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379.773 B44C
Gunnar A. BENSON . Centennial Anniversary of Whitesidev Educ. Assoc. County 1 1956
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN ILL. HIST. SURVEY
WHITESIDE
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CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
1856-1956
Historical Booklet
Prepared by
Gunnar A. Benson
FOREWORD
It is with a great deal of humility that the writer attempts to bring to the members of the Whiteside County Education Association, in this little booklet, a brief account of the de- velopment of education in Whiteside county. It would be pre- sumptuous to think that any individual could do justice to the subject within the limits of these pages, even if all the facts were at hand.
An honest attmept has been made to bring out some of the more pertinent facts relative to the history of education in the county, with an emphasis on the earliest years. It is always difficult to evaluate the period in which one lives, so that task will be left for some future historian. If important events and outstanding educators have been overlooked, it has been en- tirely unintentional.
It was at the request of County Superintendent of Schools, Loren S. Young, and with his encouragement, that this pro- ject was undertaken some three years ago. A great deal of research was necessary, and it has been only because of well- kept records and the willing assistance of many individuals that this publication was made possible. It has, however, been a pleasant and gratifying labor.
I especially wish to acknowledge the fine cooperation re- ceived from the editors of the STERLING DAILY GAZETTE and the WHITESIDE SENTINEL, who allowed me free access to the complete files of their respective newspapers. The writ- ings of Charles Bent, Colonel Robert L. Wilson, and W. W. Davis on the history of Whiteside county have been of invalu- able assistance. The very attractive cover for this booklet was designed by Miss Bettie Hall of Morrison. To all who have helped in any way, I wish to express my sincere appreciation.
February 1, 1956
Sterling, Illinois
Gunnar A. Benson, Historian Whiteside County Education Assn.
INTRODUCTION
One hundred years have passed since a group of pioneer educators in Whiteside county met in the little Congregational Church in Como, in Hopkins township, to organize an educa- tional society. The little village of Como on the banks of the Rock River was then a thriving community. Because the rail- road had by-passed Como in its route across Whiteside county, the year previous, other towns were to boom and this once busy mill town and trading center was to start a decline, and remain static for many decades.
Such was not the case, however, with the educational organ- ization started in Como a century ago. The Whiteside County Teachers' Institute, as it was first known, was to begin a steady growth that has withstood the ravages of wars and depres- sions. The name was in time changed to Whiteside County Teachers' Association, and now for many years has been known as the Whiteside County Education Association.
The Whiteside County Education Association is one of the oldest existing educational organizations in Illinois. It has had a long and fine record. It has grown from a society of less than fifty to a group that now numbers more than six hundred members. From the ranks of this association have come lead- ers who have made their marks in the educational world.
Education in Whiteside County did not have its beginning at Como in 1856. The first teaching in this county was done more than twenty years earlier, and considerable advance was made before 1856 in regard to the number of teachers and school houses to be found.
Now, in 1956, we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of this organization. Many people and many events have played a part in weaving the story that is the history of this associa- tion. The recorded story is not complete, but there is much to be found if one will search for it. The records of the associ- ation are complete from 1870 to the present time, and ac- counts in early newspapers fill in many of the gaps. The writer wishes only that every member of the Whiteside County Ed- ucation Association could have relived the experiences of our predecessors as has vour historian in his research.
STATE OF ILLINOIS Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Springfield
VERNON L. NICKELL
Superintendent
January 9, 1956
WHITESIDE COUNTY EDUCATION ASSN.
Whiteside County, Illinois
Dear Friends:
It is a pleasure for me to congratulate the Whiteside County Education Association upon completing a century of service to the schools and school people of the county. That is a long period of time measured in the lifetime of people. The great improvements in public education as evidenced in your county are proof of the effective work of your organ- ization.
As a result of your constructive and progressive work, the boys and girls of your county have profited. There is little doubt that today the services of the schools are far superior in the training for American citizenship as compared to the offerings of a century ago. Also the place of the teacher as a person in the community is held in much higher esteem than the teacher of 1856.
It is a sizeable project to develop and stage a pageant as you are doing. Those who are responsible are due much honor and recognition for their services. It should prove most entertaining and enlightening. It is my wish that I may witness this portrayal.
Let me again congratulate your County Association upon this fine project. It will serve as a fine starting point for the second century of the Association's work.
With best wishes to your organization, I am
Sincerely, VERNON L. NICKELL
Superintendent of Public Instruction
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WHITESIDE COUNTY SCHOOLS Office of the Superintendent Morrison, Illinois
January 12, 1956
WHITESIDE COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Whiteside County, Illinois
Dear Fellow Members:
I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to the Whiteside County Education Association for completing 100 years of service to the boys and girls of Whiteside County. I feel that no finer teachers exist than those in this county and I am unable to find any other association that has attempted such a fine program as scheduled for February 10, 1956.
It is a real pleasure to work with you and where cooperation among the schools is 100%. We have the feeling of being one large group with every part of the county helping all the other parts.
As we look forward to a second century of educational progress may we always keep foremost in our minds the needs of the boys and girls and ever strive to meet them.
Sincerely, LOREN S. YOUNG
County Superintendent of Schools
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Educational Beginnings In Whiteside County
Most of the early setllers in Whiteside County came from the eastern seaboard where they had enjoyed many of the finer things in life. Not long after they had erected crude cabins in which to live they turned their attention to provid- ing for their spiritual and intellectual needs. They were, for the most part, God-fearing people and long before the first churches were built they met in some settler's cabin for the purpose of worshiping God as had been their practice before coming to the midwest.
Satisfying their spiritual needs was not enough, however, as they wanted their children to have the benefits of at least a common school education. There were no schools. Conse- quently, the first schooling in these pioneer communities often was received in the home of some settler who had an extra room that could be spared for this purpose. The teacher more than likely was a young man or woman who had had some formal education, usually quite limited, but more than most. Occasionally a community would have in its midst someone who had advanced schooling. This person, by popular demand, became the teacher of the local school.
It was not long before the pioneers in our county erected churches and schoolhouses. Very often one building served both as school and church. These early structures were quite crude but soon became the social hub of the community.
The early schools were provided for, financially, by sub- scription. Money was scarce and contributions often came in the form of live stock and produce. Teachers "boarded round" in the community and often had trouble collecting the small amounts they were promised in the way of salary.
Soon after the formal organization of Whiteside County in 1839, the attention of the County Commissioners was directed to the need for a county school organization. So it was that at the June, 1840 session of County Court, held in Lyndon, Daniel B. Young was appointed School Commissioner of the county for the next year. This appointment made Mr. Young the first School Commissioner of Whiteside County. One of his chief duties was to administer such funds as were avail- able for the support of the schools of the county.
At the session of County Court held in Lyndon in December
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of 1840, Lyndon Township was authorized to organize into a school district. The records seem to indicate that this was the first official county school district in Whiteside County. Others soon followed. The next few sessions of County Court saw the appointment of trustees of school lands in most of the then existing townships in the county.
William Nevitt succeeded D. B. Young as County Commis- sioner in 1842, and at the September session of court was al- lowed twenty dollars for ten days' time taken in going to, and returning from Springfield, for school funds. This seems to be the first record of State Aid for Whiteside County Schools.
An important source of school funds in the early days was the monies realized from the sale of swamp lands. The Drain- age Commissioner was directed by law to turn over to the School Commissioner all funds arising from the sale of these lands after defraying all necessary expenses. The School Com- missioner was in turn instructed to loan these monies, the in- terest to be divided amongst the various school districts. The interest rate was usually ten per cent, to be paid semi-annual- ly and in advance.
Whiteside County was first settled in the early 1830's. A vivid picture of the educational progress made in the county during the first forty years is obtained from a study of the fol- lowing statistics which appeared in the annual report of Coun- ty Superintendent of Schools, A. M. Crary, in 1876 :
No. of males under 21 years of age
7705
No. of females under 21 years of age.
7271
14976
No. of males between the age of 6 and 21
5198
No. of females between the age of 6 and 21
4887
10085
School districts having 5 months school, or more.
141
School districts having less than 5 months of school
1
142
No. Public Free Schools sustained.
143
No. of months school sustained.
1167
Average No. months school sustained
7.76
Whole number male pupils enrolled.
4475
Whole number female pupils enrolled
4149
8624
No. of male teachers.
95
No. of female teachers.
195
290
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No. months taught by male teachers.
No. months taught by female teachers 9991
15081
No. graded schools
1 1
No. of ungraded schools 131
1442
No. of months taught in greded schools 265
No. of months taught in ungraded schools 1055
1320
No. of private schools.
·)
No. of teachers in private schools.
4
No. of male pupils in private schools 92
No. of female pupils in private schools .. 72
164
No. of school districts having libraries.
22
No. of volumes in school libraries.
696
No. of stone school houses in county 5
No. of brick school houses in county. 13
No. of frame school houses in county 124
142
No. of school houses built during the year
No. of persons between 12 and 21, unable to read and write
3
(idiocy-1; illness and neglect of parents-2)
Amt. paid to male teachers for the year 29473.66
Amt. paid to female teachers for the year 37203.81
$ 66677.47
Amt. paid for new school houses. $ 7833.53
Amt. paid for sites and grounds.
1445.00
Amt. paid for rent of school houses
59.00
Amt. paid for repairs and improvements
11451.91
Amt. paid for school furniture 1867.93
Amt. paid for school apparatus
290.30
$ 22947.67
Total expenditures for schools for the year.
$129482.14
Estimated value of school property
$274210.00
Estimated value of school apparatus
5202.50
Estimated value of school libraries. 1167.00
$280579.50
Principal of township fund.
$197780.48
Amt. of township fund loaned on real estate $140705.38
Amt. of township fund loaned on personal security $ 56348.41
Average monthly wages paid male teachers $ 51.00
Average monthly wages paid female teachers $ 35.67
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Cabin of Adam R. Hamilton, in Lyndon Township, where Lovica Hamilton taught school in the summer of 1836. Small building on left is first schoolhouse in Lyndon Township, built in 1837. This view is a copy of a water color sketch by May Crowell, former teacher in Lyndon schools.
FIRST TEACHER IN WHITESIDE COUNTY
Lovica B. Hamilton, first teacher in Whiteside County, was one of the pioneer settlers of the county. She was born May 22. 1818. in Northampton, Massachusetts, the daughter of Adam and Nancy Hamilton. After a childhood spent in Mas- sachusetts and New York, she came west to Ilinois with her parents in 1835, arriving in Lyndon township, Whiteside Coun- '". on August 5th of that year. The Hamiltons were accompanied by the Dudleys and the Woodraffs, che three families making the one thou- sand mile trip from New York by team and wagon in thirty days.
Being the first settlers in the town- ship. they were immediately faced with a housing problem. They were forced to camp out, sleeping on the ground until their cabins were built. Many hardships were endured, in- cluding the presence of rattlesnakes. Lovica B. Hamilton There were still evidences of Indians in these parts, a matter of some concern, as it was only three years since Blackhawk had been driven from this territory.
Other families came that fall, and soon a busy little com- munity had arisen where a few months previous only the open prairie and patches of timber greeted the eye. Settlements had been made in nearby Prophetstown and Portland town- ships the previous year, and so it was that the neighbors in Prophetstown persuaded Miss Hamilton, a girl of seventeen. to come to them and open the first school to be held in the county.
Lovica Hamilton's first teaching was done in the cabin of Asa Crook in Prophetstown. This was in the fall of 1835. The following summer, Miss Hamilton held school in the back room of her father's cabin in Lyndon township. In the spring of 1837, when Eliza Hall became ill with the fever, she finish- ed out the term as teacher of the school in Portland township.
Not long after this, Lovica Hamilton became the bride of John C. Swarthout. Several children were born to this union.
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Mr. Swarthout died in 1848, and in time Mrs. Swarthout re- married, becoming the wife of J. W. Olds.
Lovica Hamilton is listed among the pioneer settlers of Whiteside County. She must also be recognized as a pioneer educator in the county. It was because of the efforts of in- dividuals like Lovica Hamilton and her contemporaries, hum- ble though the beginnings were, that education in Whiteside County dates almost from the arrival of the first settlers.
It is truly fitting that the school started in the Hamilton cabin and taught by Lovica Hamilton, Whiteside's first teach- er, has been continued through the years and still bears the name of Hamilton. Its history dates back one hundred twenty years, and as the oldest school in the county merits special recognition on this the centennial anniversary of the White- side County Education Association.
EARLY TEACHERS' INSTITUTES
It was during the tenure of County School Commissioner Charles S. Deming that the first real attempt was made to im- prove the quality of teaching in the district schools. Mr. Dem- ing enlisted the aid of the teachers in the county in setting up week-long institutes for the purpose of improving instruction.
When the first teacher's institute was held in Whiteside County is not known. We do, however, have it from no less an authority than W. W. Davis, early county educator and historian, that an institute which he attended in Como in 1856, was one of the first held in this county. John Phinney, who came to Unionville to teach in 1854, wrote in 1902 that he had attended an institute in Sterling in 1856.
In these days when we are much concerned with in-service- training for our teachers, we must look with pride upon our predecessors in this county, who a century ago, were also aware of this great need and did something about it.
Much of the program at these early institutes was given over to exercises in the many branches of the curriculum. Teachers in the field were called upon to present essays and to conduct model lessons in the subject areas in which they excelled.
The need for these early institutes was great, as many teach- ers had little or no special training. School patrons were anx-
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ious for their teachers to attend these meetings, and directors often hired new teachers with the understanding that they would attend the Teacher's Institute. An interesting item in the STERLING REPUBLICAN of September 12, 1857, says the following: "A school director of Sterling, after employing a young teacher, and one that he was very little acquainted with, says, 'If he is not a good teacher, he soon will be as he attends the Teacher's Institutes.' He further says, 'He would not employ a teacher that did not take interest enough in his profession to attend the educational meetings of the county'."
Newspaper accounts of these first institutes reveal many other interesting bits of information about these meetings which your historian would like to share with the reader.
The MORRISON SENTINEL of October 7. 1858, in report- ing on the recent Whiteside County Teacher's Institute held at Prophetstown, says, in part-"Some exercises were carried out with teacher and class from the neighborhood and again the institute body was used as class. Much interest and anima- tion was shown, due in great part to the fact that no stranger was hired for the occasion."
One resolution passed at this meeting is almost frightening in its implications. It read as follows-"Resolved, That the School Commissioner be requested to prepare and cause to be published in the public papers of the county, a report of each school. so that the people may be better acquainted with the merits and demerits of the several teachers employed."
County School Commissioner M. R. Kelly accordingly had published during the next few months, reports on his visits to the schools of the county. It is the feeling of the writer that he used discretion in his reporting but occasionally in- timated that all was not as it should be in a particular school.
In the MORRISON SENTINEL of January 20, 1859, is found a report on the schools of Jordan township. Supt. Kelly calls attention to what he considers a model school in District 6. taught by W. W. Davis. Among other things, he gives the daily schedule of classes for this school, which follows:
MORNING SESSION
9:00- 9:20-Singing, Bible and prayer 9:20- 9:30-Alphabet classes 9:30- 9:50-2nd Reader. 3rd Reader
Recess for a minute for asking questions, etc.
9:50-10:00-2nd Reader class in Arithmetic 10:00-10:15-3rd Reader class in Arithmetic
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10:15-10:45-4th Reader class in written or mental Arithmetic- one day written, next mental
10:45-10:55-Recess
10:55-11:10-Physiology, orally to whole school
11:10-11:20-Alphabet classes
11:20-11:30-Spelling, 2nd and 3rd Reader class
11:30-12:00-Composition, General Exercise
AFTERNOON SESSION
1:00- 1:20-Singing and Reading
1:20- 1:30-Alphabet
1:30- 1:50-Reading-2nd Reader, 3rd Reader Recess for questions, etc.
1:50- 2:15-History on 3 days, grammar on 2
2:15- 2:35-3rd Reader class in Geography
2:35- 2:45-Recess
2:45- 3:00-General exercise in poetry and science
3:00- 3:25-Writing or drawing, alternate
3:25- 3:35-Alphabet
3:35- 3:45-Spelling, 3rd and 2nd Reader class
3:45- 3:55-Spelling, 4th Reader class
3:55- 4:00-Roll and Singing
It is apparent from the report of the institute held in Morri- son in the fall of 1859, that some school patrons questioned the real purpose of these meetings. The MORRISON SEN- TINEL of September 8, 1859, reports the following resolution passed by the institute body: "Resolved, That the object of the Teacher's Institute is, not as has been asserted, (to in- crease the salaries of teachers) but to raise the standard of their qualifications that they shall be better fitted for their duties."
An interesting resolution was passed at the Fulton meeting in 1860, and is reported in the STERLING REPUBLICAN AND GAZETTE of September 8, 1860. It leaves no doubt in one's mind about the intention of the county association to involve all teachers in Whiteside County in the work of the organiza- tion. The resolution follows:
"Whereas, Many teachers of our county regularly and will- fully absent themselves from the meetings of the Institute, for no more valid reason than that they do not wish to attend,
Resolved, That as an Institute, we recommend that the School Commissioner, School Directors, and all possessing such influence, when concerned in the selection of teachers, should discriminate - other things being equal - in favor of those habitually in attendance at the Institute, since they thus at least show an interest in their profession, and in our Associa- tion, which has done, and is still doing, so much for the cause of education in the county."
On the lighter side, it is no secret that these week-long
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meetings were also the occasion for much good fellowship. Institute members were housed and fed by the local commun- ity where the institute was being held. Newspaper accounts often referred to the beauty of the young "school moms" and raised questions as to what young Romeo had been seen in the company of a certain young lady from a certain town.
An announcement in the STERLING GAZETTE of August 10, 1861, clearly indicates the impact of the Civil War upon the annual fall institute :
"To Teachers-the usual meeting of the Institute will be omitted this summer. It has been thought best to take this step on account of the threatening aspect of the times, finan- cial and military. Teachers who feel disappointed of their annual 'feast of reason, and flow of soul,' by this postpone- ment, can indulge their animal spirits by a brief run to Manas- sas or Richmond."
(W. W. Davis
Executive Committee (M. Savage (J. Phinney
The Civil War interrupted the activities of the Whiteside County Teacher's Institute for a time. The meetings were eventually resumed and by 1870, the institutes were again a very vital part of the educational life of the county.
The STERLING REPUBLICAN of October 4, 1856, carries a lengthy account of the Whiteside County Teacher's Institute held at Como, September 15-19, 1856. It was at this Como meeting that the teachers of the county organized and elected permanent officers. The complete newspaper story follows:
WHITESIDE COUNTY TEACHERS' INSTITUTE HELD AT COMO, SEPTEMBER, 1856
MONDAY, SEPT. 15
This afternoon such teachers of the Institute as were present assembled in the Congregational Church and organized by the election of Mr. J. Phinney as chairman, and W. W. Davis as secretary. On motion Mr. C. B. Smith, of Sterling, proceeded to drill the Institute on the elementary sounds of the letters, and was followed by Prof. Kelly of Lyndon, in a few happy remarks on the importance of Teacher's Institutes.
In the evening the Institute opened with singing, immediately after which, Mr. Smith again practiced the members on the primary sounds of the language. The following resolution was then unanimously adopted as an expression of the feeling of the Institute:
Resolved, that this Institute consider the drilling of pupils in the ele- mentary sounds, an all important aid in good reading.
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The following resolution was then taken up for discussion :
Resolved, that wherever it is practicable, the system of Union graded schools should be adopted.
After an animated debate, on motion, the resolution was laid on the table. It was then moved that all persons, besides the teachers and mem- bers of the Institute, be allowed to take part in all the discussions that may arise. Carried.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 16
Prof. Wilder, of Albany, New York, appeared this morning to conduct the Institute. Misses McClave and Dickey were appointed Reporters of the transactions of the Institute. Messrs. Phinney, Kelly, and Curtis were appointed a committee of three on resolutions. Reading was the first exercise in order, conducted by Prof. Wilder. The best method of teach- ing children the alphabet, and the proper age at which to teach them, was then taken up and discussed. Singing. Writing next, by Mr. Phinney, of Como, in which he attempted to show the proper mode of forming the letters, and the easiest position for that exercise. In the afternoon the Institute opened with singing. Geography, by Prof. Wilder, ensued, in which the Institute was examined briefly on the physical branch of that science. Singing and recess. Grammar by Prof. Wilder. The members were passed in rapid review over the primary features of the study. Re- cess. A Committee of arrangements was then appointed, consisting of Messrs. Phinney, Kelly and Smith. Arithmetic followed by Smith, in the examination of the Institute on some of the elementary principles of the science. Singing and adjournment.
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