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62-582: On October 2, 2006, a shooting occurred at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community of Nickel Mines , a village in Bart Township, Pennsylvania . Gunman Charles Carl Roberts IV took hostages and shot ten girls (aged 6–13), killing six (five in the initial incident, and a sixth who succumbed to her injuries in 2024), before committing suicide in

124-573: A similar hostage crisis and shooting had occurred in Colorado, and a possible connection was investigated. Roberts was at the time a resident of nearby Georgetown , another unincorporated area of Bart Township. His wife last saw him at 8:45   a.m. when they walked their children to a bus stop before she left. When Mrs. Roberts returned home a little before 11:00   a.m., she discovered four suicide notes, one addressed to herself and one to each of their three children. Roberts telephoned his wife from

186-405: A "change" in him during the months immediately before the shooting. They also claimed that he seemed to return to normal in the week just before the shooting. Miller hypothesizes that this "calm" may have been when he (Roberts) decided to go through with the shooting. Miller also noted that Roberts' neighbors reported his mood as unusually jovial during this period. Just five days before the shooting,

248-405: A dozen shotgun pellet-inflicted wounds in one child alone before asking a colleague to take over and continue for her. Inside the school, Ballenger said, "There was not one desk, not one chair, in the whole schoolroom that was not splattered with either blood or glass. There were bullet holes everywhere, everywhere". As a result of their actions, State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller presented

310-402: A half-way decent manner. Teachers in one-room schools were usually daughters of nearby farmers. They were recent graduates and spent a couple of years teaching before they quit to get married. The teachers were poorly prepared and needed to coach children of all ages/grades within one room. Their main role is well-described by a student from Kentucky in the 1940s: The teachers that taught in

372-612: A model school with primary education in two separate age-grouped classes . In Ireland, free primary education was mandated in 1831, prompting the establishment of many single-teacher National Schools across rural areas, most initially using a room in an existing building. By the 1890s there was a school in every parish . Most extant one- and two-room school buildings date from the decades after 1891 when primary education became compulsory. Most of those still in use today have been extended following merger with neighbouring schools. Since 2002, any state-funded school with at least 10 pupils

434-606: A mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God". Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts". A Roberts family spokesman said an Amish neighbor comforted

496-614: A single teacher taught academic basics to several grade levels of elementary-age children. While in many areas one-room schools are no longer used, some remain in developing nations and rural or remote areas where scarce students or teachers complicate organizing the educational process differently. In the United States, the concept of a "little red schoolhouse" is a stirring one, and historic one-room schoolhouses have widely been preserved and are celebrated as symbols of frontier values and of local and national development. When necessary,

558-454: A small bag, and a wooden board with multiple sets of metal eyehooks. The bag held a change of clothes, toilet paper, candles, and flexible plastic ties. Using wooden boards, Roberts barricaded the front door. Roberts ordered the girls to line up against the chalkboard and allowed a pregnant woman, three parents with infants, and all remaining boys to exit. One girl, nine-year-old Emma Fisher, escaped without her older sister. Smoker's 9-1-1 call

620-575: A state police spokesman. One child was initially transported to the Reading Hospital and Medical Center via helicopter and then transported to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after being stabilized. Reports stated that three of the girls were shot "execution-style" in the back of the head, with one dying in the arms of a trooper. The ages of the victims ranged from six to thirteen. According to The Washington Post , police and coroner accounts of

682-521: Is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you." The Amish do not normally accept charity; still, because of the extreme nature of the tragedy, donations were accepted. Richie Lauer, director of the Anabaptist Foundation, said the Amish community, whose religious beliefs prohibit them from having health insurance, will likely use the donations to help pay the medical costs of the children who were hospitalized. Some commentators criticized

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744-471: Is entitled to at least 2 teachers; the 21 schools which fell below this threshold are located on offshore islands . In recent decades, an increasing number of schools have been founded for parents not content with the National School system. These include Gaelscoileanna (which teach through Irish rather than English) and multi-denominational schools (most Irish schools are controlled by one or other of

806-487: Is the striking feature of rural school buildings. They are poorly situated, often without any grounds, or, with grounds that are grassless, treeless and beautyless. As structures they are poorly planned, poorly lighted, poorly heated, poorly seated, poorly equipped or virtually unequipped either for comfort or education, and poorly kept. Drinking water is not usually supplied. Sanitary arrangements and toilet facilities are as likely to be entirely lacking as to be provided in even

868-521: The Lifetime Movie Network premiered a television movie about the Nickel Mines shooting, Amish Grace , based on the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy . It was the highest-rated movie on Lifetime Movie Network to that date. The play The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey is a fictional account of the shooting told through monologues delivered by various people affected by

930-796: The Pennsylvania State Senate , until August 8, 2008. Miller left the Pennsylvania State Police to work for the National Football League , where he served in the security department ending his tenure in 2016 as the senior vice president for security. Miller is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council . Miller is a 1981 graduate of Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . He

992-686: The West Nickel Mines School shooting in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania . Miller retired from the PSP on August 8, 2008. Command was temporarily transferred to Lt. Colonel Frank Pawlowski . Following his career with the Pennsylvania State Police, Miller accepted a position with the National Football League (NFL). He served as the league's director of strategic security, a newly created position, from 2008 to 2012. Miller focused on policing fan behavior, stadium security, even cheating by teams. In 2012 he

1054-517: The main Christian churches ). Although such schools eventually become eligible for state funding, they usually begin with a single teacher in a room or prefabricated building . One-room schools were used only in rural areas. As late as 1930 half of the nation's school children lived in rural areas. About 65% of the nation's school buildings were one-room, and they were attended by 30% of the rural students. Consolidation rapidly reduced their numbers in

1116-407: The 1920s and 1930s. They had a place in popular folklore, with one fondly recalling a, "little house, on a little ground, with a little equipment, where a little teacher at a little salary, for a little while, teaches little children little things." A less romantic view by sociologist Newell Sims reported on the majority of rural schools of all sizes in the 1930s: The utter inadequacy of the majority

1178-459: The Amish did not have medical insurance to pay for medical care. By 2007, some $ 4.3 million was reported to have been donated to this fund. The Roberts Family Fund, also administered by the Amish, was established to provide money for Roberts' widow. Several nonfiction books have been written about the shooting, including Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher. On March 28, 2010,

1240-419: The Amish willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong but rather constitutes a first step toward a future that is more hopeful. The West Nickel Mines School was demolished the following week, on October 12, 2006. The site was left as a quiet pasture. The New Hope School was built at a different location, near the original site. It opened on April 2, 2007, precisely six months after

1302-502: The Calvert Retired Teachers Association, looking for a Bicentennial Year project, decided to restore the one-room schoolhouse. On July 24, 1977, after months of hard work by teachers and community volunteers, the old school bell rang out once more, and the little one-room school house, filled with its memories and memorabilia, was ready for visitors. It is now one of the county's tourist attractions. A similar project

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1364-554: The Nebraska panhandle spend a day at Flowerfield going through an average school day in 1888. The students have the opportunity to experience both log and sod versions of the house, writing with quill pens, and a trip to the nearby museum, where they learn about other aspects of life in 1888. In Vandalia, Indiana , the Vandalia District No. 2 one-room schoolhouse served Owen County's Lafayette Township students in grades 1 – 8 from

1426-505: The PA system in their police cars. At 10:41, a second caller reported the incident and was transferred to the State Police. At 10:55, Roberts was reaching the final part of his plan. He had arranged the bound girls near the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. Roberts made two cellphone calls, one to his wife and the next to police. He warned the 911 dispatcher that if state police were not off

1488-482: The Roberts family hours after the shooting and extended forgiveness to them. Amish community members visited and comforted Roberts' widow, parents and parents-in-law. One Amish man held Roberts' sobbing father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour, to comfort him. The Amish also established a charitable fund for the family of the shooter. About 30 members of the Amish community attended Roberts' funeral. Marie Roberts,

1550-587: The State Police Medal of Honor to ten Pennsylvania State Troopers in appreciation for their efforts to assist the victims. Local police officers and emergency personnel were presented commendations by the Bart Township Fire Company. On the day of the shooting, a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls was heard warning some young relatives not to hate the killer, saying, "We must not think evil of this man". Another Amish father noted, "He had

1612-503: The United States into multiple classroom schools where classes could be held separately for various grade levels. Gradually, one-room school houses were replaced. Most one-room schools had been replaced by larger schools by World War II except in the most rural areas. However, they are still found in remote parts of Alaska where villages have a small population. In Calvert County, Maryland , Port Republic School Number 7 closed its doors in 1932 and sat unused for over 40 years. Then, in 1976

1674-489: The building by anyone". The first trooper had arrived at approximately 10:42, about six or seven minutes after the 9-1-1 call. The police, while waiting for reinforcements, attempted to communicate with Roberts via the PA system in their patrol cars. They asked Roberts to throw out his weapons and exit the schoolhouse. Roberts refused, demanding that the officers leave. By 11:00   a.m. a large crowd — including police officers, emergency medical technicians , and residents of

1736-409: The calls to the local Lancaster County law enforcement dispatch or the state police. Lancaster County cannot provide transcripts for the calls transferred outside of Lancaster County dispatch, such as calls transferred to the state police. At 10:35   a.m., Amos Smoker called 911 at the behest of the school teacher, Emma Mae Zook, who had run from the schoolhouse to a nearby farm seeking help. About

1798-415: The children had returned from recess. He asked the teacher, Emma Mae Zook, and the students if they had seen a missing clevis pin on the road. Survivors said he mumbled his words and did not make direct eye contact. After they said they had not seen a clevis pin, he went back to his truck and reentered the school holding a Springfield Armory XD 9mm handgun. He ordered the boys to help him carry items from

1860-401: The children's wounds differed dramatically; Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said Roberts shot his victims in the head at close range, with 17 or 18 shots fired in all, including the one he used to take his own life as police stormed into the school by breaking through the window glass. Janice Ballenger, a deputy coroner in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, counted at least

1922-499: The one room, rural schools were very special people. During the winter months they would get to the school early to get a fire started in the potbelly stove , so the building would be warm for the students. On many occasions they would prepare a hot, noon meal on top of the stove, usually consisting of soup or stew of some kind. They took care of their students like a new mother hen would care for her newly hatched chicks; always looking out for their health and welfare. A typical school day

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1984-451: The ordeal. Shortly before Roberts began shooting, two sisters, Marian and Barbara Fisher, ages 13 and 11, requested that they be shot first so that the others might be spared. Barbara was wounded, while Marian was killed. At approximately 11:07   a.m., Roberts began shooting the victims. State troopers immediately approached. As the first trooper in line reached a window, the shooting stopped abruptly; Roberts had committed suicide. During

2046-407: The past couple of years about doing what he did 20 years ago and he has dreams of doing them again", according to Miller. On October 4, 2006, the two relatives whom Roberts said he molested 20 years ago told police that no such abuse had ever happened, resulting in even greater confusion concerning the gunman's motive and mental state. K-Y Jelly , a lubricant often used as an aid to sexual intercourse,

2108-415: The poor quality of roads, automobiles were not frequently used. The vast majority of one-room schools have been torn down; a few were converted for other purposes. However, in a handful of rural communities, such as Mennonites and Amish , one-room or two-room schools survived longer. As of 2005, almost 400 one-rooms schools still operate in the United States. The teacher's residence, or teacherage ,

2170-534: The project by researchers and historians from across America. Jeffrey B. Miller Jeffrey B. Miller is a law enforcement official who served as the 18th commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police . Miller is vice president for security for the Kansas City Chiefs . Miller, a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , served in that position from March 24, 2003, after being confirmed by

2232-423: The property in two seconds, he would kill the children. The dispatcher attempted to delay him and transfer the call to the State Police, but Roberts ended the call. Two of the girls then began negotiating with Roberts. They pleaded for him to shoot them first. This allowed the girls a little extra time for possible rescue. At approximately 11:07   a.m., Roberts carried out his threats as the sound of rapid gunfire

2294-471: The quick and complete forgiveness with which the Amish responded, arguing that forgiveness is inappropriate when no remorse has been expressed, and that such an attitude risks denying the existence of evil , while others were approving. Donald Kraybill and two other scholars of Amish life noted that "letting go of grudges" is a deeply rooted value in Amish culture, which remembers forgiving martyrs including Dirk Willems and Jesus himself. They explained that

2356-504: The ranks, attaining: Corporal in 1988, Sergeant in 1990, Lieutenant in 1993, Captain in 1995, and Major in January 2002. On January 9, 2003, Governor Edward G. Rendell nominated Miller to become 18th Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police , a Cabinet-level post. Col. Miller was unanimously confirmed by the Senate of Pennsylvania March 24, 2003. Miller is known for his handling of

2418-557: The schoolhouse using his cellphone and told her that he had molested two young female relatives (between the ages of 3 and 5) 20 years previously (when he was 12) and had been daydreaming about molesting again. In one note Roberts left behind, he said the death of their daughter, who died approximately 20 minutes after birth nine years before the shooting, had "changed my life forever." In that note, he also said that, since her death, he had been "filled with so much hate" toward himself and God. He also stated that he had "been having dreams for

2480-470: The schoolhouse. The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the Amish community's response was widely discussed by the national media. The West Nickel Mines School was later demolished, and a new one-room schoolhouse, the New Hope School, was built at another location. Roberts backed a pickup truck to the front of the Amish schoolhouse and entered it at approximately 10:25   a.m. EDT, soon after

2542-508: The schools were enlarged or replaced with two-room schools . More than 200 are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . In Norway, by contrast, one-room schools were viewed more as impositions upon conservative farming areas, and, while a number survive in open-air museums, not a single one is listed on the Norwegian equivalent to the NRHP . Prussia was among the first countries in

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2604-472: The shooting, from both the Amish and outside community. One-room school One-room schools , or schoolhouses , were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia , Norway , Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room. There,

2666-472: The shooting, he fired at least 13 rounds from his pistol. Charles Carl Roberts IV (December 7, 1973 – October 2, 2006), thirty-two years of age, was a milk tanker truck driver who served several Amish farms in the Nickel Mines area (including some of the victims' families). He had three children and a wife, for whom he left four separate suicide notes. When State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller interviewed Roberts' co-workers, they claimed to have noticed

2728-414: The shooting. The new school was built intentionally as "different" as possible from the original, including the style of the flooring. All of the surviving girls were hospitalized. The girls wounded in the shooting made measurable progress in the year after the shooting. Sarah Ann Stoltzfus did not have full vision in her left eye but was back at school — she had not been expected to survive. Barbie Fisher

2790-607: The time it was completed in 1868 until it closed in 1951. The building, restored by a group of volunteers in 1976, is presently maintained and preserved by the Vandalia Community Preservation Association. The One Room School House Project of Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas , includes listings and information on some 880 schools throughout the state and nation. The information, pictures, and stories included in this site have been collected and sent to

2852-430: The time of this initial call for help, the shooter released a pregnant woman, three parents with infants, and all 15 male students. The first police officer arrived approximately six minutes later. As the first few troopers approached the building, Roberts ordered them to leave, or he would start shooting. An agitated Roberts continued to demand that the police leave as the troopers attempted to communicate with Roberts via

2914-414: The truck into the classroom. Zook and her mother, who was visiting, took this opportunity to escape and run toward a nearby farm for help. Roberts saw them leave and ordered one of the boys to stop them, threatening to shoot everyone if they got away. They reached the farm, where they asked Amos Smoker to call 9-1-1 . Meanwhile, the boys carried in lumber, a shotgun, a stun-gun, wires, chains, nails, tools,

2976-403: The village — had assembled both outside the schoolhouse and at a nearby ambulance staging area. County and state police dispatchers had briefly established telephone contact with Roberts as he continued to threaten violence against the children. During interviews conducted later, it became apparent that all of the girls recognized the danger they were in. Some conversed among themselves throughout

3038-458: The widow of the killer, was one of the few outsiders invited to the funeral of one of the victims. Marie Roberts wrote an open letter to her Amish neighbors, thanking them for their forgiveness, grace, and mercy. She wrote, "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and

3100-410: The wooden structure and positioned himself as an observer next to a side window". It continued, "Observing that the first police patrol vehicle to approach the scene was not slowing down to stop, the Amish man quickly withdrew from his hiding place and sprinted towards the roadway to wave down the trooper, who did a fast U-turn and parked. That would be the last successful attempt at an unnoticed move upon

3162-497: The world to introduce a tax-funded and generally compulsory primary education for either boys and girls. In comparison, compulsory schooling in France or Great Britain was not successfully enacted until the 1880s. The state-sponsored system was introduced in the late 18th century and has had a widespread influence ever since. The first Prussian schools were simple one-room schools, but by 1773 Friedrich Eberhard von Rochow had already set up

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3224-617: The wounded girls were taken to hospitals. Two had died in the school house, one was pronounced dead on arrival at Lancaster General Hospital , and two sisters survived until the early hours of October 3 when their life support was ended. The surviving victims of the attack were taken to Lancaster General Hospital, stabilized, and then transferred to hospitals with pediatric trauma care. Three children were admitted to Penn State Children's Hospital , four to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia , and one to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware , reported

3286-503: Was 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with morning and afternoon recesses of 15 minutes each and an hour period for lunch. "The older students were given the responsibility of bringing in water, carrying in coal or wood for the stove. The younger students would be given responsibilities according to their size and gender such as cleaning the black board (chalkboard), taking the erasers outside for dusting plus other duties that they were capable of doing." Transportation for children who lived too far to walk

3348-450: Was also found in the schoolhouse among Roberts' belongings, possibly suggesting an ulterior motive for the incident. Several 911 calls were made on October 2, 2006. Transcripts of the shooting-related 911 calls were released to the public on October 10, 2006. The known callers include Amos Smoker (the man who made the first call reporting an armed invader at the school), Roberts (the shooter), and his wife Marie. The local 911 dispatchers sent

3410-653: Was awarded an A.A. by the University of South Florida. Miller later earned his BS, criminal justice, from Elizabethtown College and a Master of Public Administration for the Pennsylvania State University . Miller enlisted with the state police in 1984 and became a member of fifty-sixth graduating class of the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey, Pennsylvania . He then moved through

3472-470: Was done in Queen Anne's County, Maryland , by retired Teachers and Community Volunteers. The restored schoolhouse is located in front of Queen Anne's County High School . In Iowa , over 125 small one-room school houses have been turned into local museums. The buildings in some places found new purpose as homes. In Harrisburg, Nebraska , Flowerfield School serves as a living museum, and fourth-graders within

3534-417: Was heard. Shortly before 11:00   a.m., Mrs. Roberts returned home from her regular Bible study group. Soon after finding a suicide note her husband left for her on the kitchen table and a brief and disturbing emotional telephone call from her husband, Mrs. Roberts called emergency services. The 911 dispatcher connected her, by telephone, to the State Police. After the police entered the schoolhouse, all of

3596-459: Was often attached to the school, or very close by, so that a male teacher's wife and family were an integral part of the management and support system for the school. Single, female teachers were more often billeted or boarded with a local family to provide for social norms requiring social supervision of single females. Motorized school buses in the 1920s made longer distances possible, and one-room schools were soon consolidated in most portions of

3658-422: Was often provided by horse-drawn kid hack or sulky , which could only travel a limited distance in a reasonable amount of time each morning and evening, or students might ride a horse, these being put out to pasture in an adjoining paddock during the day. In more recent times, students rode bicycles. Southern students and teachers most often walked to and from school; a three-mile journey was not uncommon. Due to

3720-404: Was pitching in school softball but had undergone another shoulder operation to strengthen her right arm. Rachel Ann Stoltzfus returned to school in the months after the shooting. Esther King returned to school months after the shooting, graduating and working on the family farm. The youngest victim, Rosanna King, had not been expected to survive and was sent home. She had serious brain injuries and

3782-496: Was recorded at 10:36   a.m. An article, "Revisiting the Amish Schoolhouse Massacre", described the situation before the arrival of the first Pennsylvania State Police troopers: "An Amish adult male from this farm, with his two large dogs, took the bold opportunity to stealthily approach the windowless back wall of the schoolhouse. Hoping for an opportunity to help the little girls, he slowly crept around one side of

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3844-432: Was said to recognize family members and frequently smile, but as of October 2016 remained unable to walk, talk, or feed herself. She eventually succumbed to her injuries and passed away on on September 3, 2024, at the age of 23. After the tragedy, several funds were established to assist the survivors. The Nickel Mines Children's Fund was established to aid the families of the children who had been shot, especially since

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