosencans.  Teacher:  O.M. Soule.	Eighteen Mile Schoolhouse The school was built in 1896 and closed in 1917.  The building burned in 1960 and the site is now occupied by the Church of Christ. (photo courtesy of West Chester Township Historical Society)

 © 2000 by the Butler County Historical Society