A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 53

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels
Publication date: 1904
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1273

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The first public school here was taught by Mr. Gallatin Ashton, father of Mr. Lymon B. Ashton, in a small wooden building on the lot where the Elston school now stands, at the cor- ner of Pine and Fourth streets. The lot was donated by Mr. Elston for that purpose. This building was occupied as a public school for many years. Mr. Hubert Williams was the next teacher, who was assisted by his daughter Amelia. Later a Miss Lucy Fuller taught a young ladies' school there, and also in the old Washington house, which stood on the corner now occupied by Mr. Burbank, at the corner of Pine and Fourth streets.

For many years a select school was kept up in the old chapel, with many different teachers, Mr. Warren, Mr. Choates, Mrs. Lampson, Mr. Phelia Wells, and Mr. Kent being among the

most prominent and best known. The old chapel still stands, being the third story of the building on Michigan street, where the kindergarten school is held, and now owned by Hon. John H. Barker. Mrs. . Susan Lowe and her sister, Miss Harriet Lowe, were efficient and faithful teachers.

From 1848 to 1850 Miss Mary Brown, after- wards Mrs. Lord, had a school for young ladies. She was a graduate of St. Mary's Academy, Canada, and a highly educated woman. Other select schools were held during the intervening years by Miss Baldwin, Mrs. Sears, Miss Folsom, and Miss Clemons. Mrs. Lydia Evarts was a very successful teacher here for many years, teaching a select school. Miss Mary Van Deusen, Miss Ann Hartwell, and Mrs. Mary Griffiths were teachers of long, faithful service. Of the later teachers it is not necessary to speak, as they are familiar to all and the list would be too long.

When a schoolhouse was built in the early days (I have this from good authority) one of its indispensable appendages was two wooden pins over the teacher's desk on which the whips could be laid. These were generally well trimmed beech or hazel rods, from two to six feet in length. Sometimes the teacher would have half a dozen in readiness, some well worn and others kept in reserve. Teachers were expected to govern on the home plan. The Christian people of that day had great faith in the wisdom of Solomon who has left an aphorism for family government, "He that spareth his rod hateth his son." They be- lieved the rod had a two-fold virtue. It was not only a terror to cut down but was a spe- cific against stupidity and idleness. It was used as freely on the boy or girl who failed to recite well, as on the one who was guilty of mis- demeanor. Beech and hazel rods had a wonder- fully stirring effect on both mind and body. The rod has now become very unpopular in school. The old system made it merit a bad name. Our improved methods now exclude it. The effect, no doubt, of too great reaction from its extreme use .- So far Mrs. Willits.

There are at present in Michigan City, four public school buildings in use, and four which are not yet completed, thus making a total of eight public schools, which, next year, will be ready for occupancy. Besides these there are four parochial schools. The enrollment of the

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public schools in 1888 was 1049, in 1903 it was 2455 ; the enrollment of the parochial schools is between 1200 and 1400. There were 208 pupils in the high school last year, and 19 in the gradu- ating class. The city expends about $70,000 an- nually for the maintenance of its schools, and em- ploys a corps of 60 teachers. There are eleven members of the high school faculty, namely : ;

G. W. Henderson, Principal. . . History

Margaret Sleezer . English

Lelia Childs Mathematics

Sadie Sheehan Latin

G. W. Anderson . Commercial

C. G. Kibby Penmanship

Jesse Turner Science

Carrie Hughes

Art

Mrs. Bertha Child

German

Florence M. Hoffman .Music

. Alice Corbin. . Kindergarten Supervisor The members of the school board are:

Robert Lytle .President

J. J. Riley Secretary

J. B. Faulknor

Treasurer

The kindergarten was established just two years ago, and the results were so gratifying that there are now six kindergarten rooms and eight teachers.

Michigan City has four parochial schools, two Roman Catholic and two Lutheran. St. Mary's, which is the German and English Catholic school, has an attendance of about five hundred, and is conducted by the Order of School Sisters of Notre Dame. St. Stanislaus is the Polish Catholic church, and has a school of about 300 attendance. The two Lutheran schools are St. Paul's and St. John's. Rev Henry Wickmeyer, of St. Paul's has the larger school. He has four teachers, four rooms, and three hundred pupils, the school and church being established in 1873. Rev. J. G. Hoch, of St. John's, has three rooms, three teachers and two hundred pupils in his school. St. John's church and school were es- tablished about forty-eight years ago.

Michigan City had other educational influ- ences in the splendid lectures which were deliv- ered there. Even in the thirties we find eminent lecturers on astronomy and other subjects, de- livering choice lectures before the people of the

young harbor city, and in the forties the lectures embraced also education and kindred subjects. The lecturers would visit both Michigan City and LaPorte. And in the fifties the teachers and pupils of one city would visit the other city in a body. An instance of this kind was on January 21, 1857, when a great crowd of teachers and pupils came to LaPorte and had a general good time. Michigan City had the best lecturers the country afforded, among whom were John G. Sax, Charles Sumner, Wendell Phillips, Henry Ward Beecher, and many others. Often these gentlemen were entertained at dinners given by private parties. Bayard Taylor visited Michigan City more than once. On one occasion he was entertained at dinner by Mr. and Mrs. C. E. De Wolfe, and quite a large company was pres- ent. Mr. Taylor had just returned from his "Life in the North or the Midnight Sun," and his social talk of the scenes in that far away land was quite as interesting as his lectures on the same subject. The best troupes of concert singers in the country also visited Michigan City. The place took in almost everything by way of instruction and amusement that was traveling, and the people were seldom imposed upon, very little that was not good coming their way.

And when we add to all this the splendid public library, it would seem that the educational advantages of Michigan City were about as com- plete as they could be for a place of its size. The nucleus of this library was really the gift of Mr. George Ames, by will, for books.

The public library was built in 1896, at a cost of about $35,000. The lot on which it was built is valued at $5,000, making the building and grounds come to $40,000 in value. The money was raised by personal subscription. Since the building was completed there has beeen raised an endowment fund of $14,000 also by subscription. The building is strictly fire-proof, being con- structed of stone and iron, and contains eight thousand volumes. Miss L. B. Arnold is the present librarian. Recently the library board adopted a resolution abrogating the guarantee card, which has always been a requirement pre- cedent to getting books from the library. The new order has already gone into effect, and it is believed that it will tend greatly to increase the circulation of the library.

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In the year 1833 the first school house was built in LaPorte. So says General Packard. And this is likely ; for from the first the settlers of LaPorte gave much attention to school mat- ters. But it is very difficult to get any real data concerning that early period. The most that we have to depend upon is the memories of those who were then children living in LaPorte. But few of these people remain, and their memories disagree, and are not to be relied upon unless taken in connection with written or printed docu- ments, or with dates which have in some way been recorded. No advertisement of any school in LaPorte is found prior to 1837. It is certain that at that time John C. Reid taught a school in the city. It was taught for five months, be- ginning in November, and was limited to thirty scholars. Instruction was given "in the most cor- rect manner in orthography, orthoepy, read- ing, writing, geography, arithmetic, grammar, algebra, astronomy with the use of globes, elements of geometery, trigonometry and sur- veying, navigation, natural and moral philos- ophy, elements of chemistry with experiments as far as practicable, history ancient and modern, and composition. Close application to study was required of every pupil, and correct morals were taught in all the departments. Any pupil who could read was received without regard to age, on compliance with the rules of the school. Public examinations were held at the close of the term, and the rule was to receive scholars only at the beginning of the term, and for the whole term. Mr. Reid taught school a long time in LaPorte. The regular fall session of his school began on Monday, August 30, 1841, and continued until Christmas. In 1845 also he was still here, notwithstanding that the LaPorte Uni- versity was flourishing, and in that year his school did not close until July third. He must have been a strong and substantial educator.

In the fall of 1841 the Misses Brumm, from New York city, opened a female seminary in the house which had recently been occupied by Cap- tain Bailey in the southwest part of LaPorte. The school year was divided into two terms of five months each, and was "conducted on the most approved principles." Attention was "paid to those accomplishments and graces so highly ornamental and necessary to a finished educa-

tion." The references of these two ladies were John B. Steenbergen, James Andrew, Abraham Fravel, Colonel W. A. Place, and Franklin Thwing.

In 1842 the subject of education received much attention in LaPorte, not only from educa- tors but from the public generally, and much was said and written concerning the weakness of the public school system. In 1850 there was much discussion of union schools. In 1861, and again in 1871, Mr. C. F. Kimball, then principal of the high school, wrote a series of articles on educa- tion, and at other times also all through the years there was much interest here in the subject of education, as shown by articles and documents still extant.

One of the most striking things in connec- tion with the educational history of LaPorte is the great number of private schools which have been taught in the city. To mention them all and say a few words concerning each would re- quire a whole chapter. In 1843, and before, the Lancasterian Academy, a high-grade school for both sexes, "located in a retired and pleasant part of the village of LaPorte," was in operation, with F. P. Cummins as principal. In the fall of 1849 Miss E. J. Forsyth opened a school "in the upper room of the institution formerly occupied by Mr. Cummins," which was exclusively for ladies. In August, 1849, a teachers' institute was held in Mishawaka. This was then a new thing in this section of country, and the idea was borrowed from the state of New York. Some of the most eminent educators of the east conducted the insti- tute, and LaPorte people were greatly interested in it. The LaPorte committee were Gilbert Hath- away, Samuel E. Williams, Willard A. Place, Harvey Strong, Franklin Strong, F. Church, Rev. H. C. Benson, and C. W. Pomeroy. In the fifties there was the school of Miss E. K. Chand- ler, the select school of Mr. and Mrs. Spencer O. Dyer, which was taught in the "West school- house," the select school of Mrs. Scott assisted by Miss Terry, which commenced its third term on Monday the 14th of August, 1856, in the building then "recently occupied by Miss Way two blocks south of the brick schoolhouse." There were the select school of Mr. R. M. Johnson, in the "White schoolhouse," the school of Mrs. C. B. Sisson with "her usual corps of teachers," and the school of

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Miss Marion Harvey at the corner of Clay and Prairie (now Maple avenue). Miss Harvey was assisted in the higher departments by Miss Jennie Marvin, a practical and thorough teacher from "Ohio. In the sixties there was Parson's Male and Female College with rooms in Allen's block at what is now the corner of Indiana avenue and Main street, with its classical and English depart- ments, but which later became Parson's Com- mercial school. In September, 1862 Mr. J. W. Vandewalker opened a school in Wilson's Hall. In February of the same year the Misses White- head and Reese opened the third term of their singing school over Elliel's tobacco store. There were Bryant's class in penmanship which soon developed into a commercial school, William P. Phelan's technical and training school, and many others.

But there were two schools which deserve special notice. One of them was the school taught by Mrs. Mary M. Holmes, who after- wards conducted a fine school for young ladies in Springfield, Illinois. Mrs. Holmes must have been a superior teacher, for the St. Louis Demo- crat, the Springfield (Illinois) State Journal, and the Chicago Tribune of those days place her in the very front rank of the educators of her time.

The other school worthy of special mention was the Young Ladies Seminary, taught by Miss Julia A. Howell, in which the tuition in the higher English branches was $4.00, and in the primary department $3.00. Though the school was for girls, a limited number of boys under nine years of age were received. The school closed its term usually with an exhibition of chste and beau- tiful exercises, and except in the summer interim, it was not long before the next term began. It had the best of recommendations, and gave ex- cellent satisfaction.

Miss Howell, now Mrs. D. Noyes, started her school in the fall of 1860, with about sixty pupils. She was assisted by Martha W. Tinker, of Old Lyme. Connecticut, who for the past thir- ty years has been a missionary in Van, Armenia. Miss Tinker is now Mrs. Dr. George C. Reyn- olds, who is a missionary physician. Miss How- ell was also assisted by Miss Ellen Keyes, of Elgin, Illinois. The school continued for about three years and closed with a hundred scholars.

The school flourished during its whole existence and was closed only because of the marriage of Miss Howell to D. Noyes. When the school started it occupied the house next door to the northwest corner of Jefferson avenue and Perry street. It moved from there to a barn belonging to Captain Thomas Pryce, an uncle of Miss How- ell, the barn having been remodeled into a school building. Afterwards the school was moved to a house on the corner of Prairie, now Maple avenue and Chicago streets, where more commo- dious quarters were obtained. The alumnae of this school hold an annual banquet at the' Tee- garden Hotel and call themselves the "Noyesy Howells."

James C. Howell, the father of Julia A. How- ell Noyes, came to LaPorte city in 1832 and es- tablished the second dry goods store in the city, on the same lot now occupied by Leffman's mil- linery store, on the southwest corner of Michi- gan avenue and Main street. George Allen es- tablished the first store on the lot now occupied by the office of the Wilson Lumber Company. Mr. Howell was an elder in the Presbyterian church and was a member of the building com- mittee which built the first Presbyterian church in LaPorte. The same building is now occupied by the Disciples church. Mr. Howell married Miss Helen M. Newell. stepdaughter of Captain Abner Bailey. in 1836, and moved to Racine, Wisconsin. In 1842 he moved from Racine to Chicago, and died there in 1855. The prop- erty now bounded by First street, Indiana ave- nue, Harrison street and Tyler street all belonged to Mrs. Bailey.

So numerous and so excellent were the pri- vate schools of LaPorte, that in the LaPorte County Whig of November 6, 1847, occurred the following which was headed, "Our Literary In- stitutions."

"We know of no place where the people can boast of as many good schools. The buildings and churches are emblematic of the spirit of our people. Here we have every facility of education. The medical school which has just commenced its sessions will be attended by an unusually large number of students. Many of them are already present, and they are a very intelligent body of men. Among the schools we mention LaPorte University,' under the charge of Mr. Cummins. He has a large and " commodious

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building and is prepared and qualified to give instruction. A school exclusively for the edu- cation of young ladies is conducted in this place by Misses Crosby and Smith, and we are pleased to see it well attended by rosy-cheeked misses of our village and vicinity. We learn that a female seminary is to be located here and the necessary buildings erected. Mr. and Mrs. Dwelle. Mr. Austin, and Mr. Reed have opened their schools for the winter. So it will be seen that LaPorte is highly favored in educational matters."

Coming down to more recent times, J. M. Holmes opened a business school in LaPorte and carried it on for fifteen years, when it went into the hands of J. N. Poole and W. Whitmer. They continued the school until about 1890, when it was closed for about two years. George Fa- rnum reopened it, but at the end of three months H. C. Noe took the management of it. Mr. Noe was assiste 1 by J. N. Poole, William Miller, and Nellie Winchell, as teachers. The school thrived under Mr. Noe's management until about 1901, when it was discontinued.

There also is the Hawley-Hennessey Home, situated on the Pine Lake road, northwest of LaPorte, a school where orphan children, or children whose parents are temporarily on the other side of the ocean, or children whose parents for any other reason are prevented from caring for them in their own homes, are taken and cared for and taught the rudiments of education after kindergarten methods.

Nor should the Horological school be for- gotten, a school organized for the purpose of training young men in the art of watch-making and repairing : and as the fitting of spectacles to needy eyes is a part of that business, the school has its department of optics, in which department J. H. William Meyer, M. D., of LaPorte, who is thoroughly furnished for the purpose, has for many years given to the students scientific lec- tures on optics and so much of ophthalmology as is required. For some years this school oc- cupied the large and well lighted building at the corner of Michigan avenue and Washington street : but in 1892 Mrs. Lida Bradley and F. F. Ide purchased all the stock; and though some improvements were made, and there were eighty- two students, after a time the larger interests of the school were removed to Peoria. Still, a

watch school has been continued here under the instruction and supervision of John L. Hutchin- son, attended annually by quite a number of stu- dents, and which has done some excellent work ; but even this suspended operations in the spring of 1904, and now the horological schools of La- Porte are things of the past

As to parochial schools, on the first Monday in September, 1849, the Rev. Solon W. Manny, A. M., rector of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church in LaPorte, opened a school in the room opposite the public square, which had been occu- pied by the Sons of Temperance. It was known as St. Paul's school. Application for member- ship must be made to the rector, and every scholar was expected to be supplied with a prayer book. Common and high English branches, Latin and Greek were taught. This school, however, did not flourish, as there was not a sufficient constituency to make it a success, and there was a lack of energy in conducting it.

The German Lutheran school was founded in 1857 by Rev. R. Tramm, who, besides being rector of the parish, was the only teacher of the school for two years. At that time the parish was financially able to support a teacher, and Mr. Emrich filled the position for about eight years, or until about 1867. At that time Profes- sor J. G. Siegert took charge of the school and is the present principal. The school started with seven pupils and the number has steadily in- creased until now it has two hundred and sixty- four pupils and four teachers, including Profes- sor Siegert. The grades run from one to seven, after which the scholars enter the public schools, and the school is in session ten months of the year. The school has a fine, large brick building near the church on A street.

Another parochial school is that of St. Paul's German Evangelical church on West Main street. When the church was founded, April 30, 1867, the founder, Rev. I. Kammerer, organized a parochial school and taught the same, so did his successor, until the church was financially able to employ a teacher. There was a succes- sion of teachers; some of them are still in their chosen calling in other parochial schools of the Evangelical Synod of North America. At the present time the school is held on Saturday fore- noon from September to June and taught by the

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pastor. At the same time catechetical instruc- tion is given from September to Easter, three afternoons of the week, after the close of the public school each day.

For the account of the following school we are indebted to the kindness of Father Mesman, Priest of St. Joseph's church :

The school of St. Joseph's Catholic church was opened some forty-five years ago under the pastorate of the Rev. Father Scherrer, first resi- dent priest of St. Joseph's church who it seems combined with his pastoral office that of first teacher. The first school building, still standing opposite the present school, was private property of Mr. Rumely, scantily and poorly furnished, and in use only a few years till somewhere about '63 the present modest building was reared and later on in the seventies was enlarged to its present size and capacity. During the first fif- teen years some six or seven teachers served for various periods, men, apparently, of ability and moral worth, and, singularly enough, as if in pioneer times, almost forgotten already by the men and women of to-day. It shows how little of time and human society is ours or given us. During the above specified time the pedagogues serving at various periods, disregarding succes- sion, were such men as Messrs. Meyerhoffer, Baldwick, Koenig, Zeph Walmerad and Humes Brothers. In 1870 a young priest was sent here, the Rev. John H. Oechtering, now V. G. of Ft. Wayne diocese, who brought during his ten years of pastorate a young teacher Mr. Mayle to pre- side over the destinies of the young citizens, and many now living in LaPorte have a vivid and material recollection how deeply the decalogue of physical or willow suasion penetrated, ab- stracting from pantaloon environment. In the summer of 1880, Mr. B. J. Kohne, under the Rev. J. Nussbaum, deceased, was installed and contin- ued sixteen years in office, a man of moral and Christian worth and integrity seldom found. The present holding of office since 1896 is by the re- ligious community of the C. P. P. S. order, who provide instruction for some eighty odd pupils in the ordinary elementary branches as in the other common or public schools at a very moder- ate salary, made possible by a life of restric- tion on themselves as well as edification to their pupils.

During these many years the average at- tendance of pupils has varied from fifty to over a hundred, owing to the fluctuating condition of the city of LaPorte, caused by the ever chang- ing and removing from place to place of former vital and life-giving industries. That a good school and a competent instructor in it is held by the members of this church (an heirloom of their ancestors in the ages past) as a most important factor, is evidenced by the voluntary financial sacrifice which annually approximates $1,000 and in years past, at times, probably exceeded that figure.

St. Rose's Academy was established and has been fostered by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The priests of that order had charge of the spiritual training of the pupils, and the sisters were, and still are, the teachers. The writer is informed that the academy was established in 1856, and that it first occupied a building imme- diately south of St. Peter's church, on the corner of Monroe and Osborne streets. However that may be, it was reopened on the 18th day of August, 1856, by the sisters, in their new resi- dence just north of St. Peter's, to remain there until such time as they might be able to erect an academy. The time soon came and the school was built. The plan of education was published at the time of the reopening. The sisters held a fair in 1856, and another in 1857. At the one in 1857 both the Democratic and the Republican brass bands were present and furnished music on each evening. The fair was held February 17th and 18th. There were the usual guessing game, lotteries, etc., and the object was to pay off the debt on the sisters' school. Scholars of the city schools when accompanied by their teachers were admitted to the fair free. The honorary managers were Dr. T. D. Lemon, Wil- liam Cessford, Nathaniel Lee, Edward Vail, T. M. Gleeson, George Seymour, J. Kreidler, P. Steenberg, James Forrester, Samuel Burson, Benjamin Kress, A. J. Wair, A. H. Robinson, F. McCullum, S. Van Pelt, John Faller, Daniel Fry, and John Rumely; and the committee of arrangements were P. Huncheon, J. McIntyre, John Kelly, Daniel Casey, Richard Huncheon, David Grant, Stephen Shehan, John Dalton, George Ballard, and E. W. Kennelly. It ap- pears from this that, notwithstanding the objec-

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A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Laporte County Indiana, Part 53

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1273

Author: Rev. E. D. Daniels
Publication date: 1904
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1273