USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > History of Dubuque County, Iowa; being a general survey of Dubuque County history, including a history of the city of Dubuque and special account of districts throughout the county, from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 100
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STATISTICS FOR DUBUQUE COUNTY.
1887.
Number of school houses
134
1910. 149
Value of school houses
$316,885
613,340
Number of schoolrooms-
Rural
119
I27
Graded
86
130
Amount teachers' salaries-
Male teachers
$18.993.92 $23,090.80
Female teachers $49.991.83 $106,795.07
Amount paid for school houses and grounds
$448.83
$459.30
For fuel, repairs, insurance and janitors. . $21,338.36
$25.535-40
Salaries of secretaries and treasurers $3,179.37 $3.321.97
For records and apparatus $1,309.42
$213.41
For library books.
$5.75 $158.33
For free textbooks
$97.65
For general supplies.
$1,123.40 $2,160.80
School building bonds and interest $495.00
$18,578.00
For other purposes.
$3,359.16
$9,174.19
Total amount paid for schools
Total
$100,245.04 $189.584.92
906
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
Number volumes in libraries
2,220
Value of appartus
$3,095
10,630 $12,197
Number male teachers .
38
24
Number female teachers
213
282
Total number teachers
251
306
Average number months taught by males. .
8.8
9.2
Average number months taught by females
8.8
8.5
Average salary male teachers
$56.80
$104.76
Average salary female teachers
$26.53
$44.72
Average salary all teachers
$31.12
$49.78
Total population of county
45,496
57,450
Number persons, 5 to 21 years old .
17,74I
17,352
Number enrolled in public schools ( 1888) ..
8,106
7,032
Average daily attendance
5,425
4,960
A careful study of the tables above reveals. a number of inter- esting facts. We call special attention to two of them: (a) The first table shows that the increase in the total number of persons of school age-5 to 21-has kept pace with the increase in the total population of the state, but the second table shows that though there was an increase of considerable in the total population of Dubuque county, there was a decrease of 389 in the number of school age. The figures are, of course, wrong and misrepresent the real facts. It is quite evident that there has been marked inefficiency or care- lessness in taking the school census.
(b) Another and more important fact lies in the enrollment. The first table shows that the actual enrollment in the state is 75 per cent of the total number of persons of school age, and the average daily attendance, 53 per cent ; the second table reveals the fact that only 40 per cent of the total number of persons of school age in Dubuque county are enrolled in the public schools, and only 28 per cent in daily attendance. A natural inference is that there is but little interest manifested in the education of the children of this county. Both city and county have frequently been misrepresented in journals published elsewhere, but the writers drew their con- clusions solely from the state superintendent's reports of the public schools which state the truth but by no means the whole truth. There is no other county in the state, and there are but few in any other state, in which so large a percentage of the children attend church or parochial schools. Outside of the city of Du- buque there are in this county eleven parochial schools of the Roman Catholic church with an enrollment of 1,600 pupils taught by forty-six sisters.
1
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
907
School
When Established.
No Teachers.
Total Enrollment.
St. Boniface, New Vienna. . .
1847
8
250
St. Francis, Dyersville .
1865
8
350
St. Francis H. S., Dyersville. .
I903
4
55
Holy Trinity, Luxemburg
1866
4
95
St. Martin's, Cascade.
1870
4
183
Holy Cross, N. Buena Vista. .
1874
3
125
St. Peter and Paul, Sherrill's Mound
1876
2
80
St. John, the Baptist. Centralia.
1879
2
55
St. Mary's, Cascade
1883
4
150
Presentation, Farley
1888
2
56
St. Paul's, Worthington
1 889
4
180
St. Francis, Balltown.
.
In addition to above there are in the city of Dubuque a few Ger- man Lutheran and nine Roman Catholic parochial schools with an enrollment of approximately 3,500 children. These schools to- gether with the higher institutions of learning will be found listed in the latter part of this chapter. By adding the 5,000 to the 7,032, we have an enrollment of 12,000 pupils acquiring a common school education. The real enrollment in this county, then, is about 70 per cent of the number of persons of school age. This is the basis on which comparison with other counties should be made.
County Organization .- There is great lack of uniformity in organization of the school system, and an unnecessarily large num- ber of officials. There are independent city districts of first and second class, independent town and village districts, independent rural districts, and school townships with sub-districts. An inde- pendent district of a city of the first class has a board of seven mem- bers ; an independent district of a city of the second class, or town, or village, has a board of five members ; an independent rural district has a board of three (in some instances, five) members; school townships have boards of as many members as there are schools or sub-districts. On the first day of July they meet to organize by electing a president, a secretary and treasurer. A school township may, however, have one or more independent districts, as any sub- district may become independent by vote of its people.
There are eighteen townships in the county. Julien township (city of Dubuque) is an independent district with a board of seven members. Table Mound township is an independent district with a board of five members. There are ten townships organized as school townships: Center, Jefferson, Vernon, Mosalem, Cascade, Dodge, Prairie Creek. Whitewater, Washington and Liberty; the first four have no independent districts, but Cascade, Dodge, Prairie Creek and Whitewater have each one independent district with a
908
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
board of five members; Washington has one independent district with a board of five and two with a board of three each; and Liberty, one with a board of five and three with boards of three. Concord township has two independent rural districts with boards of five members each and five with boards of three each ; Dubuque, one of five, and six of three each; Iowa, one of five, and four of three each; New Wine, three of five and five of three each; Peru, four of three each; and Taylor, two of five and six of three each. This calls for an official force of 260 directors, 62 of whom serve as presidents, 62 secretaries and 62 treasurers,-a total of 384 officials for 306 teachers and 7,032 pupils.
Following are the names of the directors in the various town- ships in the order as listed above :
Julien (City of Dubuque)-H. E. Tredway, John T. Adams, W. H. Meuser, F. E. Bissell, T. J. Fitzpatrick, F. N. Schroeder, J. J. Murray.
Table Mound .- Jerome Feeney, Stephen O'Hea, James Mullen. Center .- Wm. Straub, Jake Schmitt, Nick Schrobilgen, Peter McGrath, Andrew Humke, John Baumgartner, George La Page.
Jefferson .- W. C. Rumpel, G. Datisman, Albert Cummer, Tom Atkinson, Joe Blocklinger, Nick Fries, F. E. Boyes, H. C. Mori- hart, John Rowles.
Vernon .- J. W. Brummer, M. M. Cottingham, W. J. Burns, R. C. Rosser, L. Schemmel. Robert Hall, John Logan, W. Weydert, Peter Ganson.
Mosalem .- Tom Schuster, Valentine Kies, E. J. Pilard, S. B. Preston, Anton Kemp, C. L. Hilkin, Conrad Reeg.
Cascade .- W. C. Aitchison, Michael Less, Chas. Sullivan, John Cavanaugh, Geo. D. Jones, Jacob Gearhart, Geo. Brookings, Peter Kurt, John Bessler. West Cascade, (Ind.)-Jas. T. O'Brien, J. L. Fober, Henry Pinnell, Matt Bisenius, J. T. Dunigan.
Dodge .- Jacob Krapfl, Frank Funke, Robt. Sherlock, Maurice Breen. J. W. Cropp, M. Lehmann, John Hogan, John Bergfield. Worthington (Ind.)-P. A. Besler, Chris. Baehler, Peter Baum, Geo. Hostert, John Kraus.
Prairie Creek .- James Moloney, Jolın Carr, Vincent Driscoll, John McCann, Patrick Kane, James Lynch. Nicholas Knepper, Mike Callahan, Joseph Klocker. Bernard (Ind.)-C. F. Smyth. P. C. Maloy, Ben Flannagan, Patrick McCarthy, Wm. Cannon.
Whitewater .- Wm. McMullen, Thos. P. Carr, Peter Klein, Henry Gehl, D. Coohey. East Cascade (Ind.)-L. W. Will, Thos. Loham, W. A. Fairburn, E. Vogel, C. J. Winters.
Washington .- R. J. Kennedy, Wm. Higgins, John McKittrick, Ed. Sweeney. Zwingle (Ind.) -- E. E. Alspach, Jacob Kemmerer, Avery West, R. J. Lembart, Frank Chesterman. St. Joseph's (Ind.)-Chas. Herzog, Michael Welsh, Matt Fagan. Washington Mills (Ind.)-James Melloy, James Cannon, Francis Ronek.
909
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
Liberty .- Matt Weber, James Kearns, Louis Noeses. St. Mary's (Ind.)-Henry Fangman, Barney Herbers, Wm. Segbers, Henry Klosterman, John Nillenbring. Douglas (Ind.)-John Mories, John Griener, Joseph Froeble. Jackson (Ind.)-Anton W. Steffen, Frank Kluesner, John Ries. Webster (Ind.)-Theo Zewen, Jos. Nieses, Nick Bries.
Concord. Cottage Hill .- Nick Wilwert, Herman Wilkenbush, Beecher Boyes, Peter Crippes, Geo. Pfeiler. Flanagan-Sumner Stuart, Charles Ager, F. W. Haselow. Frank Reagen, Jonathan Paisley. Floyd-Peter Meyer, Matt Pfeiler, Charles Davidschoefer. Germania .- Peter Disburg, P. P. Schmitt, P. M. Schmitt. Holy Cross .- Matt Theisen, J. P. Sweeney, George J. Maiers. Plum Creck .- Nick Jecklin, Peter Breimeyer. Matt Gager. St. John's .- Peter Clemens, Henry Schulte, Lewis Sweeney.
Dubuque. Stone Hill .- Wm. Avenarius, Wm. Handel, Arnold Muntz, Sam Cartigny, Charles Dubler. Asbury .- Frank Gladwin, Geo. Lewis, Edw. Lewis. Center Grove .- Thos. Winders, Ray- mond Daykin, A. J. Lampe. Dirby Grange .- Peter Weiland, Peter Majerus, George Jungwirth. Julien .- Jas. F. Crider, J. T. Daykin, George Roussel. Oakville .- H. J. Jecklin, Wm. Gregory, Jas. Larkin. Il'ilton .- T. E. Kingsley, Ralph Spensley, J. J. Noel. Iowa. Tivoli .- Chas. Pins, M. A. Duggan, Geo. Miller, Frank Osterhouse, Frank Klosterman, Jr. Lincoln .- Michael Wolf, Chris Baier, John Strief. Millville .- Thos. Beresford, Samuel Strief, H. M. Bradley. Bankston .- James Kierman. John McMahon. Eagle. -N. M. Smith, J. Ilgen.
New Winc. Dyersville .- J. C. Muehe. S. L. Vickers, Henry Goerdt, Sr., Henry Wilhelm, Peter Esch, Sr. New Vienna .- John Ahlers, Henry Mescher, C. J. Vaske, Ferd Freking, Jno. Ploessel. Union .- Chas. Kramer, Barney Fortman, Tony Kramer, Geo. Kramer, Jas. Stratton. Carroll .- Michael Ries, Jos. Hoefer, Nic Hennen. Columbus .- Wm. Hullermann, Andrew Recker, Barney Menke. Hickory .- J. H. Koch, Frank Bunker, Bernard Noethe. Rock .- Geo. Naderman, B. Beckmann, John Hille. St. Francis .- Frank Kruse, Joseph Thier, Caspar Klostermann.
Peru. Bloody Run .- Cornelius Ball, John Harvey, Louis Spoerl. Knollville .- Ernest Hammerand, John Banworth, Valen- tine Lochner. Riverside .- Henry Henkels, John Thiltgen, J. A. Mueller. Sageville .- Emil Hedrick, Louis Foell, Leo Hedrick,
Taylor. Epworth .- C. W. Moore, Thos. J. Hinde, Frank C. Edwards. E. W. Brown, Frank Wilkinson. Farley .- R. E. Knapp, John B. Walter, Chas. L. Kay, Jas. O'Connell, A. F. Reichmann. Burr Oak .- Nat. Bradfield, Wm. King, Robt. Woodhouse. Hogan. -John Walsh, Michael Griffin, John Duenser. Pleasant Grovc .- John Healey, Sr., John Healey, Jr., Michael McDermott. Pleasant I'icw .- J. H. Greenwood, Jas. Gibson, Hugh Coyle. Scott .- Mar-
910
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
tin Burge, Martin Hurley, James Greenwood. Taylor .- David Chapman, James Casey, Morris Urban.
At date of writing this chapter, June, 1911, the first-named in each of above sixty-two lists was president of his board. Following are the names of the teachers of the county, outside of the city of Dubuque, for the year 1910-191I :
Table Mound Township-Mary F. Kane, Verna H. Smith, Viv- ian I. Powers, Caroline E. Fritz, Mamie Woodhouse, Mae Mc- Donald, Vetura C. J. McCabe, Mary Sweeney, Marie Mccullough, Sister V. Albie, Sister Philomena Hayes.
Center Township-Caroline L. Kotze, Margaret Rooney, Neva M. Hoes, Euphemia Cox, Margaret A. Kile, Louise Roussel, Tessie E. Hauser, Etliel A. Lewis.
Jefferson Township-Regina R. Wand, Edna Voss, Dora Jecklin, Catherine McNamara, Isabella Rupp, Grace Chalfield, Minnie Schepple, Nellie Triek.
Vernon Township-Sophia Toennes, Leona Breitbach, Ella Greenley, Mollie Mielie, Irene Rooney, Kathryn Bradley, Anna Casey, Virginia Noonan, Corena J. McGinnis.
Mosalem Township-Marie Zernecke, Mabel Dolan, Mary A. McGovern, Fannie J. Klein, Bernice M. Ehret, Sister M. Francisco.
Cuscade Torenship-Mary Zoller, Anna M. Aitchison, Elizabeth Aitchison, Rose Printy, Rose A. Hemmer, Clara G. Loy, Margaret Callahan, Florence Brown, Mary Schwind, Celestine C. Faber.
Dodge Township-Mary M. Wuchter, Marguerite Bell, Madge Waterhouse, Rita Bailey, Irene Hogan, Mary Krinkner, Agnes Hogan, Clara Mieding, Edna B. Pitman.
Prairie Creek Township-Lizzie M. Feeney, Lizzie McClain, Mary Carman, Josephine E. Grace, Loretta Larkin, Marguerite Moloney, Nellie Powers, Sister M. Anna, Mary A. Molony.
Whitewater Township-Mary E. Horsfield, Marjorie Henne- berry, Anna T. Murphy, Rita Brown, Marjorie Goggin, Genevieve Conlin, Blanche L. Pierce, Florence Curoe.
Washington Township-Edna Donahue, Mary Sullivan, Irene Sullivan, Mary Cannon, Rita Sweeney, Mary M. Moloney, Grace I. Cannon, U. J. Barkel, Gertrude Sullivan, Ada Bradley.
Liberty Township-Florence McGovern, Sister M. Eugenie, Evelyn Blake, Mary G. Hoefer, Mary Fitzgerald.
Concord Township-Loretta C. Regan, Gertrude Niedemer, Stella B. Blake, Katherine Cooney, Sister M. Adele, Sister M. Scholastica, Rose M. Flanagan, Christian Davidsaver.
Dubuque Township-Sara Larkin, LeVerne Bennett, Mary Byrne, Agnes McCaffrey, Helen M. Clark, Caroline Hussey, Jen- nie E. Welsh, Leila M. Mink.
Iowa Township-Nona Daly, Frances Noesges, Anna Phillips, Hannah Spear, Leila Armstrong.
9II
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
New Winc Township-Katherine Hoefer, Theresa M. Wuchter, E. C. Greene, Antoinette M. Streit, Tessie Westemyer, Annella C. Rohenkahl, George F. Gerken, Emma Goerdt, Anna Schenner, Nel- lie Bahning.
Peru Township-Frances McGovern, Marcella Dunn, Mary Bis- anz, Katherine Sauer. Susie M. Haggerty.
Taylor Township-Maria Downey, Bertha C. McNeill, Anna F. Jackson, Mae Cecil Tench, Ella Burrell, Alice Strather, Vivian Pal- mer, Sister M. Michael, Alice Connolly, Katherine B. Duffy, Anna Hurley, Mary Devaney.
The City of Dubuque-To maintain an institution after it has been well established and after it has secured such a strong hold on the affections of the people that they want the best and are willing to pay for it, is comparatively easy. To lay the foundations when there is absolutely nothing to encourage or to impel but a sense of duty is another matter. The first settlers of 1833 were surely brave and endured many hardships. They had barely built the cabins for the protection of their families when some of them declared their next business must be to provide some means for the education of the children. A subscription paper was circulated and money raised to put up a building which was the first in the state to be used for school purposes. It was an unpretentious log building in what is now known as Washington Square and on Sundays was used for church purposes. For twenty-five years the masses were not disposed to make provision for free schools. There were, how- ever, enough men here like the Langsworthys, the McCraneys and others who even in that first year were inspired with the necessity of laying the foundation without even dreaming of the Dubuque of IgII as an educational center with a system of public schools ranking with the best in the state, a large number of excellent pri- vate and parochial schools, well-known academies, colleges and the- logical seminaries-nearly all with modern commodious buildings, the pride of the city.
To George Cubbage must be awarded the honor of having been the first teacher in Dubuque and probably the first in the state. He taught a school of thirty-five pupils in the little log building in the winter of 1833-34. An old citizen says he was bald headed and that, after having been captured by the Indians, he was exchanged by them for a plug of tobacco because he presented no scalping in- ducements. Barrett Whittemore taught a school here in 1834. The next year Mrs. Caroline Dexter taught a school in a little building on the corner of Sixth and Locust. She had classes in reading. arithmetic, writing and needlework. Mrs. Dexter was doubtless Iowa's first female teacher. She taught but a short time. as she married a Mr. Graves and lived till 1879. On the first Monday of November, 1837, Mrs. Louisa King, who had taught near Balti-
912
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
more with Miss Louisa C. F. King as assistant, opened the Du- buque Academy, offering a "good English education to young peo- ple of either sex and instruction in needlework and on piano for ladies." Like the other early pioneer educational institutions, it had a brief existence. The Dubuque Seminary was incorporated January 15, 1838. The incorporators were P. A. Lorimier, Ezekiel Lockwood, Joseph T. Fales, Patrick Quigley, Benjamin Rupert, Thomas S. Wilson and Lucius H. Langworthy. Alonzo P. Phelps opened the seminary in September, 1838, in the Methodist chapel and advertised to teach all branches of a liberal education. In No- vember, 1839, Mrs. O'Reilly opened "a school for the instruction of young ladies in all the branches of an English and ornamental education." She had the endorsement of Rt. Rev. Dr. Loras, Rev. Mazzuchelli, Patrick Quigley, George W. Jones and others. T. B. Burr, a graduate of Yale, opened a school in the basement of the Presbyterian church, July 29, 1840. He had a lady assistant and admitted both sexes. A few years later the first brick schoolhouse was erected in Dubuque. It was built mainly at the expense of the Langworthy brothers and Thomas McCraney and was located near Seventeenth and White. Mrs. Ada Langworthy Collier in describing the school says: "A long red bench ran around the sides and one end. Long and low it was for upon it the smaller ones sat, while the older ones filled seats placed where space could be best utilized. There are still among us a few of its boys and girls." Tom and Bud Shields, the McCraneys, Thompsons, Langworthys and many more added to the hubbub of the little school and loved the little teacher, who was a very young, blonde and pretty widow. Mrs. Margaret Carter, daughter of old Squire Bemis and sister of Mrs. Lucius Langworthy. How she ruled her scholars many of whom looked down upon her from a physical standpoint, no one knew, but she did rule them. I never knew her authority defied more than once, and that was by one of the big boys, "Billy T." For some repeated offense she told Billy he must remain after school for punishment. Billy vaulted through the window, ran up to the top of the "burial mound" (Jackson Square) and executed a de- risive war dance. The teacher was "game" and followed in hot pursuit ; the boy made a bee line for home and took refuge under the family bed. She panted after him; his father appearing on the scene, the boy was drawn from his retreat and made to stand up and take his "punishment like a man." Then, too. he was required to ask her pardon before the awe-struck school. Years afterwards, when the little teacher was a happy wife in another town, Billy went many miles to do her a kindness and to testify to his unchanging regard for her. Not long after Mrs. Carter married T. J. Chew and the house was sold. Part of it still stands, but "mound" and nearly all the scholars are gone. Of the boys in that school "Bud,"
913
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
for many years the Hon. J. H. Shields, is the only remaining one in Dubuque.
In October, 1847, Mr. and Mrs. P. Wiley announced the open- ing of a "high school" for both sexes in the basement of the Meth- odist church.
In the spring of 1849 there were six private schools here, but not one public school. In 1851 J. Nichols opened a private school in the Baptist church. He had been a teacher in Manchester, England, and in New Orleans. In this year B. McGowan, A. M., conducted a young men's school, and a Miss Cutter had a school for young ladies on the second floor of a home on Main street.
In 1853 Alexander College was projected under Presbyterian man- agement in the Langworthy block at corner of Twelfth and Iowa streets, now Rowan's dry goods store. Dr. Phelps was president and was a popular lecturer at state teachers' institutes. He resigned in 1857 and was succeeded by Rev. V. D. Reed. A three-story stone building was erected near where Finley Hospital now stands. The college closed in 1859, after which the building remained un- occupied. The walls fell in September, 1874. Three years ago a imiddle-aged man of New York came to Dubuque and surprised some of the old citizens by telling them he had come to pay some debts contracted by his father while a professor in this college fifty years ago. The father had been unfortunate and could not pay. but the son had prospered and could and would pay.
City's Public Schools-Iowa's first school law was enacted Jan- uary 1, 1839, "providing for the establishment of common schools." A second act was passed January 16, 1840, "establishing" a system of schools. Under these acts the schools were to be for all white citizens from four to twenty-one years of age. The people of Du- buque paid no attention to the law until 1844, when at a meeting of citizens it was decided to organize. A small tax was levied for school purposes and the following were chosen directors: Warner Lewis, president ; J. J. E. Norman, secretary ; William A. Carter; Timothy Mason, treasurer. The board had no buildings, no lots on which to build and but little money. They accordingly arranged with some private schools then in the city for them to regard their schools as public schools and to receive all who might apply, the board to pay per capita. At the close of the year the balance in the treasury was used to buy lot 602, part of the ground on which Franklin school now stands, and the north fifth of lot 447, south- west corner of Twelfth and Clay streets. Nothing more was done until 1849, when at a meeting of the citizens it was decided to levy a tax of two and a half mills on the dollar for the purpose of build- ing three schoolhouses-one in each of the three wards of the city. The amount realized was $1,396.59. The next year, 1850, it was decided to build only two schoolhouses-one in the first and one
914
HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY
in the third ward. They were built on the lots named above at a contract cost of $500 each. The directors failed to pay the bill of $275 for seating the buildings and the houses were sold under the lien law.
In 1851 the city was divided into three districts coterminous with the then three wards of the city. The officers of District No. 3, H. A. Wiltse, Edward Langworthy and James Burt, redeemed the house in that district and maintained a school for a few years ._ Dur- ing this period there was sustained a small school in some base- ment of the second ward also, partly with public and partly with private funds. Between 1849 and 1856 there was shown but little if'any interest in public education ; no local tax was levied; the only money received by the directors of the several districts was obtained from the annual state appropriation. Thomas H. Benton, state superintendent of public instruction, said: "In March, 1849, Du- buque had a population of about 3.500 and the assessed value of its real estate and capital invested in merchandise was about $500,- 000, and yet it is destitute of even one public schoolhouse." A pub- lic meeting was held May 14, 1849, at which, chafing under criti- cism by the state, a committee was appointed to prepare plans for a schoolhouse. At a subsequent meeting the committee, consisting of J. J. Dyer, David Jones, J. J. E. Norman, Henry A. Wiltse, Benjamin Rupert, M. Mobley and Lincoln Clark, reported that there were nearly 1,000 children of school age in the city and that a suit- able schoolhouse would cost from six to eight thousand dollars and that the funds would have to be raised by taxation or voluntary contributions. The committee, furthermore, recommended the pub- lic square as the site for the schoolhouse. After a prolonged dis- cussion, it was decided the amount required was too much. The chase after the almighty dollar outweighed decent consideration for the welfare of the children. The few small schools that were maintained part of the year were denounced as "poor schools," "god- less schools," etc. Their condition was expressed in the following sentence from the Express and Herald of September II, 1855: "The condition of the public schools of our city is a subject to which strangers turn with astonishment and citizens of Dubuque with shame."
In 1855 a few public-spirited citizens induced the legislature to pass an act constituting the city of Dubuque a school district and authorizing the city council to provide for a board of education. The three districts were thereupon united and some interest in schools began to manifest itself. The council appointed a board of five members-one from each ward. The city had been redistricted into five wards. The new board, consisting of D. A. Mahony, James A. Reid, James Burt, James R. Goodrich and R. C. Waples, met in the council chamber, February 7, 1856. D. A. Mahony was
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