Surrattsville School

All eight of Ammon and Kate Ripple's children attended Surrattsville School, plus two grandchildren. The school had classes from first to eleventh grade when the children attended, but added a twelth grade before grandson Jimmy graduated. Karen started first grade as Jimmy graduated. Then a new separate elementary school was opened and Karen attended that, breaking the tradition in 1953. For 36 continuous years a Ripple attended Surrattsville.

The following article appeared in a newspaper, probably the Enquirer Gazette of Upper Marlboro in the spring of 1952:

Ripples Uninterrupted at Surrattsville Since 1917

Mrs. A. S. Ripple of Cheltenham and the late Mr. Ripple have contributed greatly in the history of Surrattsville School. Parents of eight children, who all attended Surrattsville, their children's children are now attending this same school. While this statement may probably be made about many of the fine families who have attended Surrattsville in the past, it seems unlikely that many of them can top this fact--there has always been a Ripple at Surrattsville since 1917.

Let us see how this interesting statement works out. The children are Ellsworth, Grace, Franklin, Catherine, Mildred, Doris, Roland and Robert.

The first Ripple to enter Surrattsville was Ellsworth, starting his first year of high school in 1917, after completing elementary school at Cheltenham. In 1918 Grace, Franklin and Catherine transferred from Cheltenham to Surrattsville elementary school, and Mildred began the first grade.

In 1921 Ellsworth graduated from Surrattsville High School, and Doris started in the first grade. Franklin graduated in 1925, Catherine graduated in 1927, and in 1928 Robert entered first grade.

Mildred graduated in 1930, Doris in 1933, Roland in 1936, and Robert in 1940. This same year saw another generation of Ripples entering Surrattsville. Ellsworth's son, Jimmie, started first grade in 1940 and will graduate this year, 1952. Robert's daughter, Karen, will start first grade in the Fall, thus keeping a Ripple at Surrattsville without interruption since 1917.

Mrs. Ripple, mother of the eight children, still lives at the family home in Cheltenham. Here you will find children and grandchildren on weekends as well as throughout the week. Mrs. Ripple is a wonderful person to know. She still does all her own housework, is lively and quick, and speaks equally well on the latest news broadcast or the good old horse and buggy days. She is mighty proud of her nineteen grandchildren and looks forward eagerly to the family reunions on Thanksgiving Day and Fourth of July each year.

Mrs. Ripple says they owned one of the first cars in this section of the country, a 1913 Ford. The only other cars were owned by Dr. Sansbury at Forestville and Dr. Gibbons at Croom. The late Mr. Ripple drove the children to and from Surrattsville until they were old enough to drive. The car was always full, not only with Ripple children, but also with Carroll, Tippett and Pyles children from Cheltenham. Doris can remember when Mildred drove an old Essex with a muffler cutout to school and made so much noise that all the pupils would jump up and look out the windows, much to the distress of Mr. Klein, the principal.

When the Ripples entered Surrattsville, there was just a frame building with four rooms on each floor.