Just living or visiting in this area is an education in itself. To watch the everyday lives of the people can be an enlightning experience.

Throughout the surrounding area of Jackson Township one room schoolhouses, like the one on the left, can be seen. These are mainly used by the Mennonite and Amish. Amish children only attend school to the eighth grade. Whereas, Mennonite children may further their education by attending the public school system to the twelth grade.

The educational system prior to 1767 children, if they attended school at all, went to church schools. Issac Meier gave land for a school to be built in 1756 in the vicinity of Goodwill and Main Streets. This was an all German school. The first English speaking school was built in 1811. With the passing of the Public School Law of 1834, these early schools were replaced by eight schools throughout the town.

Gradually the idea of consolidation took hold of the people and the town erected a school at Lincoln Avenue and College Street in 1885 (commonly referred to as the "Hill School"). This school provided grades one through twelve until 1895.

When the town incorporated to a borough in 1912, the schools of Myerstown and Jackson Townsip split and each had their own school district.

In 1895, the first High School was erected on the corner of Railroad and Park Streets. It provided grades ninth through twelth, while the College Street building provided grades one through eight. This building was sold to Albright College in 1915 and is now used by ECC Retirement Village.

First High School

Second High School

The second High School was erected in 1915 just up the street at the corner of Railroad and Carpenter Streets. Complying with the one to six elementary school, a three year Junior High School and a three year Senior High School, a sizable addition was added to this school during the 1930's. The College Street school now had grades one through six and this building provided grades seven through twelve. After the erection of the Eastern Lebanon County High School in 1962, this building became the Myerstown Elementary School.

In 1958 the eleven schools of Jackson Township, which provided grades one through six, consolidated to one school. The Jackson Elementary School opened in the fall of that year.

Jackson Elementary

ELCO Senior High School	Myerstown Borough Schools entered with Heidelberg Township, Millcreek Township, Jackson Township, and Richland Borough to form the Eastern Lebanon County School District jointure (ELCO) in 1956. On September 5, 1962, the new High School was opened. It provided grades seven through twelve until 1972. It presently has grades nine through twelve.
The ELCO Middle School opened it's doors in the fall of 1972. It presently provides grades six through eight. One unique aspect of this school is that it has it's own planetarium. For more information on the ELCO School District Click Here.	ELCO Middle School

Myerstown can be proud that it once was the home of higher education. In 1868 the doors opened to Palatine College. It was sponsored by the Reformed Church in the United States. The building was located at the corner of Park and College Streets. By 1893 financial problems took ahold and in 1894 the United Evangelical Church purchased the property and renamed the school in 1895 as East Pennsylvania Seminary.

Albright College Main Building

In 1898 the name of the school was changed to Albright College and was chartered to provide four years of college work under state law. This site as well as the surrounding area served as the campus until 1929 when the school moved to Reading, PA, where it is today.

The campus was purchased by the Evangelical Congregational Church in 1931. The main building (pictured above), which was Palatine College is now the School of Theology for the ECC Church. The rest of the campus is now used as a retirement village and nursing home.

An interesting note is the site of the School of Theology was used as a training facility during the late 1930's for the Pennsylvania State Police Academy before it moved to Hershey, Pa.

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