The Lowrie School House

Our first project as the Warriors Mark Area Historical Society is to acquire the Lowrie Schoolhouse as a landmark of our community. The land and building are graciously being donated to the society, but that is where our part of the story begins. The building will require maintenance, upkeep, and insurance as we aim to protect and utilize this building on behalf of the community for years to come. Although this is the beginning of our story with the landmark, the Lowrie Schoolhouse has a rich and interesting history.

The Lowrie Schoolhouse was built in the 1860’s by the carpenter Balzer Rumberger as a private school for the Lowrie children of the Lowrie family. It has been a Warriors Mark landmark ever since the days when they, and the other children of the town crossed the street from the old Lowrie Mansion to learn the “three R’s”.

Many local men and women were employed in the Lowrie home, on the grounds and the farm. Jonathan Roberts Lowrie was a lawyer, with a practice in Hollidaysburg. The family moved to Warriors Mark when his health failed in 1854 and he became legal advisor to the firm of Lyon, Shorb and Co.

Although Mr. Lowrie had the school built for his own offspring, the other youngsters in town were invited to attend. There were three Lowrie children by his first marriage to Mary A. Lyon: Sarah Roberts Lowrie (1854-1947), William Lyon Lowrie M.D. (1859-1945) and Robert Lowrie (1861-1945). Five children were born to his second marriage to Matilda Hamill Nassau: Charles Nassau Lowrie (1869-1939), Matilda Lowrie (1871-1892), the Rev. Walter Lowrie (1873-1901), Calhoun Stewart Lowrie (1874-1891), and Matthew Lowrie (1876-1962).