USA > Minnesota > Brown County > History of Brown County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions (Volume 1) > Part 24
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SCHOOLS OF BASHAW TOWNSHIP.
Maggie Keegan taught the first school in Bashaw town- ship in 1877, in a dwelling house in section 26, in what came to be known as district No. 2. It was hard at first to get enough scholars living near one another in a thinly settled township to cause a schoolhouse tax to be levied. As a rule it required thirteen pupils before the board was allowed to levy a school tax. But as more came in schools were secured, and have been maintained ever since.
ALBIN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
In Albin township the first school was taught by Clarissa Ives, in the summer of 1870, in John Tew's gran- ary. At first the whole township was included in one school district, but before 1880 there were three substantial school buildings in the three districts of this township.
LAKE HANSKA TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
In Lake Hanska township the first school was taught after the 1862 Indian outbreak, by Martha Hanson. In 1880 the township had two schools. With the settlement of that part of Brown county, the settlers were in favor of good public schools, though many were Scandinavians they really took more interest and spent more money for schools than their Yankee brothers in some other parts of the county.
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SCHOOLS OF LINDEN TOWNSHIP.
In Linden township the earliest school was taught by Charles Mullen, in 1860, at the house of Peter Thormod- son. In the spring of 1862, a log school house was erected belonging to district No. 7. At that time the district com- prised both Linden and what is now Lake Hanska town- ships. This seems to have been among the first, if indeed not the very earliest school taught by a man in the county among the rural districts.
MULLIGAN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The first school taught in Mulligan township was in the summer of 1877 by Hannah Collins. In 1880 there were three school buildings in this township.
BURNSTOWN TOWNSHIP SPRINGFIELD.
In Burnstown township the first school was taught by Miss Marian Hall, in the school house built in district No. 41. The school at Springfield village was mentioned thus in 1882: "There is one school building, two stories high, costing twenty-eight hundred dollars. Two teachers are employed and the number of pupils is eighty."
THE SLEEP EYE SCHOOLS.
While business has been uppermost, for the most part, in the minds of business men in Sleepy Eye, they have not lost sight of the advantages gained by keeping pace with
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all that is good and progressive in educational affairs. The public schools of the city have not only been up to the standard, but have usually led off in advanced methods. When through legislative enactment provision was made for establishing industrial departments in the high schools of the state, it was at once realized that the Sleepy Eye school building, built some dozen or more years before that date, was of sufficient size and arrangement to accommo- date such an innovation, and the city was among the earliest in Minnesota to establish such new school departments.
Again, in the matter of agriculture and its being scien- tifically taught in the schools, no school has done more along that line and actually benefited the farmer and his sons and daughters, than the department found in the pub- lic schools of Sleepy Eye. Animal husbandry and field crop growth have each claimed their share and that to the betterment of both pupil and parent. The agricultural in- structor spends one-fourth of his time in going out among the farmers, offering suggestions.
In the manual training department much of the furni- ture there produced challenges the ability of many experi- enced cabinet-makers.
In the domestic science department, also one sees the latest facilities. Here the school is furnished all sorts of materials for cooking and testing foods. Home manage- ment, nursing, house sanitation and all these branches are handled with good results.
A state teachers' training department has also been re- cently added and is under the supervision of a competent instructor. All in all, the public school building at Sleepy Eye is a bee hive, where no drones are reared in laziness,
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but all must be doing some useful, practical work with hand or brain power.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS OF NEW ULM.
The following shows the date of building and cost of the present school houses in the city of New Ulm: Emer- son building, in 1900, cost $18,452; high school building, erected in 1914, cost $77,594; Lincoln building, erected in 1913, cost $13,776; Washington building, built in 1907, cost $14,698; East Primary building, erected in 1892, cost $3,770. These figures represent the contract prices.
PUBLIC SCHOOL STATISTICS FOR 1915.
The following was taken from the county school super- intendent's report to the state, for the year ending July 31, 1915:
The total number of school districts in Brown county on that date was eighty-four.
Districts having more than ten and less than twenty pupils, was fifteen. Less than ten pupils, one district.
Superintendent's salary per year, fifteen hundred dollars.
Number fo visits made in schools by superintendent, one hundred and eighty-nine.
The total number of pupils enrolled in county, in rural and semi-graded schools was twenty-one hundred and eighty-one.
Number of teachers in county, in rural and semi- graded schools, five males and seventy-six females.
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Average wages per month for males was fifty-four dol- lars, and a fraction less for females.
HIGH AND GRADED SCHOOLS.
New Ulm, with an enrollment of 877; days of school year, 190; wages of males, per month, $133; of females, $59; number of departments, 24; number of teachers, 25.
Sleepy Eye, enrollment, 410; days in school year, 180; average wages paid males, $144; females, $68; number de- partments, 14; number of teachers, 15.
Springfield, enrollment, 345; days in school year, 180; number of departments, 13; number of teachers, 14; wages paid males, $138; females, $63.
Comfrey, enrollment, 135; days in school year, 180; wages paid females, $61; number of departments, four; teachers, four.
Hanska, enrollment, 141; days in school year, 180; wages paid males, $105; females, $55; number depart- ments, four; teachers, four.
The average wages paid in high and graded schools in county was: Males, $130; females, $66.
One meeting of teachers was held in the school year- attendance, thirty-seven.
Aside from the public schools in New Ulm, there are about eight hundred pupils attending the various church or parochial schools.
RURAL AND SEMI-GRADED SCHOOLS.
The following shows the enrollment of the various dis- tricts in Brown county for the school year ending July 31,
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1915: District No. 1, 860 pupils; No. 2, 30; No. 3, 28; No. 4, 40; No. 5, 25; No. 6, 35; No. 7, 20; No. 8, 13; No. 9, 36; No. 10, 28; No. 11, 23; No. 12, 35; No. 13, 34; No. 14, 24; No. 15, 14; No. 16, 19; No. 17, 23; No. 18, 34; No. 19, 21; No. 20, 29; No. 21, 17; No. 22, 24; No. 23, 14; No. 24, 361; No. 25, 24; No. 26, 27; No. 27, 11; No. 28, 24; No. 29, 22; No. 30, 18; No. 31, 23; No. 32, 32; No. 33, 48; No. 34, 21; No. 35, 18; No. 36, 39; No. 37, 17; No. 38, 26; No. 39, 21; No. 40, 23; No. 41, 14; No. 42, 31; No. 43, 30; No. 44, 19; No. 45, 31; No. 46, 11; No. 47, 27; No. 48, 33; No. 49, 34; No. 50, 32; No. 51, 31; No. 52, 14; No. 53, 22; No. 54, 25; No. 55, 13; No. 56, 13; No. 57, 15; No. 58, 56; No. 59, 34; No. 60, 34; No. 61, 37; No. 62, 15; No. 63, 23; No. 64, 328; No. 65, 25; No. 66, 27; No. 67, 25; No. 68, 43; No. 69, 26; No. 70, 18; No. 71, 20; No. 72, 40; No. 73, 13; No. 74, 13; No. 75, 20; No. 76, 22; No. 77, 43; No. 78, 14; No. 79, 16; No. 80, 134; No. 81, 140; No. 82, 24; No. 83, 15; Goshen dis- trict, 8.
SCHOOL FINANCES IN 1915.
The receipts and disbursements for all school purposes in Brown county for the school year ending July 31, 1915 were as follow:
Receipts.
Received from school apportionment .... $ 19,965.41
Cash on hand at beginning of year 48,057.47
Received from special tax. 59,646.50
Received from local one-mill tax 10,423.25
Received from special state aid 15,140.00
Received from bonds, etc. 10,167.64
Total $163,401.27
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Recitation Hall, Dr. Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn.
DORMITORY, DR. MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE, NEW ULM.
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Disbursements.
Teachers' wages and board
$ 70,072.21
Fuel and repairs
10,048.12
Improving grounds
8,173.54
New school houses and sites
6,311.39
Interest on bonds
8,010.09
Library books
722.31
Text books
1,869.48
Apparatus
477.80
All other purposes
9,533.38
Cash on hand
48,182.95
Total
$163,401.27
DR. MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE.
New Ulm is the seat of a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Minnesota, known as the Dr. Martin Luther College. This institution was founded in 1884. Primarily, it was intended more especially to teach theology and fit for the ministry young men of the Evangelical Luth- eran church, but by a reorganization which took place in September, 1893, Wisconsin, Michigan, Dakota and other states were admitted and the plans somewhat changed. Especial attention was then paid to the training not only for the ministry, but for teachers in Lutheran parochial school work. Under the former arrangements, many young men came from Germany here, the same desiring to do efficient work in the Evangelical Lutheran church in the United States. The first faculty was composed of Prof. O. Hoyer, president; Prof. Ad. F. Reim and Prof. G. Burk.
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The corner-stone of the first college building was laid on June 25, 1884, and on November 10, the same year, the building was dedicated and its doors opened for the recep- tion of students. Hundreds of young men have graduated from this institution since then, and gone out into various walks of life to make their knowledge and influence tell for the betterment of mankind.
Among the faculty who have served faithfully and well may be recalled the names of Profs. J. Schaller, president and director for nineteen years; A. Ackermann, president and director; A. F. Reim, O. Montgomery, G. Burk, J. E. Sperling, Fr. Reuter, J. Meyer, E. R. Bliefernicht and the present faculty head, Professor Ackermann.
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of this college, in June, 1909, a "Silver Jubilee" was held and prominent men of the church, from various cities in the synod were present and made addresses. It was also at that date when a vote was taken to decide whether the col- lege should remain at New Ulm, or be removed to another city. The popularity of the New Ulm institution was seen when the votes were counted, for they stood as follows: For New Ulm, ninety-two; for Hutchinson, nine; for St. Paul, one, and for Minneapolis, one.
The college is finely located on the hills to the west of the city, proper, the campus is within a natural and beauti- fully timbered park, to which man has added the finishing touches, by creating walks, driveways and erecting many pretty buildings and terracing the sloping hillside. It is now known as one of the city's permanent educational insti- tutions. Besides being a good school for the higher studies demanded in this age, it is also a good proposition in way
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of business for New Ulm. Those who associate themselves with this college soon adapt themselves to the general inter- ests of the community. This is to Brown county what the Gustavus Adolphus College at St. Peter is to Nicollet county, next east of this county. Both are doing a splendid work in their lines, the one being supported largely by the German people, while the other is a Swedish institution.
There are now (spring of 1916) one hundred students in attendance. The officers and faculty of the institution are: A. Ackermann, president, teaches religion, psy- chology and history; G. Burk teaches English, language, music; A. F. Reim, mathematics, natural science and civil government; O. Montgomery, arithmetic, English, geog- graphy, drawing, penmanship, history; J. E. Sperling, methods, school practice; Professor Wagner, Latin, Greek ; F. Reuter, music; E. R. Bliefernicht, German and history; H. Mosel, German, Latin and geography.
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CHAPTER XII.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
As a rule those who made up the two colonies first set- tling this county had deep religious convictions. Some were Protestants and others were of the Catholic faith. Naturally each denomination sought to build up their own faith in this country, and each succeeded well as this chap- ter will inform the reader. While not every small church society in Brown county is noticed in this work, those which furnished information, and all those in the towns and vil- lages of much importance, will be found herein.
The Catholic and Methodist people were the first to hold services in New Ulm and the first church buildings, too, were here erected.
In the autumn of 1856, Father F. X. Wenninger held a mission at the house of Anton Kaus, which was the first religious service held in the vicinity of New Ulm or in Brown county. Mass was held by Rev. Valentine Som- mereisen at the house of Paul Hitz, in 1861, which was the only celebration before the arrival of Rev. Alexander Berg- hold, who came on December 26, 1868. His first services were held in the building attached to Carl Baptist's brew- ery, January 10, 1869. In his "Memoirs" Father Berg- hold says that the Catholic congregation was organized at this session. At these services there were baptized seven-
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teen children, many of whom were several years old. This was the beginning of what is now known as the
CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
Its charter members were as follow: Michael Lauter- bach, A. Zieher, A. Ochs, M. Lehrer, Q. Schaible, Frank Fellner, Paul Hitz, Joseph Hitz, Joseph Hartneck, George and Lorenzo Schneider, Mathew Mueller, Joseph Baer, John Bobleter, Nick Galles, Joseph Guenther, H. Rosskopf, Anton and Athanasius Henle.
The membership of the congregation in the month of May, 1916, was about seven hundred families.
A brick church was completed in September, 1870,. dedicated on the 11th of that month. There had, however, been a small frame church erected prior to the Civil War and it was burned at the time of the Indian massacre in 1862. This was the first church in Minnesota that had a chime of bells. In the spring of 1881 large additions were commenced which, when nearly finished were damaged to a great extent by the cyclone, causing a four-thousand-dol- lar loss. Immediately afterward preparations were made for rebuilding. In 1882 the congregation numbered twelve hundred souls.
Of the present beautiful church edifice it may be said that it is a red brick, stone trimmed structure, the original cost of which was fifty thousand dollars. With its interior furnishings and improvements it represents a value of at least ninety thousand dollars. The school house contains ten class rooms, an assembly room and auditorium. This was built at a cost of sixty-five thousand dollars in the year
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1904. The attendance at this school is now five hundred and fifty. The teachers are the Sisters of Christian Char- ity. The building is in all ways modern in its appoint- ments.
The pastors of the Church of the Holy Trinity have been: Revs. Berghold, twenty-one years; A. Plut, two years; John Schroeder, six years; B. Sandmeyer, eleven years and the present pastor, Rev. Robert Schlinkert, since 1910.
ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The Catholic church at Sleepy Eye, known as St. Mary's, has a history running back to 1870 to 1875 during which period Rev. Alexander Berghold, of New Ulm, at- tended to the spiritual needs of the Catholic settlers in Home township. From time to time he held divine services in the home of Jacob Bertrand, eleven miles northwest of New Ulm. At different times efforts were made by these settlers to build a church edifice. With the coming of the Northwestern railroad and the location of the station now called Sleepy Eye the project was dropped, it being con- ceded that Sleepy Eye is the proper place for the church.
Early in the spring of 1876, Father Berghold, in the old log public school house, held a meeting to organize a parish and to build a church. At this meeting it was de- cided to build a veneered-brick building. A committee was selected of which Aloysius Schwengle was chairman, John Graff, secretary and Mathias Hoffman, treasurer. After some difficulty Father Berghold determined upon the site on which St. Mary's now stands. The construction of the building was soon begun and by September of the same
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year the church was so far completed that it was used for divine services. From the beginning of 1877 till June, 1878, the Revs. Nicholas Greisch, S. J., and John Tori, the former of Mankato and the latter assistant pastor of New Ulm, had charge of the congregation. Under Father Greisch's pastorate the church was completed. Father Tori encour- aged and directed the building of the parish rectory. Rev. Bernard Sandmeyer was appointed as first resident pastor in June, 1878. Under his administration the church was enlarged and a congregation was incorporated under the laws of the state. The corporate name being given was "St. Mary's Church of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota." The in- corporators were: Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Grace, bishop of St. Paul; Rev. Augustine Ravoux, vicar-general; Rev. Bernard Sandmeyer, and Messrs. Anton Steffen and John P. Bertrand, lay members.
Under Father Sandmeyer's charge the parochial school was built and put in charge of Sister Veronica, of the Franciscan Order, in October, 1883. Ninety pupils enrolled the first year and Sister Lawrence was made as- sistant teacher.
During the year 1884, E. M. Dekiere was pastor of St. Mary's. In January, 1885, Rev. John Tori was appointed pastor. While providing for the spiritual needs of the flock, he was also intent upon improving the interior of the church, procuring altars, etc. He labored successfully until the spring of 1890 when he was succeeded by Rev. George Pax. Father Pax was succeeded by Rev. Aloysius Plut, December 11, 1897. On March 15, 1900, Rev. Wendelin M. Stulz was assigned to St. Mary's. With the arrival of Father Stulz a new era began for the parish.
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The church had become too small for the rapidly increasing congregation. With great zeal and untiring energy the new pastor labored among his people and began to build the new church, which was dedicated in 1901. This is today one of the finest church buildings in the state. It was entirely free from debt on the day of dedication, owing to Father Stultz's great executive ability and the generous response of the congregation.
In 1904 a fine and substantial rectory was build. The school Sisters who had hitherto lived in the school building, found a home in the old parish house. During the follow- ing years the number of children outgrew the accommoda- tion of the old school building. Plans were secured, and Father Stulz, who in 1912 received the title of Domestic Prelate as a recognition by church authority of his religious zeal and success, was ready to contract for a new building, when on February 21, 1914, death called him to his reward. Rev. John C. Wagner was appointed administrator of the parish until July 15, of the same year, when Rev. James Klein was permanently appointed by Archbishop Ireland.
The planning of the new school building was so well done that the lamented death of Father Stulz caused but little delay in its erection. In January, 1915, it was so far completed that after the Christmas holidays school was re- sumed in the new school. The building contains ten school rooms, a library, a club room and reading room, a large auditorium with well-equipped stage and opera chairs, moving picture and slide machine; a gymnasium, play rooms, manual training room, etc. The school was formally dedicated and blessed for its noble mission of education and enlightenment on May 30, 1915, by Archbishop Ireland.
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ARY'S CHURCH AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOL SLEEPY EYE MINN 9
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At present (May, 1916) the parish numbers about three hundred and twenty-five families with about seventeen hun- dred and fifty souls; there are three hundred and twenty children attending parochial school, including two-year high school. Since 1901 a mission church in the town of Leaven- worth, about nine and one-half miles southwest of Sleepy Eye, was attached to the parish of St. Mary's which neces- sitated an assistant pastor. The assistant pastors in suc- cession have been as follow: Revs. J. Knaeffels, Francis Rant, Gustave Plank, Alfred Kern, Joseph Fleck, Joseph Sodja, C. A. Jungwirth. At present eight Sisters are en- gaged in the school work. Instruction is given free of charge to all children who are members of St. Mary's par- ish. Sister Lawrence is Superioress and director of the school under general superintendence of the pastor. In September, 1915, the old school building was converted into a boarding house-St. Mary's Home-for school children.
ST. RAPHAEL'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
St. Raphael's Catholic church at Springfield was estab- lished as a parish in 1877 by the well-known pioneer priest of Brown county-Rev. Alexander Berghold. He attended the little mission from New Ulm. He too, built the first humble frame church. When the Church of St. Mary's, at Sleepy Eye, received a resident priest, St. Raphael's church mission was put in charge of the Sleepy Eye pastors and Father Tori and B. Sandrege attended to the spiritual needs of the Springfield Catholics in those days. Father Hare, later one of the originators of the commonwealth of
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South Dakota, was the first resident pastor of St. Raphael's church. Fathers Stultz, Boland, Rollinger, Hass, Wirth, Gemeiner were the successive pastors. Rev. Leopold Hass built the present parsonage. Rev. A. Wirth established the parochial school in charge of the Sisters of St. Francis, of Rochester, Minnesota. One hundred and sixty pupils are now enrolled in this school. Rev. H. P. Fey built the beautiful new church of Romanesque architecture, at the cost of fifty thousand dollars. This new building is surely an ornament to the city of Springfield. This congregation is now in charge of the Rev. F. S. Rant, who, with his faith- ful congregation, are now planning to erect a new, modern parsonage and enlarge the already over-crowded school building in the near future.
The subjoined list is a showing of the pioneer families who made up St. Raphael's congregation: The families of J. J. Ray, Matthew Ryan, Michael Gamble, Michael Lehrer, Martin Foy, Peter Thurbis, Joseph Pascher, W. Schmid, Thomas McCormick, John Turbes, John Nach- veiner, Andrew Lang, George Meisinger, Matthew Spoo, John Roiger, Martin Wenrich, Joseph Schotzko, A. C. Ochs, J. B. Forster, J. Eigan, J. Roth.
St. Paul's Catholic church at Comfrey was organized in 1902, by Reverend Smalian. There are now one hun- dred contributing families. The church building cost seven thousand dollars and the parsonage four thousand five hun- dred dollars. The following have served as pastors: Revs. Smalian, 1902-03; Knofele, 1903-04; Stuhel, 1904-05; Glea- son, 1905-08; the present pastor, Reverend Ziskovsky, came in 1908.
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OTHER CATHOLIC CHURCHES.
The first Catholic church in the county was erected of logs and belonged to St. Joseph's parish. It was in Cot- tonwood township, and was used also for a public school house. When the New Ulm church was completed, it was torn down.
In Leavenworth township the Catholic people began holding services under Father Alexander Berghold. They built a small church in 1868, which was replaced by a struc- ture costing two thousand dollars. This congregation in the eighties was under Father Sandmeyer, of Sleepy Eye, and consisted of about ninety families.
In Burnstown township the Catholic people built a fine church in the village of Springfield, in 1879, at a cost of twenty-three dollars. Father Bergquist held first ser- vices in 1874. This congregation in 1882 was also under Father Sandmeyer at Sleepy Eye and had then eighty-five families.
These churches have either gone down or have been added to other nearby village and city churches.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.
At Sleepy Eye the Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1890 and a building erected in which to wor- ship in 1892, costing about twenty-five hundred dollars. The charter members were Alfred Berkner, Charles Cun- ningham, Frank Crumlet, Willis Cunningham, L. G. Davis, George Ebilsizer, Henry Eastman and Mary Ingraham. The membership is now fifty. Pastors who have served
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