USA > Indiana > History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume I > Part 46
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St. Bridget's School was erected in 1875, by Rev. B. Kroeger, at a cost of $9,000. It is a large two-story brick structure, 100x44
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feet, situated on the corner of Wheatland and Wilkinson streets, and is now used as a church and a school. Beside the hall, which at present serves the congregation as a place of worship, the build- ing contains four cheerful class-rooms, which afford a total seating capacity of 250 children. There is now an enrolment of sixty-six boys and fifty-two girls, under charge of three Sisters of St. Joseph. The annual outlay for the school, including the salary of teachers, is made up of tuition fees at the rate of fifty cents a month, and money taken from the church funds. The present value of the school-ground, including play-ground, is $2, 500, and the value of the building, with its appurtenances, is $9,500. Rev. B. Kroeger is the present reverend director of the school.
MICHIGAN CITY, LAPORTE COUNTY.
St. Mary's School. - The first Catholic school established in Michigan City was built in 1866, by Rev. Father Scherer, at a cost of $1, 500. The teachers of this school were Sisters of the Holy Cross, who, at the same time, opened an academy, the parochial school being taught in the old church. The present two-story brick school-house was erected in 1886, by Rev. J. Bleckmann, at a cost of $19,865. It is 90x 74 feet and contains six school-rooms and a hall, 84 x 35 feet, the attendance being 321. In addition to the above there has been erected an academy, known as St. Mary's, at a cost of $20,000. The total attendance is 530, and the teach- ers are ten School Sisters of Notre Dame. The reverend director of the school, at present, is Rev. John Bleckmann.
St. Stanislaus' School was erected in 1891 by Rev. E. J. Wrobel, at a cost of $7,400. It is a large two-story frame build- ing, 80 x 48 feet, and at present this building serves the double purpose of church and school. Besides the hall, which serves the congregation as a place of worship, the building contains three cheerful and well furnished school-rooms, with a seating capacity for 160 children. The present enrolment is 150 pupils, with an attendance of fifty-seven boys and forty-six girls. Sisters of the Holy Cross have had charge of the school since its organization, and two of these religieuse are now engaged as teachers. The (520)
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first teachers were Sister Mary Wilfrid and Sister M. Ladiolaus. The average annual outlay for the support of the school, including the salary of teachers, is $450, which amount is derived from monthly tuition fees of fifty cents. The yearly expense per pupil is about $5. The value of the school-ground, including play ground, is at present $1, 500, and the value of the building with its appurtenances is $7,800. The present reverend director of the school is Rev. E. J. Wrobel.
MISHAWAKA, ST. JOSEPH'S COUNTY.
St. Joseph's School was erected in 1863, by Rev. Henry Kænig, at a cost of $600, and the first teacher employed was Jacob Zahm. However, it may be mentioned that, as early as 1847, the Sisters of the Holy Cross had Mishawaka in view as a suitable location for an academy, and they taught school there for a short time; but in 1849 they gave up the place. Nine years later school was opened in the old church and taught there by Mr. Venn from 1858 until 1860, when the old frame church was burned, which caused the school to be discontinued until 1863. The present school-house consists of three story buildings, one brick and two frame, whose combined dimensions are 26 x 52 feet. These build- ings, completed in 1877, at an aggregate cost of $2, 100, afford three large class-rooms and have a total seating capacity of 240 pupils, but the present attendance is 268 children. Some of these children live at a distance of over three miles from the school. Seven Sisters, Poor Handmaids of Christ, are in charge of the school.
The present value of the school-ground, including play-ground, is $5,000, the value of the school building, with appurtenances, is about $1,800. The house occupied by the Sisters was purchased by the reverend pastor in 1878. Very Rev. A. B. Oechtering is the present reverend director of the school.
MONTEREY, PULASKI COUNTY.
Holy Family School, the first in the parish, was erected in Monterey during the summer of 1895, by Rev. Charles A. Thiele. Connected with the school is the Sisters' dwelling. It is a two-
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story brick structure, 65 x 24, having two well ventilated and fur- nished school-rooms on the first floor and a hall above. The attached Sisters' building is 30 x 24, containing eight rooms. School and dwelling were built and furnished at a cost of $3,000. The school is taught by the Sisters of St. Agnes and is attended by seventy-six pupils; thirty-seven boys and thirty-nine girls. Each child pays a monthly tuition of twenty-five cents and the rest of the salary is taken from the church funds. Father G. Zern is the present reverend director.
MONROEVILLE, ALLEN COUNTY.
The School of St. Rose of Lima, now in course of erection, is a two-story brick structure, 29x 50 feet. Its estimated cost is $3,500. When completed it will consist of two school-rooms on the first floor, with a seating capacity for about 120 children, and a hall, 27 × 49 feet, for parochial meetings, on the second floor. It will be in charge of religious teachers, and will have a probable enrolment of fifty pupils, twenty boys and thirty girls, some of whom live a distance of three and one-half miles from the school. The school will be free, and the means necessary for its support will be derived from the proceeds of entertainments, lectures, etc., supplemented by money from the church funds.
The school, when completed, with its appurtenances, will probably be worth about $4,000, and the value of the house bought for the teachers' residence is $233. For some time a lady teacher instructed the communion class for two months each year. Rev. R. Paquet is the present pastor of Monroeville.
MUNCIE, DELAWARE COUNTY.
St. Lawrence's School, at Muncie, was erected in the summer of 1880 by Rev. William Schmidt, at a cost of about $2,900. It was a two-story frame structure, 45 x 35 feet, and contained four school-rooms, two measuring 30x 30 feet, and two measuring 15 x 30 feet. These rooms had a seating capacity for 200 chil- dren, but the average number in attendance was 155. The first teacher of this school was Rev. William Schmidt, the pastor of the congregation. Unable to procure teachers during the first
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year after the erection of the school, this reverend father gener- ously devoted his time and talents to the training of the children of his parish. In 1881, he confided the school to the care of Sisters of St. Joseph, from Cleveland, Ohio; from their hands it passed into those of the Sisters of St. Agnes, of Fond du Lac, Wis. At present five of these Sisters are in charge; and the school, from a single ungraded room, in the beginning, has developed into a well- graded school of three departments, primary, intermediate and senior, each comprising three grades. It requires nine years attend- ance at school to go through the course of studies, giving one year to each grade. This system of grading the school was completed in 1892, when the school was removed to its present location, with
another room and teacher added. In 1897 the church was remodeled and two rooms were added to the school, which is now attended by 303 pupils. The school revenue is derived from monthly tuition fees of fifty cents from single pupils, and $1 from families having two or more children in school. In case of a defi- ciency of revenue, the amount needed to meet the demand was taken from the priest's salary until four years ago; now it is taken from the funds of the church. The present value of school grounds is about $4,000, of the school with appurtenances, $4, 500; and of the teachers' residence, $3,500. The present reverend director is Rev. William Schmidt.
NEW CORYDON P. O., JAY COUNTY.
Holy Trinity School was erected in Jay county in 1881, at a cost of $1,000, by Rev. Joseph Uphaus, priest of the Order of the Most Precious Blood. It is a two-story frame, 30 x 25 feet, one-half mile east of Holy Trinity church, near the convent of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood. The accommodations furnished by the two well-equipped school-rooms soon drew to this little nursery of education 124 children, sixty-four of whom were boys. The history of the school has continued unaltered from its foundation, twelve years ago, to the present date. Two Sisters of the Most Precious Blood are in charge of the school, and its doors are open, free of charge, to all children of the parish. The annual average expense for each pupil is about $4; and the outlay
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for keeping up repairs and teachers' salaries is $400, which income is derived from pew rent. The present reverend director of the school is Rev. George Fleisch, C. PP. S.
NEW HAVEN, ALLEN COUNTY.
St. John the Baptist School .- The year 1865 saw the erec- tion of the first Catholic school in New Haven, by Rev. W. Giedle. It is a one-story frame building, 22 x 34 feet, and was put up at a cost of $500. This school-house served its purpose until 1872, when it became necessary to build, at a cost of $8,000, a two-story brick structure, 40 x 50 feet, to furnish additional room and a dwelling for the Sisters. These two buildings, adjoin- ing, give four rooms, three of which are in use, and have a seating capacity for 180 children. At present 128 pupils are in attend- ance, under the care of three Sisters of St. Agnes, from Fond du Lac, Wis. These religieuse took charge in 1871, before which time the school was taught by seculars. The average number of boys enrolled is seventy-three, while the enrolment of girls is only fifty-seven. The annual expenditure for the school, including the teachers' salaries, is $750. Of this amount one-half is paid by the congregation and the other half is derived from society fees and a small rate of monthly tuition, from twenty-five cents to seventy-five cents, charged to pupils who are able to pay. The average annual expense for each pupil is $5.50. £ The present value of the school-ground is $500, and of the school-buildings, with appurtenances, $9,000. The present reverend director is Rev. Bernard Wiedau.
OTIS, LAPORTE COUNTY.
Sacred Heart of Jesus School .-- The first Catholic school in Otis was erected in 1877, through the zeal of Rev. Father Machd- zicki, at a cost of $2, 500. It is a two-story frame structure, 40 x 40 feet, contains two large class-rooms, which have a seating capacity for 100 children, and a present attendance of seventy-two pupils. Many of the pupils have their homes in the country at a distance of from one to ten miles; children living this far from the school board in the building during the term, and are under the control of
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the Sisters of St. Francis, two of whom are employed as teachers. The average annual outlay for the school, including the salary of teachers, is about $900, which sum is made up of tuition fees at fifty cents a month, and funds taken from the church treasury. The average expense per pupil is about $11.84 a year. The pres- ent value of the school-ground, including play ground, is $1,000, and the value of the school building is $3, 500. Rev. Fr. Raskie- wicz is the present reverend director of the school.
PERU, MIAMI COUNTY.
School of St. Charles Barromeo .- The first building intended for school purposes in St. Charles parish was a frame structure put up in 1837, by Rev. H. J. Clarke, at a cost of $1,000. This school- house having been sold, by Rev. Father Force, part of the first old church was used as a school-room from 1860 to 1865. Upon the completion of the new church, in 1865, Rev. B. Kroeger, then pastor, had the old church converted into school-rooms. This building was consumed by fire in 1874, and the present school-
house was built.
The first teacher employed in St. Charles' school
was G. Volkert. He had as successors several lay teachers, among them Prince Bismarck's playmate, Dr. Rudolph Ladislas Miller, whose life reads like a connected series of romantic links. From the control of this man, the school passed into the hands of the Ursuline Nuns, who taught it until 1872 or 1873, when it was trans- ferred to the Sisters of Providence, who are still in charge. Nine of these Sisters are now occupied in the school. The present building, 65 x 60 feet, is a solid brick structure, is three stories high, and was erected in 1874, at a cost of $16,000, including the Sisters' residence, which adjoins. It contains six school-rooms, which have seating capacity for 300 children. At present there are 250 pupils in attendance, of whom 112 are boys. The average outlay for the school is $277, taken from church funds. Of this amount $200 are paid as salary, and the balance needed for the mainte- nance of the teachers is derived from what they collect as tuition fees at fifty cents a month. The average expense per pupil is $5. The present value of the school-ground is $2,000, and of the school-
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building, with appurtenances, $10,000. The reverend director, at present, is Rev. H. Meissner.
PLYMOUTH, MARSHALL COUNTY.
St. Michael's School was erected in 1870 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, at a cost of $12,000, and is both a day and boarding school. The principal portion of the building is 50x 40 feet, to which is attached a wing, 50x 35 feet, that is used as dwelling apartments for the Sisters and the boarders. The main portion of the building contains two class-rooms which have a total seat- ing capacity for 160 children, and three music rooms, one of which is reserved for instruction in vocal music. At present there are in attendance, including the boarding pupils, 116 children, under the control of three Sisters of the Holy Cross, one of whom is a music teacher.
Prior to 1870, the parochial school was conducted in an old frame dwelling, house. The teachers who preceded the Sisters in St. Michael's school began their work there in 1860, and were suc- cessively, Miss Dwyer, Miss Howard, Miss Buchanan, Miss Mona- han, Miss Day, Mr. Weber, Mr. Stevens and Miss Kate Stokes.
The Sisters, having entire control of the school, collect from the pupils the revenue necessary for its maintenance. This con- sists of a tuition fee from seventy-five cents to $1 a month, from pupils who are able to pay. Poor children are educated free of charge. The average annual expense per pupil is about $5. The value of the school-ground is about $1, 500, and the value of the school-building, with its appurtenances, is $15,000. Rev. Charles Lemper is the present reverend director of the school.
RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY.
St. Joseph's Indian Normal School .- This interesting school was erected in 1888, at cost of $20,000, by the venerable Mother Catherine Drexel, for the exclusive use of Catholic Indian chil- dren of this northwestern territory. It consists of one main build- ing, with workshop attached, and is a solid structure of stone and brick, in the form of a square, 80 x 85 feet. It rises three stories above a fine stone basement and affords accommodations for 100 (526)
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boys. At present there are sixty-four Indian boys in the institution under the care of four priests of the order of the Most Precious Blood, with Reverend Andrew Gietl as director. These boys are daily instructed in all the branches of a common English education, and at stated times, according to their age and progress in school, are taught useful trades in the adjoining workshops. The first teachers were Revs. Fr. Willard and Florian, Hahn, C. PP. S. The school is supposed by quarterly appropriations, per capita, from the United States government, and its doors are open to all Catholic Indian boys sent by the government.
ST. JOHN, LAKE COUNTY.
St. John's School .- The first Catholic school in this town was established over thirty-five years ago. The building is a two-story frame structure on the opposite side of the road from the church, directly east of it, and has its main entrance on the west side. It contains two well ventilated and well furnished school-rooms, and has seating capacity for 100 children. At present the enrolment is 140 pupils taught by four secular teachers. Many of the children live in the vicinity of the school, but several attend from a distance of three miles. The present reverend pastor of the congregation is Rev. A. Heitmann.
SCHERERVILLE, LAKE COUNTY.
St. Michael's School is a one-story frame building, 60 x 24 feet, was erected in 1868 at a cost of $1,200, and contains two well furnished school-rooms, with a seating capacity for 100 chil- dren. The present enrolment of pupils is fifty-three, taught by two Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Many of the pupils live a distance of five miles from the school, while others have their homes in the immediate vicinity. The average yearly outlay for the school is about $1, 200, a part of which is taken from the church funds, the balance being supplied from the district school fund. The average cost per pupil is about $12.50. The present reverend pastor and the people of St. Michael's parish hope to erect and to support a school of their own within a short time-a school that will be entirely Catholic. The value of the dwelling house now occupied
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by the Sisters is $600. Rev. W. Berg is the present pastor of St. Michael's congregation.
SHELDON, ALLEN COUNTY.
St. Aloysius School is located in Pleasant township, about a mile and one-half northeast of the town of Sheldon, on the so- called Bluffton road, and is about ten miles south of Fort Wayne. It is built on a lot of ground containing four acres, of which one and one-fourth acres are in use for a graveyard, together with the church, pastoral residence and Sisters' dwelling house. The first school-house was a small frame building erected, in 1867, by Rev. William Woeste, and was used for school purposes only during two or three months of each year. It was then in charge of a secular teacher employed by the reverend Father who attended the mission.
On October 17, 1876, a regular parochial school was opened by Rev. F. Koerdt, with an attendance of thirty-eight pupils. This reverend Father, realizing that the school is the foundation of the church, gave himself with admirable self-sacrifice to the humble task of teaching it for two years. When called out of the school-room to attend to parochial work, he was replaced by Master Gottlieb Schmoll, a talented young boy of fourteen, from St. Paul's school, Fort Wayne.
In 1879, the school was taught by Joseph Kenning. During the next three years Robert Gruber had charge of it. In January, 1883, on the last day of the month, the school passed into the hands of the Sisters of St. Agnes, of Fond du Lac, Wis. The present new school-house was erected in 1882, at a cost of $3,000. The corner-stone was laid on August 10th and it was dedicated November 6th of the same year, Right Rev. Mgr. Benoit, vicar- general of the diocese, performing the ceremony. It is a two- story stone and brick structure, 30x 40 feet, and contains two large rooms, the one on the second floor being used as a hall for sodality and other parochial meetings. The school would accom- modate 150 pupils, but the parish being small, forty families, the pupils enrolled number thirty-eight boys and thirty-three girls, but bad roads and distance from school frequently cause absence. The
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old building was remodeled in the fall of 1882, and is now a cozy dwelling house for the teachers, of whom there are three. Their revenue is derived from pew rent and from the contributions of St. Joseph's society, whose members pay $4 per year as fee of membership. This arrangement makes the school free to all chil- dren of the parish. The school-house is worth $4,000, the teach- ers' dwelling is valued at $800, and the one acre of ground at $100. R. J. Denk is the present reverend director of the school.
SOUTH BEND, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
St. Joseph's School .- The first school-house erected in St. Joseph's parish was built in 1852 by Very Rev. Father Sorin, C. S. C., at a cost of about $1,800. The first teachers were Sister Misericorde, Sister Peter, Sister St. John, Sister Eleanora . and Sister Faustina for the girls, and Brothers Raymond, Daniel, Romuald and Philip for the boys. All these religieuses were mem- bers of the Holy Cross order. Up to 1868 there were two separate schools, one for boys and one for girls. In that year the schools were united and taught by the Sisters. In 1881 another attempt was made to have a separate school for boys, but after a few years the project was abandoned. The present school-house is a two- story brick building, 55 x 55 feet, erected in 1885 at a cost of $5, 500, and later an addition 28 x 32 feet was built. This school- house contains four school-rooms with a total seating capacity for 270 children, but the present enrolment is 156 boys and 166 girls, under Sisters of the Holy Cross. The building is held in trust by the Sisters and kept in order by them. Rev. Nicholas J. Stoffel, C. S. C., is the present reverend director of the school.
St. Mary's School .- The first school in St. Mary's parish was opened by Miss Hannah Jaminet, in the little room that now serves as the sacristy of the church. In 1888 a frame building 28 x 50 feet was erected; in 1891 a second story was added, which gave two additional school-rooms. In 1884 the school was placed in charge of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and since that time the number of pupils has increased from twenty-seven to an attendance of 246 children, and four Sisters are constantly occupied in the
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school. The seating capacity is for 250 children. The expenses are derived from tuition fees of fifty cents a month, supplemented by funds from the church. The present value of the school-ground, including the play-ground, is $2,000, and of the building, with appurtenances, $3,500. The present reverend director of the school is the worthy priest who built it, the Rev. P. Johannes, C. S. C.
St. Patrick's School for Boys-The girls of this parish have always attended St. Joseph's academy, conducted by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. In 1865 a separate school for boys was opened by the Rev. Father Cooney, C. S. C., in the wing of the old church. In 1872 Rev. D. J. Spillard, C. S. C., who had succeed- ed Rev. Father Cooney as pastor of the congregation, erected a new frame school-house at a cost of $1,600. This building was removed in 1888 to its present location on South Scott street, 260 feet west of the church, but within the same inclosure. It is a two-story frame structure, 28 x 30 feet, fronting Scott street, and contains two class-rooms, which have a total seating capacity for 100 children. At present there are eighty boys in attendance, under the control of two teachers. The small boys are taught by Miss Sarah O'Neill and the older boys by Brother Romanus, C. S. C. This Brother was preceded in the school by Brothers Aloy- sius, Hilarian, Hilary, Theogine, Justin, Emanuel, Benjamin, Dan- iel, Raymond, Urban and Hubert. The average annual expense for maintaining the school is about $700, paid from the revenue of the church. The annual expense per pupil is nearly $9.' At pres- ent the value of the school-ground is about $800, and the value of the school-building with its appurtenances is about $2,000. Rev. J. W. Clarke, C. S. C., is the present reverend director of the school. A new three-story brick school is now in the course of erection, to cost about $14,000.
St. Hedwig's School .- The first school-house built in this parish was a frame structure put up in 1877 by Rev. Val. Czyzew- ski, C. S. C., at a cost of $600. Two years later this building was demolished by a storm. Afterward the present site on Napier (530)
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street was purchased and a one-story frame school, 90 x 32 feet, was built. This gave three rooms, which are still in use. In 1877 the parish had greatly increased, and to meet the demand for more room, a two-story brick school-house, 64 x 44 feet, was erected at a cost of $7,000. It contains ten class-rooms, and the total seating capacity was 760. Since then this congregation erected a spacious three-story brick structure, 1273 x 61 feet, with basement, at a cost of about $20,000. The basement has six rooms; the first and second floors have seven rooms each. Of the latter twelve are used as class rooms and two as library and direct- ors' office, respectively. The third floor affords a parish hall with seating capacity for 1,000 persons and contains a beautiful stage. Besides this the schools occupy three rooms in the old frame school. The number of teachers has increased from twelve to fifteen, and the pupils from 721 to 1,017. This rapidly growing school is under the direction of Rev. A. Zubowitcz.
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