History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 98

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110

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In 1914 the number of rural and semi- graded schools receiving the special state aid was 147, the total amount received for rural, semi-graded, graded and high schools being $43,828.10. The require- ments for this special state aid (in one- room schools) are as follows: The teacher must hold a complete certificate of either grade; school must be taught eight months and the building must be equipped with 100 square feet of blackboard; one unabridged and five academic dictionaries; two sets of supplementary readers; a case of nine maps; a twelve-inch globe; $10 worth of primary construction material; a library to which $10 worth of books must be added each year; a heating and ven- tilating plant, properly installed; sanitary drinking vessels, foot-scrapers and erasers. Two well-kept outhouses at least thirty feet apart must also be provided. Every school so equipped is entitled to the spe- cial state aid, providing the teacher holds a complete certificate. A limited certifi- cate, while authorizing the holder to teach, does not entitle the district to this aid, al- though the apportionment and other state revenues are not withheld. If the teacher holds a first grade certificate the district receives $150; if a second grade, $100. If the district votes only seven months of school then either grade of certificate en- titles to $75 only.

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For the past three years the average length of school term was 8.2 months for the entire county. The apportionment for the past year was $6 for each child that attended the required forty days, making a total of $60,317.51 for the entire county. There are 105 districts in which text-books are furnished free to the children. The total value of all schoolhouses and sites is estimated at this date to be $628,344. The

interior equipment amounts to another $58,332, making a total of $686,676. Dur- ing the past year the sum of $289,195.44 was expended for the maintenance of the public schools in this county, with a total cash balance of $120,187.75 in the several treasuries. The average rate of special tax, in mills, for the ensuing year was 15.9 for high and graded school districts, and 5.7 for rural districts.

In twelve of the rural schools warm lunches are served to the children at noon and the movement is steadily spreading. The pioneers in this direction were Har- riet Wheeler, who began under serious difficulties and drawbacks in District Num- ber 136 in the township of Ashley; Leta White, of District Number 49, three miles west of Sauk Centre; and Carrie Walz, in District Number 40 in the township of Rockville, Anna M. Karels, now Mrs. Henry Zenner, of St. Wendel, was the first to introduce manual training in a rural school, beginning this work in 1912 at St. Nicholas, where she taught for three years. Another pioneer in this movement is Mi- chael Lutgen, now teaching in District Number 81, township of St. Martin.

There are 113 schools in the county in which a foreign language is taught, in- struction being given as follows: German, 100; Scandinavian, 11; Polish, 2. The laws now in force permit the teaching of a foreign language in the public (com- mon) schools for a period of one hour a day, provided it is so ordered by a unani- mous vote of the school board.

Including those of the high and graded schools there are 177 school libraries in the county, with a total of 37,703 volumes. During the past year parents and pupils availed themselves of these libraries to the extent that 26,693 volumes were taken and read.

The number of children enrolled, includ- ing those of the high and graded schools

is 10,725, of whom 10,089 were entitled to apportionment the past year, having at- tended the required number of days. The average number of days attended by each child was 130. In 1909 the state legisla- ture passed a wholesome compulsory edu- cation law which is quite rigidly enforced. It provides that the clerk of each dis- trict each year take a census of the chil- dren between the ages of six and sixteen, the original being filed with the county superintendent and a copy with the teacher .. Children between the ages of eight and fourteen are obliged to attend regularly, unless excused by the board. Grounds for excuse are physical inability, mental deficiency, unreasonable distance from school and previous completion of the grades. Children between fourteen and sixteen years of age may be excused between April 1 and November 1, to assist in the necessary work on the farm.

Long Periods of Service .- Stearns county has acquired an enviable reputation for the numerous long periods of continuous service performed by many teachers in their respective districts. The longest un- interrupted term was enjoyed by Lucas Gertken, who taught in the village school at Richmond for thirty-one years, follow- ing which he taught nine years at Meire Grove. Next in line is John Wocken who has been principal of the Cold Spring school for twenty-seven consecutive years, while Gotthard Harren held the same posi- tion in the Freeport schools for twenty- five years. The longest term in any rural school was taught by Nicholas K. Weber, who was employed in District Number 125, in the township of St. Martin, for twenty- two years. Close upon this record comes that of Joseph M. Gillitzer, who taught the school in District Number 63, known as the "Wolf Settlement," for twenty-one years. Henry Krebs, one of the early county su- perintendents, taught at St. Augusta for twenty-four years, while Henry W. Lem- beck has been teaching at Spring Hill for eighteen years. N. K. Stein taught in Dis- trict 64 for seventeen years. Seventeen years ago Mary Phlepsen was employed to teach the primary room in the village school at Cold Spring, and she has been regularly reengaged every year since. Wendelin Ruf, one of the early teachers, taught sixteen years at Arban, while Theo-

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dore Lobmiller was employed for fourteen consecutive years at Farming. For thir- teen years Edward Ortmann has been teaching the primary room in the Meire Grove school, and his record is equalled by those of John B. Glass and Michael Meinz, who taught the same number of years at Cold Spring as assistants to Mr. Wocken. Joseph Torborg taught the school in District Number 132 for eleven years, which record is also held by John Lang in District Number 133 and Hermann Ricker in District Number 183. The fol- lowing taught each in his respective school for ten years: C. A. Boerger at St. Mar- tin; Joseph N. Huss at Jacob's Prairie; Andrew Weber at Richmond; W. F. Kuehnl at St. Nicholas, and J. C. Diek- mann at Roscoe. A nine-year record is held by M. P. Schiltz at Meire Grove, Henry J. Adrian in District Number 165, Simon Blum in District Number 144, and Henry Stoetzel at St. Rosa. For eight years W. C. Hendershott was principal of the Brooten school, a record also enjoyed by Joseph B. Himsl in District Number 94 and Joseph Lahr in District Number 63. Besides these there are a large num- ber who have taught in one district for seven, six and five years. Much of this is due to the fact that in a large number of instances cottages are either owned by the district or else dwelling houses are provided rent free for the use of the teach- ers.

HISTORY OF DISTRICTS.

Ashley Township .- District Number 46. now called the Homm school, seven miles northwest of Sauk Centre, was the first organized in Ashley township. This is a joint district, part of which lies in Todd county. The first school was taught by Mary Parker in the house of F. Karell, across the road from the present location in Todd county. After a schoolhouse was erected Mary Stiles was employed to teach, the officers engaging her being F. Tubbs, clerk; George Baker, treasurer, and David Stiles, director.

All the records belonging to the district were destroyed by fire in 1899. Other teachers employed in this school were Hattie Doyle, Julia Kinsella, Mae Jardine, Nathaniel Swift, Alta Cass, Samuel F. Reed, Manda Nelson, Mae Gallagher, Flor-

ence Compton, Clara Hines and Alice Parker. This school was awarded second prize for general exhibits from rural schools at the Stearns county fair held at Sauk Centre in 1914. Alice Parker was the teacher. It is completely equipped for the special state aid. During the past year warm lunches were served, for which purpose the stove and utensils were bought with prize money earned by the school and by individual pupils for school ex- hibits at the county fair.

In 1869 a part of District Number 46 was taken to form a new district, the school house being erected two miles south of that of the parent organization. It is now known as the Parker school, though Num- ber 65 is its legal designation. The first officers of this newly created district were J. A. Shaw, clerk; Simeon Grant, director; John Ebenpacher, treasurer. The first schoolhouse used was a log building in which Triphene Baker was the first teacher. Miss Baker was engaged for a term of three months, at a salary of $20 per month, she to board herself, or, if she chose and found a welcome, to "board 'round." There were only three pupils en- rolled the first term. The equipment at the command of the teacher and pupils was very limited. It consisted of one spelling book, one "Practical Arithmetic" and a Bible. This was further supple- mented one morning by one of the older girls who brought a lead pencil and a sheet of writing paper that the teacher might help her write a letter to her beau! Still, in spite of these humble beginnings, this school has won in the course of time an honorable position. Among the pupils who attended here was Clara Stiles, now a member of the faculty of the state nor- mal school at St. Cloud, considered one of the most thorough educators in the state. Jennie Pierson, Thekla Pierson, Orpha Stiles and Alice Parker, who also attended this school, later graduated with class hon- ors from the Sauk Centre high school. At the 1913 county fair, with Blanche Lee as teacher, this school was awarded the sec- ond prize for a penmanship exhibit, and one year later, with the same teacher, it received the first prize for a general ex- hibit from rural schools. At the 1914 state fair the first prize for a product map of the state of Minnesota was awarded

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this district. A complete equipment for the special state aid adds to the efficiency of the school. Among the teachers em- ployed were Paris Bruce, Elida Close, Net- tie Wilcox, Kate Atfield, Charles Bronson, Molly Dobbs, Emma Sumner, Fannie Mitchell, Minnie Hogan, Hattie Rockwell, Belle McLief, Hattie Smith, Jennie Jones, Bert Stiles, Emma Stiles, Nellie McCor- mick (later society editress of the St. Cloud Journal-Press and now Mrs. E. J. Hollern of Minneapolis), Vinnie Johnson, 1. W. Reid, Edward Dubois, Mabel Cowl- thorpe, Irving Fischer, Edna Carpenter, Frances Spieker, Charlotte Swift, Mae Jar- dine, Leta White, Jennie Hines, Blanche Lee and Typhosa Rorabaugh.

District Number 101, whose building is situated three miles west of the Parker school, was organized in 1874. School was first taught in a small board shanty on the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section 17. This structure was replaced in 1876 by a frame building erected on the present site, the southeast quarter of Sec- tion 8. The teachers employed in this school were Lettie Burgess, F. A. Stiles, Ella L. Lewis, R. H. Sliter, Belle Riley, Cora Sunderland, Carrie Frederick, Rose Cooper, May Hoffman, Maggie Hartnett, Cassie Frederick, Hester Lewis, Eva Da- vis, Emma Stiles, Annie Gray, Celia Grimes, Lucy Chisholm, Lela V. Gilman, Anna Allen, Jennie Pierson, Carrie Cooper, Jennie Lovas, Jennie Hines, Mildred Lath- rop, Bessie Manwell, Florence Compton, Clara Houghton and Clara Hines.

District Number 97 was organized in 1882 and a schoolhouse erected on the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of Section 26. Several years after the building was moved south one-half mile, and from this new location it has acquired the name of the Lynch school. The first teacher was Emma Lewis, who had an enrollment of twelve pupils. Other teach- ers employed were Etta Craig, Kate Fla- haven, Mayme Grundmann, Maggie Meagher, Nettie Wilcox, Kate Fredericks, Carrie Fredericks, Clara Stiles, Orpha Stiles, Inez Gats, Thomas Flahaven, Elmer Smith, Lizzie Gray, Margaret Von Levern, Mae Jardine, Frances Spieker, Edna Brown, William Parker, Mathilda Bock, and Ruth Osborne.

District Number 136, which is more gen-

erally known as the Gray District, was or- ganized in 1888, with William Gray, clerk; Charles Robinson, treasurer; William Mitchell, director. The first teacher was a Miss McIntyre, whose enrollment was fifteen pupils. It was in this school that Harriet Wheeler in 1912-13 began the teaching of domestic science, the first work of its kind in the rural schools of this county. The first efforts were rather prim- itive, the equipment consisting of one kettle and such smaller dishes as the chil- dren were permitted to bring from home. The heating stove was used in cooking the food. Later the school board purchased an oil stove and the necessary utensils. Miss Wheeler's efforts, begun merely to provide a warm lunch at noon, gradually widened into a larger scope, and soon she found herself giving instructions in cook- ing and baking. This work was done on Friday afternoons, some of the mothers of the district being frequently present. During this period the boys judged and tested corn and potatoes. So successful were Miss Wheeler's efforts that she was employed by the state the following sum- mer for demonstration work in the north- ern counties. Other teachers who in- structed in this school were Martha Moon, Isabel Riley, Margaret Maguire, Mary Swift, Cecelia Grimes, Mary Fearby, Ethel Smith, Anna Hoffmann, Hattie Swift, Vin- nie Johnson, Vera Parker, Rose McIntyre, Lydia Lyons, Alice Cass, Archibald Kirk, Elizabeth Rich and Josephine Hanson.

District Number 157, the most north- westerly in the county, was organized in 1891 with J. C. Cass, director; H. B. Nickum, treasurer; G. D. Cass, clerk. Al- lie Moore was the first teacher. Her en- rollment was fifteen pupils. Other teach- ers were Lulu Wilcox, Sarah Hartnett, Eva Davis, Etta Carpenter, Mary Rooney, Clara Carpenter, Lena Karels, Lillie Schwartz, Barbara Krick, Blonda Smith, Mary Kettermann, Susan Auer, Pauline Ahles, Emily Rassier, Anna M. Heger, Su- san Rassier and Elizabeth Speiser.

Avon Township .- The first school in this township was taught by Mary Sutrup in a wagon shop, owned and operated by M. S. Keppers near his home. The only furni- ture was the work bench. In 1870 District Number 60 (the present village school of Avon) was organized and a log building

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erected on Section 28. Joseph Katzner, now the Rev. John Katzner, O. S. B., fa- miliarly known as Father John, the suc- cessful horticulturist of St. John's Abbey, was the first teacher in this new building. The structure was also used as a church and the equipment was very meagre in both directions. It consisted of a number of rudely fashioned benches, a piece of canvass painted black and an old box stove. The first folding slate, bound .in flaming red flannel, caused such a commo- tion that for half an hour discipline went begging! The log building was later re- placed by a frame structure which is still standing, although it is no longer used for school purposes. An addition was built in the nineties and an assistant hired. In 1912 a parochial school building was erected and rented to the district. Three teachers are employed.

An amusing incident occurred in the early days which is still related by those who remember the occurrence. One of the teachers was very fond of deer hunt- ing, which game was quite abundant at that time. He was in the habit of going out early in the morning to lie in waiting near the runways. But in spite of his vig- ilance he never got a fair shot at any of the nimble creatures. Despairing of suc- cess he hit upon the expedient of scaling a half fallen tree which overhung one of the runways. However he was much afraid that in his excitement he might fall off, and to provide against such a calamity took with him a strong piece of rope with which he lashed himself somewhat loosely to the trunk. Presently a fine buck came sniffing along the path. The pedagogue wriggled into position, but in his eager- ness he lost his balance and slipped from the tree. At the appointed hour the chil- dren arrived at the school building but there was no teacher. They waited half an hour, an hour, and still the good man did not put in his appearance. Finally some people living near-by became inter- ested and a search for the missing teacher was instituted. Much speculation was rife as to the possible fate of the master as the people and children hurried through the woods, when suddenly they came upon him dangling from the tree with a rope tied about his waist! After numerous re- marks by which, as may well be imagined,

his dignity was not at all advanced, the unfortunate schoolmaster was liberated and everybody trooped back to school, where the work for the day was resumed. The good man's ardor in the chase may well be pardoned, for the first teachers were paid the lowest of wages and were obliged to "board 'round."

The teachers employed were Mary Sut- rup, Joseph Katzner, Joseph Maier, Con- rad Marschall, Anton Warnken, Ignatius Broker, Phillip Richter, P. J. Limperich, Casper Klostermann, L. J. Rocholl, John Steichen, Math Weirens, Anton Eltrich, Michael Gans, Anna Christen, John Goetz, W. F. Kuehnl, Joseph Heinen, Carl Retten- maier, Miss Hasty, Ben Garding, Miss Nel- son, Mary Coyne, A. C. Seifert, John Ja- cobs, John Lang and J. J. Welte .. The first assistant was Mrs. Carl Rettenmaier and her successors were Miss Kuhn, Kate Christen, Clara Engels, Sophia Kranz, Theresa Bauer, Carrie Walz, Frances Don- nersbach and Mary Bauer.

District Number 72, the school at St. Anna, was organized in 1869, with Wolf- gang Voit, clerk; Rudolph Grunoh, treas- urer; John Rass, director. There is some dispute as to who may have been the first teacher. Some maintain that Adam Kep- pers enjoys this distiction, while others claim that Sisters of the Order of St. Bene- dict gave the first instructions. The school formerly stood one mile south of the pres- ent location, instruction being given in a log building. This was later replaced by a frame structure which was destroyed by fire. When a new building was erected the location was changed. The enrollment at the present time is 72, a number far in excess of the seating capacity of the school. However, the district is contem- plating the erection of a modern, two- room building, which will no doubt mate- rialize within a short time. During the past year a large past of the territory was detached to form a new district. While this greatly diminishes the area it does not materially decrease the enrollment. The teachers who taught in this school were F. Vorwold, Louis Kitowski, John Schwientek, Mrs. H. Remington, Joseph Otte, James Backes, Mathew E. Omann, Adam Waldowski, Joseph Krebsbach, Alice Uptegrove, Anna Stewart, Paul Dobis, Elinor Bettenburg, Michael Tschida,

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Adam Keppers, Miss Haules, Frank Brink- mann, Mr. Renker, John Eich, Anna Kep- pers, C. Janski and Emily Rassier. Mr. Vorwold, one of the early teachers, was drowned in Pelican Lake, near the school. He lived across the lake and in winter · would skate across to shorten the distance.

District Number 149, otherwise known as the Sperl school and more recently given the name "Rosebud School," was or- ganized in the fall of 1890. Stephen Dil- lenburg was elected clerk; John B. Sperl, treasurer, and John Grossmann, director. Jacob E. Lemm, now living at Estovan, Canada, was the first teacher. His enroll- ment numbered 28 pupils. Since the or- ganization of the district the number of pupils has steadily decreased, until the term in 1911-12 when no school could be taught as there were only two pupils of school age in the district. Accordingly the school board made provision for the transportation of the children to the Al- bany school, and for one year the little school on the hill stood vacant. However, this could not continue, as under such conditions the district stood in danger of dissolution; so the following year a teacher was again employed, although the number of children was still less than half a dozen. Other teachers who followed Mr. Lemm were Joseph Lommel, Kate Wim- mer, Lena Christen, J. P. Schwinghammer, Benedict Lemm, Fred Christen, Sophie Christen, Mary Schwinghammer, Bernard J. Keppers, Leonars Vos, Mary Pratsch- ner, Cecilia Robeck, Henrietta Christen, Frances Backes, Martin Schmitt, Margaret Roesch (now Sister Jeanette of the Order of St. Benedict), Anton J. Schneider, Anna Gerding, Max Grave and Mathilda O. Friedl.

District Number 175, whose educational activity is visibly expressed by a little stone schoolhouse, situated one mile north of St. John's University, in a hollow formed on three sides by a naturally curved mound and on the other by the high grade of the Albany state road, was organized in 1895. This district, which was formerly a part of District Number 120, may properly be said to have been born of a cyclone, for it was upon this physical calamity that dissatisfaction from within found expression when it was pro- posed to erect the new building still far-

ther from this part of the district. (See history of District No. 120, Township of Collegeville.) The majority voted to have the school placed half a mile farther south, whereupon the residents in the northern part of the district petitioned for a new organization. The petition was granted and in 1895 the organization was completed by the election of the following officers: Sebastian Meyer, clerk; Peter Rau, direc- tor; Aloysius Himsl, treasurer. Mr. Meyer still holds his office, while Mr. Himsl con- tinued to be treasurer until his death, which occurred July 2, 1913. Two weeks later his son, Frank Himsl, was elected in his place. John Wimmer, was the first teacher in this school. His enrollment numbered 35 pupils, which number has very much decreased since the first term. Other teachers employed were Mary Braun, Mary Jakale, Albert A. Eich, Frank Wagner, Math Krier, Carrie Walz, Eliza- beth Rich, Regina Schneider, Elizabeth Keller, Joseph M. Gillitzer, Elizabeth Kamp, John Mergen, Simon Meyer, Ma- thilda Lemm, Roe Danzl and Alma Hock- ert.

District Number 176, the Hill school, lo- cated in Section 13, was organized in 1896. The first school officers were Patrick Meagher, William Murphy and Hermann Maehren. Nellie McBride, now Mrs. Oliver Cronin of North Dakota, was the first teacher. She had an enrollment of fifteen pupils. Other teachers employed were Wendelin Ruff, Norbert Schneider, Henry Bachel, Theresa Hill, B. J. Keppers, Eva- line Messerschmitt, Minnie Kaufmann, Agnes Coyne, James L. Barrett, Sarah Fearon, Elinor Theisen, Martha Murphy and Margaret Ryan.

District Number 208 was organized in the summer of 1914, the territory being taken from Districts 72, 87, 42 and 176. The school officers were E. J. Tipton, clerk; F. Phillipsek, treasurer, and Anton Streit, chairman. Mr. Streit was for a number of years clerk of District Number 87. Miss Effie Quale of Albany was the first teacher.

Albany Township .- The first school in the Township of Albany was taught in 1867 in a log building on Section 22 by Anthony Froehlich, twenty pupils being en- rolled. The school was situated on the land of Mr. Obermiller, about half a mile

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south of the present village of Albany, al- though at that time no railroad extended into Stearns county and there was as yet no village of that name. Because of its location the school was known as the Obermiller school. The building had been erected by a number of Catholics who lived in the surrounding country for a church, the Rev. P. Benedict, O. S. B. (long since deceased), conducting services therein about once a month. In the spring of the following year District Number 59 was organized with Joseph Schwingham- mer, clerk; Isidor Obermiller, director, and Paul Obermiller, treasurer. The organiza- tion embraced all of the township of Al- bany except sections 31, 32, and 33. The old church continued to be used for school purposes for several years; however, upon the completion of the Great Northern rail- road through the county and the platting of the townsite of Albany, a church was built nearer the station and the old build- ing was deprived of its religious character. The land on which it stood was repur- chased by the former owners, and in order to accommodate the children of the vil- lage (during the first three or four years these were few in number) the school site was changed to the cross-roads about one- quarter of a mile to the east, where a frame building was erected and stood for several years. Some of the early teachers were A. Hoffmann, Frank Klostermann, A. Warnken, J. M. Gillitzer, Michael Kum- mer, Nicholas Young and Henry F. Meyer. The arrangement proved quite satisfactory for several years; however, as the popu- lation of the village increased sentiment favored the location of a school within the corporate limits, and at an election held in 1878 a sufficient majority of the voters cast their ballots in favor of the new loca- tion. Immediately upon this the people living to the south and east petitioned the county board for a new district and their petition was granted. The new organiza- tion was known as District Number 111, but the schoolhouse remained at the cross- roads, almost at the edge of the village, until 1902, when it was moved south about two miles. Even at the present time the boundaries of District Number 111 extend up to the village limits of Albany, scarcely half a mile from the town school. The first village schoolhouse was a frame

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 98

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843- Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper Number of Pages: 1110

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110