USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 33
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The furniture in the room was as simple and primitive as the room itself. The writing tables were one long board under each window and the same length of it,
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attached to the wall and resting on wooden pins driven into the wall, inclining a little downward at the outer end. At these tables the writers sat with their faces to the window. The seats consisted of blue ash saplings, out the proper length, split in two, two holes bored at proper angles in each end, and also in the middle, for the legs, the split log then being placed with the bark side up, the bark being all nicely shaved off. On these seats have we sat swinging our feet back and forth from early dawn to latest eve, wishing we were anything else but a school boy; wishing there was no such thing as a school house, school teachers, school books, pen, ink or paper in the world. Foolish, inconsiderate thought. childish thought. But then we thought and acted and talked like a boy, but since we have viewed things from a different standpoint.
Could the school boy of the present day [this article was written in the seventies] compare the stock of hooks now in use in the schools with that used in those primitive times, he could appreciate bis advantages over those of the early settlers of the county. Geography, grammar, globes, outline maps and other modern facilities for study were neither seen nor talked of in the schoolroom of those days. There is one tribute of respect we willingly pay to the teacher, and that is, considering the times, the sur- roundings and the facilities, he taught a very good school.
In those days there were certain inalienable rights claimed by the school boys, which had been handed down from time immemorial from father to son, and that was the right to close the door against school teachers about the holidays; a right, too, to which in some localities they still adhere with the same tenacity that a descendant of Abraham adheres to his nationality. Now, the big boys and the little boys were not willing that this time-honored usage should pass by unimproved on the present occasion. Accord- ingly a council of war was held and the subject discussed in the most formal mammer. the question being: Shall we bar out the teacher and make him treat? was put and carried by such a vote that no veto could set it aside. The next question was, how shall the castle, windows, door and chimney be so fortified that a successful attack ramnot be made either from the front, flank or rear. To do this, bolts, bars, benches. spikes, with a large lot of other weapons, offensive and defensive. were called into requisition, not forgetting a good supply of fuel and provisions, for the siege might last for several days. Morning came and with it came hope. fear, doubt, anxiety, and solicitude as to the result. Directly the teacher is seen in the distance, approaching the scene of contest, quietly and peacefully ; he comes on unconscious of the spirit of mutiny and rebellion within. He comes to the door, attempts to open it; all is silence within ; he guesses the cause, retreats, reconnoiters, examines the vulnerable points, gathers a large rail, and in old Roman style. tries his battering ram on the door once. Crash. it comes against the door; he retreats to a greater distance to give it greater momen- tum: crash, it comes the second time: down comes the door; in comes the rail, full length into the school room. All is burry-scurry within, and during the general fright, the teacher enters through the breach. "Seize him and tie him." was the rallying ery. It was like magie: soon he was surrounded, borne down by the crowd, which had merged all dignity in the right of the scholar. The teacher comes to terms, is released. and soon a squad of the quondam rehels is sent off to bring the treat. Meantime the benches are righted, the door is repaired, the good things come, all partake, and care nothing whether they are presidents or plebians. And thus passed the Christmas of 1818 at the old log school house. Among those who attended this school were the Gilkeys, Sparks, Aldridges, Harlans. Thomases. Streets. Whites, Denisons. MeCreas and Williamses.
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DECREASE IN ENUMERATION.
The enumeration in Connersville township has shown a very marked decrease during the past thirty years. In 1887 it amounted to 415, but by 1916 it had dropped off to 220, although there are only two fewer school houses at the present time. The only high school in the township is in the city of Connersville. There are still six rural schools in operation, the teachers for the present year ( 1916-17) being Blanche Paris, Mary Harlan, John Peck, Mrs. Elizabeth Mahle, Mrs. Jennie Carter and Serena Ostheimer.
East Connersville has a separate school in charge of the village. It has a large brick building and employs four teachers, M. R. Lake, Mrs. Charity Rudd, Gertrude Elliott and Ruth Koch. East Connersville had an enumeration of 97 in 1887, 118 in 1897 and 222 in 1916. There is no high school work in the school.
It quite often occurs that public buildings are peculiarly designated and one striking example exists in Connersville township. The institution in mind is known as the Contention school. Many decades ago a log school house was built on the hill near the site of the present building, and after the old building had served its day of usefulness the question of a new one arose. Along with this question was the selection of a site. Some of the patrons were in favor of building on the old site, but many more were in favor of a new site and the latter was finally chosen. Community factions arose, long-time friends became enemies, and until the important question was finally settled the entire community was in constant turmoil. Thus the name "Contention" has been very aptly applied to the school and although the school house was constructed in 1854 or 1855 the name still remains and will doubtless persist.
WATERLOO TOWNSHIP.
The first school in Waterloo township dates from 1815, the building being erected on section 16 and the first teacher being Elijah Holland. About two years later a school house was built in section 17. although this second building may have been originally erected as a dwelling. At least it was used for school purposes and it is known that Absalom Heaton and a man by the name of Taylor taught in it. The first building mentioned seems to have been in use only a short time as a school house. In the southern por- tion of the township log school houses made their appearance before 1820
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and here were found Alexander Wilson and a man by the name of Hardin, both of whom taught from time to time.
The first frame building for school purposes seems to have been erected about 1821. It stood in the northwestern part of the township near the river. An Irishman by the name of Gray was probably the first teacher in this frame building. At the ancient village of Springersville there stood a frame building in the cemetery, which building seemed to have been used for both school and church purposes. There have never been more than four school houses at any one time in this township. As far back as 1879 a total of 262 pupils were enrolled in the township schools, but by 1887 the enumeration had dropped to 149, while in 1916 there were only 140 enumerated in the entire township.
In 1913 the county superintendent and township trustee, T. O. Simpson, effected a consolidation of the four schools of the township and a modern brick building was erected in the eastern part of section 9 to accomodate all the pupils of the township. An accredited high school was established and three years of high-school work are now given by the two high-school teach- ers, Fay O. Burns and Lon Ranch, both of whom are graduates of Indiana University. The two grade teachers in the school are Effie Squires and Mary Greer. This is the only township in the county with only one school building-one of the very few townships in the state where complete con- solidation has been perfected.
JENNINGS TOWNSHIP.
The desire for education in the early days of Jennings township made itself manifest in the erection of a school house about a mile southwest of Alquina. During the period from 1826 to 1830 Baylis Jones was one of the teachers. Another school that was in existence about the same time was what was known as the Eyestone school and stood about a mile east of the church at Mt. Garrison. The early teachers at this place include Green Larimore, Matthew R. Hull, Washington Curnutt, Thomas O'Brien and John P. Brown. Robert Wooster, one of the first preachers in the county, was also one of the first teachers in this township. He was a teacher of more than average ability and a man who devoted his life to the advance- ment of education and religion.
In the period between 1832 and 1840 a school was conducted in the vicinity of Alquina by Squire Harrison and subsequently by a man named Barnard. These schools were all run by subscription and continued in
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operation on this basis until after the introduction of the present system of free public schools.
For more than seventy years there were four school houses in the town- ship, but at the present time there is only one district school outside of Alquina, the one located just south of Lyonsville. There has been a high school at Alquina for many years, and on December 6, 1916, the school was granted a commission. There are now four teachers at Alquina, two of whom devote all of their time to high school work, the high school teachers being Earl Lines and Edith Haines, both graduates of Indiana University; and the grade teachers, Ruth Kline and Mazie Moore. Three hacks are in use to haul the children from the various parts of the township. The teacher at Lyonsville is Catherine Gettinger. Some idea of the difference that the years have wrought is shown when it is stated that in 1880 there were ninety-six pupils crowded in the same room in which only twenty-three sat in the winter of 1916-17. Emery A. Scholl, the present superintendent of the Lutheran Sunday school at Lyonsville, was a pupil of the school in 1880 and has a vivid remembrance of the crowded room, three pupils in a seat, and the teacher, C. W. Carpenter, parading up and down the aisles with a large hickory gad in hand. At least twenty-five of the number were grown.
ORANGE TOWNSHIP.
Orange township ivas settled later than most of the townships of the county and did not have a regularly organized school until 1823. In that year Eleanor Blair taught school in a small log cabin just north of the village of Fayetteville (now Orange). The next school of which any definite record has been preserved was taught by a Miss Mitchell in the abandoned cabin of a man of the name of Russel. This cabin stood about a mile and a half northeast of Fayetteville, and there a few terms of school were taught.
The first school organized under the legislative act of 1824 in this town- ship, known as district No. I, was built on the upper part of Garrison creek on land donated by John Coley. The funds for the building were raised by a tax levied on the citizens to be benefited, most of whom paid their appor- tionment in labor or supplies. This building was as fine a structure as ingenuity could devise and pioneer carpenters could erect. It was built of hewed logs, with a floor of walnut puncheons, with the inevitable clap- board roof, but its aristocratic feature was a stone chimney. The best evi- dence points to one Gunn as the first teacher in this new building, but how long he held forth is not known.
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The year following ( 1825) the second school district was organized in the township, the building being erected in Fayetteville (now Orange), then known as Danville. Among the early teachers in this second district was Wiley J. Daniel. The first log structure in Danville was later replaced by a frame structure, and in this J. P. Daniel held forth for several terms. Another early teacher of Danville was James Rhodes.
Another one of the early schools was on the farm of Ebenezer Cooper, one and one-half miles south of Glenwood. Reverend Cooper built the school house himself and taught the first school.
The Sains Creek settlement was early provided with a school building which stood in the northwest corner of section 36. Somewhat later a second building was erected about four hundred yards south of the one just men- tioned. Among the early teachers of these two schools were John Bell, Thomas Points and Alexander Patton. This township had five school houses in 1880 and an enrollment of about 275.
The present school year ( 1916-17), finds the school houses reduced to three in number, a certified high school at Orange, doing four years' work, and two district schools. It is the plan to raise the standard of the high school so that it will be eligible for a full commission during the coming year. Both the high school teachers for 1916-17 are graduates of Indiana University and are fully competent to place the school on the highest basis provided for high schools of the state. Edgar Starr is principal of the Orange consolidated high school, and is assisted by Merle Colvin. The two grade teachers in same school are Rolland Morris and Marguerite Sipe. The district teachers are William Cameron and Bryan Davison.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
Although the task of making a living was foremost in the minds of. the pioneers in Jackson township yet they were not too busy nor too poor to provide for the education of their children. The first log-built school house of which there is any mention in that township was located in section 21, northeast of Everton. According to tradition, a man of the name of John Lee taught school in this place prior to 1817. Subsequent teachers were Andrew Lewis and Lot Green. The next school house in this settle- ment was in section 26 and stood on the farm of Obediah Estis. Lot Green is given the credit of teaching the first school in this building. For a num- ber of years school was held in the log meeting house that stood at the grave- yard on Poplar Ridge and which was occupied by the Society of Friends
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for a number of years. Thomas O'Brien, an Irishman of more than ordin- ary intelligence, was a teacher in this vicinity for several years and among his pupils were the Truslers, Wards, Wrights and Becketts, some of whom became prominent characters in state and national affairs.
In section 19 stood a log cabin where school was conducted in 1816 or 1817. However this cabin was used only until a better structure could be built, the erection of which was effected about 1819 or 1820. Joseph Moore was the first teacher. William Silvey taught the same school a few years after.
The fourth school house erected in the township was built about 1822, in section 24, about two or three miles west of Everton. Among the early teachers were William Eskew, Robert Cathers and Robert Willis. Subse- quently another school house was built in section 30, on the north fork of Bear creek and Jolin Gunn was one of the first teachers there.
An abandoned dwelling located in section 12 was used as a school house in 1827 or 1828 and Travis Silvey was one of the first teachers. About the same time a log school house of the old type was erected just east of the Mt. Zion church. The attendance at this latter school was quite large and many interesting stories cluster around it. The ages of the pupils ranged from six to twenty years. The girls and young men were often larger and older than the teacher and as a result many pranks were played upon the teachers without fear of any real punishment. According to a story handed down to this generation a teacher of the name of John Barnes, who taught there as early as 1829, was "barred out" on one occasion. The boys after being satisfied that he could not make an entrance to the school house, and Barnes himself being aware of the same fact after making several vain attempts with a large timber used as a battering ram, agreed upon a com- promise that was suggested by the boys, to the effect that a neighbor of the name of Baker, who lived close by, had a good store of winter apples and that if going for a bushel was any object the barricade would be removed. Immediately the apples were forthcoming.
The township had seven school houses from its earliest history, but the flight of years has been attended with a heavy decrease in the number of school children of school age and at the present time there are only four buildings in use. There is a non-commissioned high school at Everton in charge of Sherman Waggoner during the school year 1916-17. The two grade teachers at the same place are Ethel Moore and Frank Scott. The three district school teachers are Grace Newland, Hazel Banning and Edna Lake.
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POSEY TOWNSHIP.
The first teacher in Posey township was George Manlove and he taught in the first house erected for school purposes, the same standing in the south- east corner of the township, in section 28. A school house just across the line in Wayne county from the Loder settlement was in use as early as 1820 and was patronized by the residents of Posey township. This school was in charge of Joseph Williams, one of the best known of the early teachers of Wayne county.
The decade between 1820 and 1830 witnessed the erection of five school houses in Posey township, scattered over the township in such a way that schools were in easy access to all the pupils living in it. One of these stood in the Van Buskirk neighborhood, about a mile and a half west of Bentonville, and was erected about the end of the decade. It was one of the typical log variety-round logs, greased-paper windows, log seats and puncheon floor. Among the first teachers were John Treadway, John Legg and Lavinia Church. Miss Church was the first woman teacher in the com- munity and probably the first in the township. The house was in use only a few years, being replaced by another log structure about a quarter of a mile farther west. These schools, as were all the schools of an early day, were what were known as subscription schools, although the second one mentioned was maintained by public funds before the introduction of the free public-school system in the fifties. Merchant Kelly taught in the settlement west of Bentonville for many years.
There were never more than six school houses in the township. Even as far back as the seventies there was a high school at Bentonville, although it was later discontinued and was not re-established until a few years ago. Hyatt Frost taught there in 1879, and from 1880 to 1884 B. F. Thiebaud taught the school. There is now an accredited high school in the village doing three years of high-school work. Within the past few years a modern brick school building has been erected at Bentonville and all but one of the rural schools has been discontinued. The pupils from the various parts of the township are hauled to the consolidated school, which has four teachers, two of whom devote all of their time to the high-school work. The high- school teachers are L. S. Miller, principal, and Mayme Thompson, assistant ; Sarah Hussey and Emma Sutton, grade teachers. The one rural teacher is Mrs. Charles Freeman. The enumeration in this township has dropped from 218 in 1887 to 145 in 1916.
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FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP.
Fairview township was not organized until 1851 and hence the schools of that part of the county prior to that year were either in Harrison or Orange township. The township lies in the part of the county west of the Indian treaty line of 1809 and was consequently not settled until in the twenties. The first school house was erected in 1825 about a half mile east of what was known as Moffit's crossing and was the third district of what was then Orange township. This building was the typical log structure, but, unlike most of them, it had a stone fireplace in the center of the room. Jonas Price was the first teacher in the building.
The Fairview neighborhood had its first school house about the same time, the building standing just across the line in Rush county at the old burying ground. In fact, the building was erected to be used for both church and school purposes, the site being donated by Robert Groves. A Mr. Noble was probably the first teacher there.
There were two other schools which made their appearance within the present limits of the township before 1830: One was in the Jeffrey neigh- borhood where Thomas Dawson became the first teacher; the other was in the northern part of the township, then a part of Harrison township, in which John Legg was the first preceptor, he later was followed by a pedagogue by the name of McClure.
While not in Fayette county it seems that mention should be made of the Fairview Academy, just across the line in Rush county, an institution of learning established in 1848, which was patronized as liberally by residents of Fayette county as by those of Rush county. Among those instrumental - in organizing the school were Dr. Ephraim Clifford, W. W. Thrasher, Wil- liam Shawhan, Rev. H. R. Pritchard, Rev. George Campbell, John Campbell, John Thrasher, Donovan Groves and G. B. Bush. The brick building was erected by Josiah Smith at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars. The first principal of the academy was A. R. Benton, a graduate of Bethany College, West Virginia, who resigned after about ten years of service to accept the chair of Greek in Northwestern Christian University at Indian- apolis. Other instructors were Rev. Daniel Van Buskirk, William Thrasher, Walter Campbell and Professors Hull, Bowen and Piercy. The school was under the control of the Christian church and during its prosperous years numbered students from all over Indiana, as well as from Illinois, Ohio,
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Kentucky, Louisiana and New York. The school was discontinued in the eighties.
There have never been more than five schools in the township, but since the system of consolidation has been introduced the number has been reduced to two, a certified high school at Falmouth with six teachers and one district school. It is the intention to have the high school in shape to obtain a com- mission as a full commissioned high school during the coming year. The principal for the present year (1916-17) is Ernest Jeffrey, his assistants in the high school being Florence Doane and Alfred Hall. The grade teachers in the school are Vina Lockhart, Nellie Retherford and C. W. Saxon. The one district school in the township is in charge of Frank Hinchman.
COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP.
Among the early settlers in Columbia township were some families from the Eastern states and they brought with them certain ideas regarding edu- cation which they wished to adopt in this new country. Hence they were not long in establishing schools. The first school house established in the township was near the old graveyard just below Nulltown and was erected in the summer of 1815. Gabriel Ginn, a pioneer from Kentucky, was the first schoolmaster and taught in this house for several years. The next school taught in the township was in a cabin one mile south of Alpine, taught by Mark Acre. Robert Helm and a woman whose name was Klum taught in the same community.
The second school house built in the township was situated one mile north of the village of Alpine and was erected about 1821. Daniel McIntyre and Dr. Philip Mason were two of the early teachers in this school. Another one of the school houses built at an early date was the one on the farm of Hickson Halstead. John Ronald was the first teacher.
There were other log cabins built in the township for school purposes, but their locations and dates cannot be ascertained. Other teachers besides those mentioned who taught in this section of the county were Benjamin Smith, James C. Rea, David Allen, George Winchell and Jefferson Crisler. It is interesting to note that the pioneers of this township laid great stress upon the fact that their children should be taught spelling. Spelling and reading constituted the fundamental studies, supplemented with a little writing and simple arithmetic.
There are still four rural schools in operation in the township, but no high-school work is given in the township. Those desiring high-school
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work are transferred to adjoining townships having high schools. The teachers for the year 1916-17 are Anna Smith, Marie Utter, W. H. Tate and Mrs. Anna Custer.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP.
The people of Harrison township have ever been wide awake to the advantages of education and as early as 1818 school was held in a log school house on the farm of John Tyner near the South Lick Creek church. The first teacher or teachers of this school are not known, but Millie Perin and William McKemmey were among the first and the latter taught several terms in this place. Subsequently, Manlove Caldwell, Hugh Gilchrist, Jeffer- son Casady and a man by the name of Banks were teachers. Hawkins Hackleman was a pupil in this school when it started and his daughter, Mrs. Willard Robinson, of Harrison township, still has the arithmetic which he compiled. It is a stitched volume of more than one hundred pages and con- tains all of the principles of the subject up to the double rule of three. Three of the children of this pioneer later taught in the township: George and James Hackleman, and Mrs. Willard Robinson.
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