USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris: past and present, an illustrated history of the township and the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois, in their various stages of development, together with a local biographical directory > Part 11
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When Holly Allen was teaching, Ed. Allen, now a successful auctioneer of Mount Morris, was an attendant. One day when about to be punished for some misdemeanor, he made a dash for the door and down the road. The teacher, however, proved the better athlete and succeeded in running him down and bringing him back, which caused some entertainment for the school, the nature of which may easily be surmised. C. C. Crowell was a pretty lively scholar, and on more than one occasion had to stand on one leg for punishment. He remembers that one noon the boys knocked off a half dozen yards of plastering and threw the chunks about the room until the white dust obscured the view. Penalty-a licking and three weeks in at recess.
The partition between the two rooms was made of loose boards, which the boys could easily remove on special occasions. At the end of every term the school gave an exhibition, when miscellaneous programs were
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THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
participated in by the scholars, and on such occasions the partition was removed. Mrs. Crawford often received fine presents from the scholars at these exhibitions, and still possesses and prizes them very highly.
Besides being an old schoolhouse, the Miller building has the honor of once serving as a meetinghouse. Immediately after it was built, the Rev. N. J. Stroh, who was stationed at Oregon, came up every two weeks and preached in it for the Lutherans. The church records are lost, but there is reason to believe that it was used more or less by the Lutherans for a place of worship until the new brick churchhouse, now belonging to the Christian denomination, was built in 1854. Rev. A. A. Trimper preached in the old house and probably Rev. Nicholas Burkett. Later, in the six- ties, long after the brick churchhouse had been built, a number of the Lutherans,-Rev. Rufus Smith, Daniel Sprecher, some of the Hedges, and others,-became dissatisfied with the progress of affairs in the church and a split occurred, and the bolters started to hold meetings of their own in the old schoolhouse. This branch existed for a time but soon died out.
In 1882, William H. Miller purchased the house, and after residing in it for eighteen years, erected in its place a fine modern residence.
Another old school building was the McFarland house, which stood on Mulberry street, and for many years was occupied as a residence by Mrs. Susan Heminger, until the spring of 1900, when it was purchased by Elder D. L. Miller, and torn down to make room for his elegant residence.
The old house was built in the spring of 1841 by Samuel McFarland, of Boonsboro, Md., and at the time of its erection Mount Morris was yet in its extreme infancy. Mr. McFarland moved into the house after its completion and resided there with his family for a number of years. In the meantime a number of other houses were built and immigrants began to come in rapidly from the east. Among the arrivals during the summer after the house was completed was a party in which were Jonathan and Emanuel Knodle, of Boonsboro, Md., who brought with them a complete printing outfit. They rented the north wing of the McFarland house, and there began the publication of the Rock River Register, the first paper printed in Ogle county, a complete account of which is given in the chap- ter upon the press. After the removal of the printing-office from the house in 1842, the old house is lost sight of for nearly twenty years, but it is naturally supposed that it was simply used as a residence, and occupied by probably a dozen different families for shorter or longer periods. In 1853 it came into the possession of a schoolteacher, an old lady by the name of Crofts-Mrs. Emeline Crofts, mother of the Rev. George W. Crofts, who later had charge of the Congregational church at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In about the year 1860, or possibly earlier, Mrs. Crofts started a private school in the front room of the old house, using the re- mainder of it for living rooms. Owing to the crowded condition of the public school, then being held in the Miller house, she soon gathered in twenty-five or thirty scholars, mostly from among the smaller children, and proceeded to "enlighten" them. Many of our present citizens re- ceived their first instruction under her. Among them are A. W. Brayton,
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
William Stewart, Mrs. John Walker, and a score of others. Mr. Brayton remembers her rather novel method of distributing reward cards. The room formerly used as the Register office was used by her as a bedroom, and there on her bed she would spread out the reward cards, of which there were some very nice ones for the brightest students, and others not quite so pleasing. After they had been arranged, the best scholar was al- lowed to go into the room and take his choice; after his return, the second best took his turn, and so on until the least deserving carried away the leavings. William Stewart remembers that she was very severe in her methods of punishment, but failed to mention, however, if it was because he was particularly mischievous or not, that his memory was so keen on that point. One of her ways of bringing culprits to justice was to come up behind the victim and getting him by the forelock pull him upon his tip-toes until he expected his scalp to part with his cranium. Another method, for many years a favorite among " schoolmarms," was to get a grip on that convenient handle, the ear, and twist it until the offender was glad to choose between losing his ear or coming to time. The dunce cap also came into frequent use. Nevertheless she was a good teacher and taught many a "young idea how to shoot." Her school continued in the old house until after the war, and was discontinued probably in 1866 or 1867. Mrs. Crofts left the village about that time with her son, Lee Crofts, and went west.
After the close of the Crofts school, the old house sunk into obscurity. It was simply used as a residence and saw many changes and a variety of inmates. And now, in the year 1900, the closing year of the nineteenth century, it has gone down to its fate, having watched over the varying des- tinies of the town and its intelligent people from almost its earliest period. A few more years and it will be forgotten forever. Thus it is with both man and his works.
An examination of the deed discloses the interesting fact that the house changed hands no less than eighteen times. The two lots, upon one of which it stood, and which have always been transferred with it, are lots 13 and 14 of block 16. They were included in the original patent for an 80- acre plot from the United States Government to Anthony Pitzer, and later became the property of Rock River Seminary. The later transfers were as follows:
1843. .. R. R. Seminary to Samuel McFarland 1857. F. G. Petrie to J. A. Routzhan
1844. .. Samuel McFarland to B. Rosenbeck
1859. J. A. Routzhan to Emeline Crofts 1847. B. Rosenbeck to Jacob Hiestand
1876 .. Emeline Crofts to Jno. M. Smith
1879. Jno. M. Smith to D. B. Kenne 1847. Jacob Hiestand to David Gloss
1881. .D. B. Kenne to David Moore 1847. David Gloss to John Martin
1851. John Martin to Enoch Wood 1882. David Moore to John D. Teeter 1853. Enoch Wood to Emeline Crofts
1884. John D. Teeter to Susan Heminger 1855. Emeline Crofts to F. G. Petrie
1900, Susan Heminger to D. L. Miller
It will be noticed that three transfers were made in one year, 1847. Mrs. Heminger was by far the longest occupant of the house, having lived in it about sixteen years. A portion of the old house was moved to
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THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
the south part of town, and is being used as a barn by William Domer. For a view of this historic old house s. e the chapter dealing with the press.
Before tracing the village schools further, it would be well to make mention of the old schoolhouse built by the father of Dr. Isaac Rice. It was simply a roughly-constructed log-house, situated north of town, and its history dates back almost to the beginning of the Pine Creek Gram- mar School. Isaac Rice, then a youth of eighteen years, was one of the first teachers in the school. Reuben Marshall was a pupil at this institution of learning, and remembers the house to have been an exceedingly rough structure. It was built in the hollow north of the Jacob Rice residence and east of the cemetery. One winter there was considerable trouble be- tween the teacher and the pupils, and finally the large boys tore the old building down, piled the logs on a heap, and burned them. Mr. Marshall remembers that one day several dogs ran a deer out of the woods near the schoolhouse, and there being a crust on the snow which the animal's sharp hoofs penetrated, the boys easily headed it upon an expanse of snow and knocked it on the head with an axe. The incident was quite thrilling. Among the teachers in this school were Joshua and Isaac Rice, John A. Wagner, Alfred Brown, John W. Ritz, John O'Conner, Julia Holcombe, Charles F. Lynn, and Robert Deppenham.
In the year 1868 the present large stone schoolhouse, located on block 5 of the Botanical Addition, was completed at a cost of $10,000. At first there were but four rooms in the building and only three of these were used, there being but three teachers and three departments. Miss Frances Hoverland (now Mrs. Crawford) who had been principal in the old build- ing was again elected and served in that capacity from 1868 to 1872,-the first four years that the new building was in use. Miss Florence Hover- land taught during the first two years, until the time of her marriage to Dr. B. G. Stephens. The other teachers during these four years were the Misses Cornelia A. Sterns, May Quigley, and Olive Antisdel. Miss Lottie Rohrer (now Mrs. W. A. Newcomer) was an advanced student and heard a number of classes for the principal.
Prof. Joseph M. Piper, the present County Superintendent of Schools, succeeded Mrs. Crawford and remained principal four years. The teach- ers during these four years, 1872 to 1876, as nearly as Mr. Piper can re- member, were as follows: Frankie Kosier, Ella Fisher, Miss Eichholts, John P. Hand (now a supreme judge of Illinois), Helen A. Night, John Hammond (remembered by his red hair), Lottie Waggoner (daughter of Prof. Joseph Waggoner, first principal of Rock River Seminary), and Addie McKean.
About this time a fourth department was added and the number of teachers raised to four. Horace G. Kauffman was elected principal in the fall of 1876, with Holly C. Clark in the Grammar department; Ella Fisher, Intermediate, and Lottie Waggoner, Primary.
The teachers from 1877 to 1900 are herewith given, together with the graduates-when there were any. The first graduating class received their
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
diplomas in the spring of 1878, at the close of Mr. Kauffman's second year. Before that time the scholars attended only until something turned up for them to do, and they left whenever they pleased, without completing any prescribed course of study. It was during this year that the first course of study was outlined and printed in pamphlet form. In the following the principal will be mentioned first, then the teachers of the Grammar, Intermediate, and Primary departments in their respective order:
1877-'78 .- H. G. Kauffman, H. C. Clark, Mrs. Rebecca Kauffman, Lottie Waggoner. Graduates, Susie McCosh (Mrs. C. H. Sharer), Eva Davis, Fred. Knodle, Harry Little, Charles Davis.
1878-'79. -- H. G. Kauffman, H. C. Clark, Mrs. Kauffman, Helen A. Night. Graduates, Laura Hedges (Mrs. Swift, of DeKalb), Lillie Farwell (Mrs. Harry Cushing), Mary Weller (Mrs. George Shryock), Clara Clevidence (Mrs. Ira Wingert), Clara Noel, Alfonzo Newcomer.
1879-'80. - Miss Virginia Brown, Mrs. Carey, (name of Intermediate teacher not ob- tainable), Mrs. Crawford. Grad- uates, Martin Rohrer, Jr., Min- nie Rohrer, Lillie Myers, Jessie Knodle, Georgie Bixler, Jennie Weller (Mrs. Hanawalt), Anna Thomas, Viola Greger.
1880-'81. - Miss Virginia Brown, Mrs. Carey, Hattie Bar- low, Mrs. Crawford. About this time the higher rooms of the school began to enter into a state of disorder, which grad- JOSEPH M. PIPER, County Superintendent of Schools. ually became worse through the two succeeding years and cul- minated in the almost complete disorganization of the highest room under the principalship of Prof. Bur- bank, mention of which is made later. It appears that Miss Brown made no attempt to graduate a class in this, the second, year of her principal- ship. Those who were in the highest class and would have graduated at the end of the year were U. C. Nye, Verne Clevidence Phelps, Alice Look- abaugh Fager, Joshua Ohr, Nettie Long, Mollie Skinner, Arthur Nalley, and probably several others.
1881-'82 .- B. Earl Berry, Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Crawford. As principal Prof. Berry did not prove to be a much better disciplinarian than Miss Brown, and the school did not prosper. There was no graduat-
MOUNT MORRIS PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING.
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THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
ing class at the end of this year. Among those who were in attendance in the advance class were Ida Funk Fitz, Isabel Funk Fitz, Hattie Davis, Mabel Holsinger, Lucia McCosh, Flora Thomas Shellenberger, Parnell Newcomer, Myrtle Rine Miller, Frank Palmer, Ralph Trine, William Startzman, Howard Long, and Cyrus Newcomer.
1882-'83 .- The teaching force remained the same as the year previous, except that Clara Middlekauff succeeded Mrs. Berry in the Grammar de- partment. In Prof. Berry's room the order became worse and the attend- ance smaller, so much so that at the end of the year there was again no pretence toward the graduation of the advance class, which consisted part- ly of the class of the preceding year.
1883-'84 .- During the four years of Miss Brown's and Prof. Berry's principalship, the disorder and confusion of the advance rooms became so flagrant that the attention of the school board was finally drawn to the matter, and they resolved to hire a principal who could restrain the mis- chievous natures of the pupils and again bring the work up to a standard of excellence. Prof. Charles Burbank, of Byron, was the man engaged, but the board erred in their selection, as the sequel will show. With the intention of quelling the turbulent spirits by ruling with an iron hand, Prof. Burbank entered the schoolroom the first morning and inju- diciously informed the pupils who had assembled that he "could lick the whole school with one hand tied behind his back," and that dire conse- quences would follow any attempt at disorder or insubordination. These tactics, as many will remember, only aroused the ire of the boys, and the order, or rather disorder, was much worse than previously. The first serious trouble arose one day when Prof. Burbank left his room and went into the Grammar room, to settle several youngsters for his wife, who had charge there. He had not proceeded far when the boys made a rush for him, seized him on all sides and gave him an old-fashioned drubbing. While this was in progress, John Seibert ran out into the front hall, and, opening the door of the high school, shouted: "Come on, boys; we've got him!" which added to the excitement. Finally, the members of the school board arrived and settled the disturbance. A few days later the pupils of the professor's own room became incensed at some inconsistency on his part, and a "free-for-all" was again precipitated. Heavy double slates, erasers, books, and all manner of missiles were hurled at the unfortunate pedagogue. Most of the boys were aggressive, but a few of the older ones, Z. O. Doward principally, tried to keep the bellicose faction from injuring the professor. In the scuffle the organ was thrown from the platform and badly damaged. The besieged instructor finally escaped to his desk and hastily penned a note to the directors and dispatched one of the more timid scholars with it. It is remembered that after the missive had been written, upon the bottom of the sheet he stamped a large blotch of blood from a deep cut in his hand, caused by a slate, to impress the directors with the urgency of the case. Trouble frequently arose after this, but Prof. Burbank worried through the remainder of the year. It is said that to insure his safety the school board accompanied him to the depot when
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
he left town. The boys and girls who attended that year are often heard talking over those "stirring times." At the end of the year no graduating exercises were held, but diplomas were granted to Carrie Weller, May Mc- Coy and Maude Newcomer.
1884-'85 .- To build up the school after the exciting times of the year previous, the board hired Horace G. Kauffman, who had proved a good disciplinarian during his former term of service. During the year the Primary department, which included about one hundred pupils, was divid- ed into two sections,-the First Primary and the Second Primary,-Mrs. Crawford being engaged to teach the latter, and Miss Lillie Farwell, the for- mer. The other teachers were Mrs. Kauffman and Mrs. Stephens. The graduates were H. E. Newcomer, Emily Newcomer (Mrs. J. L. Rice), Fannie Stephens, and Grace McCoy (Mrs. Frank Coffman).
1885-'86. Mr. Kauffman was re-engaged as principal, but being in poor health, went east and left the work in the hands of Mrs. Kauffman. The other teachers were Karen Hollinger, assistant principal; Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Crawford, and Miss Farwell. Class of '86, Daisy Kemp, Mattie New- comer, Minnie Stouffer, Lilian Hess, Dollie Stephens, Bert Clevidence, Eugene Thomas.
1886-'87 .- During the summer of 1886 the addition on the west side of the building was made, to be used as a recitation room. Later, the Pri- mary department was moved into this addition and the principal's room divided into two parts, forming what are now the high school and Gram- mar rooms. The teachers were H. G. Kauffman, Mrs. Rebecca Kauffman, Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Crawford, and Miss Farwell. Class of '87, Claude Householder and Daniel Brogunier.
1887-'88 .- Teachers, same as preceding year, except that Miss Elsie West took Miss Farwell's place. Mrs. Kauffman resigned the assistant principalship at the end of the winter term, and Emery I. Neff completed the year in her place. Class of '88, Nettie Kinsey, Ada Mumma, Oliver Sprecher.
1888-'89 .- Teachers engaged, same as preceding year. Mr. Kauffman was again compelled to leave the school on account of ill-health, and with the consent of the board left the principalship in the hands of Alfonzo G. Newcomer, who had just graduated from Cornell University. Mr. New- comer proved to be a very able instructor. His graduating class consist- ed of Minnie Kable, Ida Castle, Ollie Smith, and Morris Newcomer.
1889-'90 .- Teachers, T. E. DeButts, Alice J. Boone, Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Crawford, Fannie Stephens. Class of '90, Solomon Avey, Allie Kable, Minerva Eversole, Edward C. Thomas.
1890-'91 .- Teachers, same as preceding year. Class of '91, Joseph Granger, Bert Thomas, Benton Kinsey, Kittie Sprecher.
1891-'92 .- Teachers, C. W. Egner, Antoinette Shryock, Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Crawford, Fannie Stephens. Class of '92, Anita Holsinger, Lulu Kable, Pearl Williams, Lulu Koontz, Mae Ankney, William Myers, George Toms, Hugh Stephens, Bessie Griswold, Benj. Price, Grace Han- stine.
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1892-'93 .- Teachers, same as preceding year. Class of '93, George Schelling, Pearl Buser, Emma Plate.
1893-'94 .- Teachers of previous year again hired. Class of '94, Louis Brayton, Maude Thomas, Earl Householder, Lucy Buck.
1894-'95 .- Teachers, E. E. Winders, Antoinette Shryock, Mrs. Steph- ens, Mrs. Crawford, Fannie Stephens. Class of '95, Lee Stonebraker, Anna Bollinger, Agnes McDannel.
1895-'96 .- Teachers, E. E. Winders, Lydia Pierce, Ella Rohrer, Mrs. Crawford, Mary McClure. Class of '96, Burton Strock, Harvey Kable, Harry Kable, May Driscoll, Maude Rowe, Reuben Marshall, Riner Clark, Edward Jimmerson, Roy Brayton.
1896-'97. - Teachers, E. E. Winders, Mary McClure, Lilian Hess, Mrs. Crawford, Ella Rohr- er. Class of '97, Ada Allen, Gertrude Eshelman, Amanda Lutz, William Pool, Melvin Householder, Robert Newcom- er, Roy Jackson, Bessie Mar- shall, Minnie Longman.
1897-'98. - Teachers. A. E. Elmore, Mary McClure, Lilian Hess, Mrs. Crawford, Ella Rohr- er. Class of '98, Mary Naza- rene, Chas. Peacock, Martha McClure, Allie Williams, Earl Clevidence, Pearl Rank, Lura Neff.
1898-'99. - Teachers, S. A. Long, Mary McClure, Lilian Hess, Mrs. Crawford, Lulu Ka- ble. During the latter part of the year, at the suggestion of the energetic principal, Prof. PROF. S. A. LONG. S. A. Long, the board length- ened the course of study a year, making nearly three years of high school work. Owing to this fact there was no graduating class. A fine laboratory was added to the school during the year, Prof. Long soliciting the money for the same.
1899-1900 .- S. A. Long, Mary McClure, Lilian Hess, Mrs. Crawford, Lulu Kable, Ella Rohrer. Class of '00, Vernon Rees, Ray Allen, Mina Middour, Bessie McNett, Earl Thomas, Florine Scott. In June the course of study was revised according to the action of the board the year previous, and published in pamphlet form.
The total enrollment of the school is nearly two hundred. Those in the third year high school class, who will graduate as the class of 1901, if
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
they continue their work are Ida Nazarene, Harry Rowe, Jesse Allen, and Jelis McCoy.
Considering the fact that Mount Morris is a college town and many pupils of the public school stop attending before graduation to enroll at the college, the public school course is an exceptionally good one. Fol- lowing is the course of study for the three high school years:
FIRST YEAR.
Fall Term
Winter Term
Spring Term
Arithmetic
Arithmetic.
Algebra
English
English
English
U. S. History
Civics
Civics
Physiology
Physiology
Physiology
Orthography
Orthography
Orthography.
Penmanship
Penmanship
Penmanship
Drawing
Drawing
Drawing
Music
Music
Music
SECOND YEAR.
Algebra
Algebra
Algebra
English
English
Bookkeeping
Latin
Latin
Latin
Physical Geography
Physical Geography
Botany
Drawing
Drawing
Drawing
Music
Music
Music
THIRD YEAR.
Geometry
Geometry
Geometry
General History
General History
General History
Latin
Latin
Latin
Physics
Physics
Physics
Drawing
Drawing
Reviews
Music
Music
Reviews
U. S. History
At the present time the school is in its most flourishing condition. The corps of teachers consists of Prof. George A. Jacobs, principal; Miss Della Ione Billig, assistant principal; Miss Lilian Hess, Grammar depart- ment; Mrs. Crawford, Intermediate; Lulu Kable, Second Primary; Miss Jennie Harley, First Primary. A fine half-tone engraving of the foregoing instructors appears on the opposite page. Brief sketches of their educa- tional careers will be of interest.
PROF. GEORGE A. JACOBS, principal of the Mount Morris public schools, was born June 25, 1871, at Linden, Wis., and is the son of Robert and Nancy Jacobs. He spent his early school days in the school of his native town. At the age of fourteen he moved with his parents to Livingston, Wis., where he entered the public school. graduating in 1888. After this he entered the Northern Indiana Normal School, from which insti- tution he graduated in 1897. having spent ,several intervening years teaching country schools. At graduation, as a result of four solid years of study, Mr. Jacobs received diplomas from four different courses; viz .. the Normal, Business, Phonographic, and Scientific. He also received the degree of Bachelor of Science. In the fall of 1897 he was elected to the principalship of the Carbon Hill (Illinois) school and filled the posi- tion with satisfaction to all concerned for three years, until he was selected, during the summer of 1900, as principal of the Mount Morris public schools. Prof. Jacobs was married August 17, 1899, to Miss H. Elizabeth Livingston, of Livingston, Wisconsin.
MG: LILIAN HESS
GRAMMAR DEPT
PASS DIONE BILLIG
PROF GFO A JACOBS Principal
MRS. FRANCES E CRAWFORD, Inter. Dept.
MISS JENNIE HARLEY, First Primary
MISS LULU KABIE
Second Primary
MOUNT MORRIS PUBLIC SCHOOL FACULTY OF 1900-'01.
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THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
MISS D. IONE BILLIG, assistant principal, is a native of Lincoln township, being the daughter of Samuel and Emma Billig. After gaining a primary education in the country school near her home, she entered a private school, taught by Mrs. Dr. Wins- ton, in Forreston. and was a pupil under that lady's instruction about three years. In 1889, when but fifteen years of age, she entered the Wisconsin State University, at Madison, and enjoyed the distinction of being the youngest student that ever entered the institution up to that time. After three years of study, she returned to her home and taught one year of school near Brookville. The following year she again entered college. this time at the Columbian School of Oratory, Chicago, graduating in 1895. In the fall of 1898 she began teaching at the West Branch school. in Lincoln township, and held the position two years, until her election as assistant principal in the Mount Morris public schools, in the summer of 1900.
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