Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois, Part 18

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 988

USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois > Part 18

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I. C. Pugh, W'm. S. Crissey, Trustees.

On the 28th of April, 1856, the same of- ficers certify that the same levy is required as in 1855.

On the 19th of June, 1855, Elisha D. Car- ter and Christiana his wife, conveyed lots one, two, three, four, and five, in block eight, of Bandy's addition, to the school trustees of town 16, for the use of district number one, for the sum of eight hundred dollars. This is the site of the present Church street school and it is believed to

be the first purchase of real estate for the use of schools in the city.

On the 14th day of April, 1856. David L. Allen and Julia, his wife, Thomas HI. Read and Elizabeth, his wife, conveyed to the trustee of schools of town 16 in trust for the benefit of the inhabitants of school district number one and for the use of schools there- in, for the sum of five dollars, all of lot number one in block three of Allen, Mc- Reynolds & Co.'s addition to the town of Decatur, and ten feet off of the west side of lot four in the same block. This is the corner where the Scovill furniture company is now located. So far as is known this was the first and the only gift that has ever been made to the public schools of the city.

On the second day of December, 1856, this property was conveyed to Macon Lodge No. 8, A. F. and .A. M., for one thon- sand dollars.

In 1856, the directors, Jasper J. Pedde- cord, Edward O. Smith, and Philip B. Shepherd, commenced the building of the south part of the Church street school. There are no records of the elections that must have been held before the directors could have purchased the site or levied the taxes for its erection. The plan of the building was somewhat peculiar. The up- per story was in one large room with two small recitation rooms which now make the hall in the center of the house. About 140 pupils could be seated at double desks in the assembly room. Recitations were held in the three rooms. The lower story furnished two good-sized school rooms with a recitation room adjoining each. Each school had a principal and an assistant who took charge of the recitation room. Seven teachers were employed in the building. Since that time two school rooms have been added and six teachers take care of the pupils in the whole house.

Simeon Wright, a noted school man in the northern part of the state and the gen-

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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.

tleman for whom the Wrightonian society in the State Normal University was named, said that he visited Decatur when the found- ation walls of the new school building were just ready for the first tier of joists. He was invited by one of the directors to visit the building. AAfter looking over the founda- tion walls and admiring their strength he inquired what would be the arrangement of the school rooms. The director replied, "Mr. Wright, there are none of us who know anything about the proper arrange- ment of a school house and we have de- termined to put up the outside walls and then get some good school man to come and divide the building into rooms for us."

The following note is taken from the second volume of the Illinois Teacher, pub- lished in Peoria. Under date of February 25, 1856, Daniel Wilkins of Bloomington, writes: "A few days since I visited De- catur, the county seat of Macon, containing two thousand five hundred inhabitants. They are making arrangements to put up a large brick building next summer for the use of a graded school. J. H. Remsberg and lady have charge of a flourishing institute with one hundred forty pupils, while the high school, one hundred eighty pupils, is taught by John W. Coleman, assisted by his wife and Miss Ela. There is also a female seminary under the care of Mrs. A. A. Pow- ers, and a school taught by Miss Gillespie."

The new building was opened in the fall of 1857 with J. H. Remsberg as principal and David L. Bunn and Miss Helen E. Par- sons assistants up stairs. No record has been found of the other assistant nor of the enrollment of pupils.

On July 3. 1857, Jasper J. Peddecord and Edward O. Smith, directors, certify to the county clerk that they require a levy of sixty cents on each one hundred dollars of taxable property for general purposes, and forty cents for paying teachers and extend- ing schools. They submit a list of 704 tax

payers in the district. The clerk endorses on the back of the certificate that this levy will raise $9.775.96.

The records of the board of directors are not complete. The first meeting of which the minutes have been preserved was held November 30, 1858, and the members pres- ent were Messrs. Alexander T. Hill and James P'. Boyd. It was determined to open a school in the lower room of the Masonic building. The teacher, Miss Mary C. Bas- sett of Maroa, was to be paid $35 per month, but she was to build the fires and keep the room in order.

On the 2d day of December, 1858, the same directors hled the earliest report of the enrollment in the schools that is known to exist :

Scholars.

First Ward-D. L. Bunn. 140

First Ward-Miss M. C. Bassett 27

Second Ward-J. A. Johnson. 150 Second Ward-Assistant, Miss Sarah Wilder 80

Second Ward-Assistant, Miss Ela. .. 105 Fourth Ward-Miss Juliet M. Bradley 30 Second Ward-Miss Roe, sick and un- able to be in school.

At the close of the schools in the spring of 1859, the directors, Alexander T. Hill, Samuel K. Swingley and James P. Boyd, published a report of the schools showing an expenditure of $2,780.50 for the year, of district No. I, town 16, 2 East.

On August 27, 1859, the following order was passed by the directors, A. T. Hill, S. K. Swingley, and James P. Boyd.

We hereby certify that we require the rate of 3 mills to be levied for school pur- poses on all the taxable property of our district for the year 1859-60. Also I mill on each dollar for furnishing fuel and other incidental expenses.

The valuation of property in the district is $89,960.70 as furnished by the clerk.

September 7, 1859, A. T. Hill, S. K.

127

Swingley, and Is 1. W. Murre Wirl After calling an election on the first Mon elected directors for the terms of one, two, day in September, 10, to choose three di and three years, respectively.

On the 20th of August, to, the follow- ing teachers were elected :

Large Brick flow torn down) J. K. l'ukett, principal : Mrs. J. K. Lichett, as- Sistant. Miss Herence E. Daniels.

Intermediate Department- D. V. Taw- Hey, principal. Mi- Mary J. For lan. assist ant.

Primary Departigent -- E. A. Gastman, principal. Mas May Thomas, assistant.

Marble Shop John E. Kinney, princi- pal. Miss Lucy R Greene, assistant! Miss Sallie Taybir, assistant.

Macome Hall (Sevilla Store) Andrew M. Heath. principal, Miss Mattie Miller, as sistant.

Houck House ( Present P. D. & E. freight depot-Je seph R. Mosser, principal.

Riston House ( Western part of city)- Edwin Park, principal.

It was agreed to rent of Captam David 1. When his two story frame building situ ated to the west of Jasper J. l'eddecord's residence (where the Woman's club build ing stands now ) for six months for $100, the said Allen to make all necessary repairs and to have the house ready on the 10th of September, 1800.

I levy of & mills on the dollar was or- deres levied on a reported valuation of $1.071.10%.

The following text books for you. for use of the schools. Websters 1. Mentary Spelling Book, Meantfor's New Series of Readers, Wells's Enghsh Gram- mar Mitchef's First Lessons, Urinary. and Contion School Geographies, Lussing's Primary and Pictorial History of the United States, Payton, Danton and Strimmer's System of Penmanship

rectors to serve for one, two, and three years, all the members resigned

The new board of directors consisted of Hessen, Lumber Burrows, president, David 1. Bunn, clerk, and Walham F. Nelson. It is a remarkable fact that at the end of forts three years these three men are still active m the affairs of this city. These gen Hemen served for one year when they re- signed and Enas M. Henkle, Henry B. Dur- ice and David 1. Bunn were chosen to she- ceed them. On the 25th of September. 1801. Mr. Bunn resigned, and in 1802. Mr. Samuel Ray, then county clerk, was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr. Henkle acted as president and Mr. Durice as clerk. These three men continued to serve until the elec tion of the board of education, April 4. 1805. There was a tacit agreement among them that Mr. Rea should not be called upon to attend the meetings unless Messrs. Henkle and Durice could not agree.

There was but one school buckhing in the district and as the population was rapidly increasing the directors found it very dif ficult to secure rooms in which to open schools, The basements of the Methodist, Presbyterian, and the Baptist churches were rented and a few rooms were seenred mi other parts of the city. They were wholly unsuitable for school rooms, but as nothing better could be found the teachers had to get along the best way they could

In the fall of 18001. 1. 6. Met lair took charge as principal of the Big Brick school. He was a very fine gentleman but not a very successful school master. There with a good deal of disorder about the school It frequently happened that when the bell was rung at the close of the recess in the after- Hương most of the boys would go off skating for the remainder of the day. On account of this lack of governing power on the part of the principal, the directors received a

* The truthers weil transferred tothe hommes and the marbike shop abasolonedl.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.

good many complaints from dissatisfied parents. When they attempted to improve matters by calling upon the teachers in the lower rooms to help him in maintaining dis- cipline they were met with the statement that these teachers did not regard them- selves as under the jurisdiction of "the man up stairs." .\ little examination of the rec- ords showed that the several departments had always been treated as independent schools and that, therefore, the teachers were right in their contention. The direct- ors determined to have a different organiza- tion the next year.

On the 12th of June. 1862, an election was held at the court house at which it was or- dered that a site for a school house should be purchased in the Third ward and that a special levy of 25 cents on the $100 should be made to build it. Plans were secured for a two-room, one-story house from G. P. Randall, architect, of Chicago, at a cost of fifty dollars, and the contract for building the same was awarded to Messrs. Mills and Shockley. These men are still doing busi- ness in Decatur. But on the 30th of July following the directors voted, "that in view of the present unsettled state of the coun- try, it is ordered that the levy of the tax for building a school house as authorized by vote be postponed for the present year and the building of the house be sus- pended until such times as it may be deemed more expedient to make the levy authorized. But that we may secure a de- sirable location for building said house when more prosperous times shall again visit our land, it is ordered that the treasurer, John F. Miles, procure a clear title to lots num- bers Io and II in block number 10 in the Western addition to Decatur, in the name of the township trustees for the use of dis- trict number one, and that he be authorized to pay therefor the sum of one hundred fifty dollars in currency, to procure which he is authorized to sell coin belonging to the dis-

trict to the best advantage, giving the dis- trict credit with the premium."

The house was erected the next year by Mills & Shockley. It is the two lower rooms on the east side of the Wood street school. The president of the board of directors, Mr. E.M. Henkle, believed that no school house should be more than one story high and that the front entrance should be right at the sidewalk so that when the children came out they could at once disperse to their homes. The house was erected to conform to his ideas, but.both have been discarded for many years.

At a meeting held on the 12th day of July, 1862, it was determined to elect " a principal for all the schools " who should also be the principal of the high school which was to be organized. Enoch A. Gastman was elect- ed to fill the position at a salary of $80 per month for the school year of six months. Miss Frances A. Peterson, a teacher in the State Normal University, was elected his assistant at a salary of $30 per month. She did a large part of the work of organizing and teaching in the high school during the first year of its history. She died the fol- lowing February within two weeks of the close of the year.

At an election held on the 8th of July, 1863, one hundred twenty-nine votes were cast in favor of having nine months of school and six votes against the proposition. On November 23, 1863, the electors authorized the directors to erect a school house near the residence of E. A. Jones, north of the city.

At a meeting of the directors held March 23, 1863, it was ordered that Messrs. Mills and Shockley proceed with the building of the school house in the Third ward upon the contract and that they be allowed in addition the advance on material and labor as per bills furnished and specifications and plans. Said Mills and Shockley to keep ac- curate account of any alterations or addi-

PAST AND PRESENT OL MACUN LOLADY

tions and de luct for ogmissions and charge tor additions in strict proportion to the origmal bills furnished the board.

On the same date the following note was entered on the record after a list of teach it's appointed " The above appointments are made from the teachers of last term on account of their success and apparent carne stress in their vocation."

On the 7th of April, to4. a petition. Signed by all the teachers in the schools. Was presented to the board respectfully ask- mg for an increase of salary in view of the great advance in the price of all things. An aktion of five dollars per month for the present term was allowed to all the teach- ors. The name of F. A. Gastman appears as clerk for the first time on the records of this meeting.

June 14. 1804, the electors voted for or against a mme-months school. One hundred -Isty Seven votes were cast for and twenty five against the proposition.

On June 28, 180%. the directors resolved that the teachers would not be appointed lo any particular position but that they would be placed wherever the interest of the schools might demand when it should be known who would be the teachers for the coming year.

On February 18, 1805, the teachers sent a committee requesting the directors to meet them at the basement of the Baptist church at the corner of Water and William streets. A committee appointed at a previous meet ing of the teachers reported that owing to the advance in prices it was impossible for them to make a living. They respectfully asked that the directors make such an ad- dition to their salaries as the financial con- tition of the treasury would allow. Vier a full interchange of opinions, it was or- dered that an addition of 30 per cent be made to all salaries under Spa per month. and 25 per cent to all above that amount.

About this time it became evident to the

directors that the powers which they were given by the state law for the management of the schools of a rural district were not sufficient to enable them to carry all i. freuently the school of a rapidly growing city. It was difficult often to purchase a desirable school site because the owners were unwilling to have it publicly adver- used that they would sell property to be med for a public school because it might impure the sake of other a hacer property. Another class of owners were anxious to have a school house created near their ad- ditions because it would attract the atten- um of desirable purchasers to their lots. public election gave such persons an excel- lent opportunity to work for the advance- ment of their private interests. Again, the directors had no power to borrow money and this made it very difficult to greet need- ed school buildings. Vier a good deal of discussion and inquiry it was decided to request the Legislature to grant the district a special charter The honorable Newton Baterhan, state superintendent, was asked lo recommend a charter that was in satis- factory use in the state that the board might use as a model He recommended the one granted to the Rock Island school district in 1857. It was carefully examined and such amendments made as would adapt it to the wants of this district. Almost the only question that caused any discussion related to the amount of territory to be in- eluded in the new district. Director Hen- Ale favored the idea of making the bound- ari . comterminons with the city but Di- rector Darter thought that the people lis- mg in the present district and outside of the city limits might be put to serious trouble in finding convenient school accommoda uns for their children if they were ent of from the privilege of attending the Decatur school I mally, it was decided to adopt the boundaries of district one as then ex- This embraced a territory three

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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.

miles wide and three and three-quarters miles long. It is described as follows :

All of sections one, two, three, eleven. twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and the north half of sections twenty-two, twenty- three and twenty-four; and also the north half of the south half of said sections twen- ty-two, twenty-three and twenty-four, all in township number sixteen north, of range number two east of the third principal me- ridian, is hereby constituted a school dis- trict to be known as " Decatur School Dis- trict."

The bill was introduced in the house of representatives by General Isaac C. Pugh, the member from this city. It passed through the Legislature with very little op- position and was approved by Governor Oglesby, February 16, 1865. See volume 2, Private Laws of Illinois, 1865, pages 314- 321, and City Code, 1886, pages 146-159. It was amended in 1867 and again in 1869. Through a blunder on the part of some one section ten was omitted from the act as finally passed by the Legislature.

On June 15, 1865, General I. C. Pugh and others petitioned the board of education to receive into the Decatur school district all that portion of section 10, which is not in- cluded within the corporate limits of the city of Decatur. The prayer of the petition was unanimously granted. The territory of the district remained the same until No- vember 1. 1895, when Salona place was re- ceived by a petition signed by Johnson Ende and others.

In 1891 the territory lying between Oak- land avenue and the Wabash railroad south of Decatur street was annexed to the city and thereby became a part of the school district.

In 1896 the territory between Fairview avenue and the Wabash railroad was re- ceived on petition of J. W. Barber and others.

Directors from 1855 to 1865.

Daniel Barnes, Enoch G. Falconer, Jas- per J. Peddecord, Edward O. Smith, Philip B. Shepherd, Alexander T. Ilill, James P. Boyd, Samuel K. Swingley, Enoch W. Moore, Lowber Burrows, David L. Bunn, William E. Nelson, Enos M. Henkle, Henry B. Durfee, and Samuel Rea.

Note .- It is probable that the first di- rectors were elected in 1850 or 1851, but it has been impossible to secure the names of any before 1855. Mr. Ebenezer MeNabb came here in the spring of 1855 and he be- lieves that Joel S. Post was a director at that time. Mr. Lowell Krohn thinks that Dr. Benjamin F. West, General Isaac C. Pugh, and William Prather were among the early directors. Mr. James Carter thinks that Dr. Ira B. Curtis was a director about 1856.

The following is a list of teachers who taught in the public schools previous to the organization of the Board of Education. It is probable that there are a number of omis- sions and errors owing to the imperfect con- dition of the early records-corrections will be thankfully received .- E. A. G.

Mary E. Alderman, Sarah E. Allen, Lu- cinda Babcock, Mary E. Baker, Mary C. Bassett, Mattie Beman, David Bigelow, Juliet MI. Bradley, Elizabeth M. Brown, David L. Bunn, Nellie Bunn, Anna E. Buttz, Mary A. Clampit, John W. Coleman, Mrs. John W. Coleman, Florence E. Dan- iels, Matilda E. Davis, Maria Ela, Margaret Ellis, Mrs. A. Everts. Jennie A. Frazier, Mary A. Fuller, M. E. Fullenwider, Enoch A. Gastman, Frances A. Gastman. Miss M. M. Gillespie, Ellen Giles, Lucy R. Greene, Anna P. Grennell, Helen F. Grennell, Helen F. Hale, Homer Hatch, Andrew M. Heath, J. A. Johnson. Mary J. Jourdan. G. W. Kin- solving, Mrs. C. S. Kendall, John E. Kin- ney, John H. Leidigh, Elizabeth Leeper, Margaret Leeper. Hannah Mackey (Car- many), D. C. McCloir, Mattie Miller. Eliza-

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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COLATY

beth J. Mitchell, Ottonia Moeller, Joseph K. Mosser, Mrs. Anna I. Murphy. 11. Nauman, barsel. Mary F. Park, Edwin Park, Helen E Par- sons, Mrs. J. K. Pickett. J. K. Pickett, John J. Randall, Mattie 1 .. Reeder, Mrs. J. 11. Kensberg, J. IL Remberg, Miss C. E. Roe. Lucretia J. Rooker, Josie J. Robinson, Eliza- beth Salım, Caroline S. Sargent, Isadore Sheldon, Joseph Shellabarger. J. B. R. Sher- rick, David -A. Tawney. Salhe J. Taylor. David B. Traver, May Thomas, Mattie 1 .. Wells, Sarah E. Winholtz. Sarah D. Wilder, Mary Wilder, Frances Wylie. M. A. Wylic. Kate B. Zorger.

Board of Education.

The charter provided that an election should be held on April 4. 1805. The di rectors gave notice of this meeting but they positively refused to become candidates for members of the board of education. ( April 10, 1865, a meeting was hekl in the courtroom of the old court house which stood in the southeast corner of the old square. The following is a copy of the min- utes of the first meeting of the board of education of the Decatur school district :

Decatur, Ill .. April 10, 1805.

The oath of office was duly administered to the members by John J. Warren, Notary Public. On motion David P. Buon was unanimously elected president of the board and I noch A. Gastman, clerk.

In motion, proceeded to draw lats for the respective terms of office, which resulted as follows :

Wilham 1 .. Hammer drew the term of three years.

David P. Bunn drew the term of two ycars

Caleb L. Burroughs drew the term of one A car.

Un motion, Jerome R. Gorin was unani mouth elected treasurer of the board. The amount of his bond was fixed at $25,000. and his salary at one and one half per

contin on all money received and dis

On motion, the clerk was mstructed to look for a room to be used for the meetings of this board, and as an office for the super intendent of public schools

Of motion, adjourned to meet next Thursday evening at the office of Wm. L. Hammer, clerk of the circuit court.

D. P. BUNN. Pres.

1. 1. GASTMAN, Clerk

The following extracts from the minutes of different meetings will show that the new board entered with vigor upon the so lution of the problem of providing better school accommodations for the children and teachers of the city of Decatur :

May 0, 1805. Ordered that the teachers be paid at the end of each month instead of the end of the term as heretofore.

A petition was received from J. B. R. Sherrick and others asking for a school house in the Fourth ward. It was discussed and laid over for future action.

April 20, 1805. The first office of the board was rented of George W. Baker for $50 per year. It was the front upstairs room, number 144 East Main Street. Mr. Baker had a real estate office in the same room. This arrangement did not prove sat isfactory and early in 180; the board rented the rear room of the second story of the T. M. Cviatt building, 199 Last Main street. where the office remained until it was re- moved to the new high school building in the fall of 1Nm).

June 20, 1805. Messrs, Jacobs and States. representing the members of the colored 1. 1. church, petitioned the board to give them a solicol and tendered the use of the basement of their church for that purpose Eloquent speeches were made by the two gentlemen and the board took the matter mder advisement In IM8. 512253 W. spent in repairing and fitting up this room June 20, 1865, plans and specifications

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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.

were received from G. P. Randall, Chicago, for a new school house to be erected in the First ward. Ordered that bids for erecting the same be received until July 1, 1865. It was also agreed to purchase lots 1, 3, and 5, in block i, of Oglesby & Wait's addition, for $600, to be used for a school site in the Fourth ward. W. L. Hammer was appoint- ed a committee to see if money could be borrowed to build the house.

July 5. W. L. Hammer reported that he coukl not find any person willing to loan money to the district and the following was unanimously passed :

Resolved, That for the want of funds and in view of the exorbitant prices of labor and materials this board deems it inexpedient to build this year.

July 25, 1865. The question of erecting a school house in the Fourth ward was dis- cussed but it was finally decided to repair the one room building now occupied.

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Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois, Part 18

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 988

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 988