USA > Nebraska > Platte County > Past and present of Platte County, Nebraska : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 14
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PAST AND PRESENT OF PLATTE COUNTY
GERMAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Jacob Zinnecker, a local preacher, who arrived in Columbus direct from Germany some twenty-five years ago, delivered the first sermon in the German language in this city. This service was conducted in the English Methodist Church and from that time on services were conducted occasionally. Mr. Zinnecker eventually was instrumental in inducing Rev. Edward Beck to come to Columbus with a view to forming a religious society among the German people of the com- munity, this being accomplished in the fall of the year 1888. For a few years thereafter Reverend Beck conducted services in the Eng- lish Methodist Church, some of the first members being Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Zinnecker, Mr. and Mrs. John Meyer, Mr. and Mrs. Houser and Mr. and Mrs. Aden.
On the 17th of January, 1907, the society was incorporated, and those who signed the articles of incorporation were: Jacob Zinnecker,. John Schmocker, Mary Schmocker, Elizabeth Wuethrich, John Wuethrich, Rebecca Ernst, Rose Houser, Isaac Brock, August Nuetzmann, Fred Ernst, Ernest Nuetzmann and Hannah Nuetz- mann.
In the spring of the year above mentioned, 1907, a church at Portal was purchased by this congregation and the building was removed to Columbus and located on a lot on Eighth Street. between Washington Avenue and L Street. The building, a frame structure, was rebuilt and remodeled and was formally dedicated on Sunday, July 28, 1907, services being conducted by the presiding elder of this charge, Rev. J. T. Leist.
Reverend Beck was followed by. Rev. John Kracher, who had charge until 1894. His successors and the years they have served are as follows: Revs. Frederick Reichardt, 1894-99; Charles H. Sud- brook, 1899-1901; M. H. Kueck, 1901-03: Julius Wegener, 1903-04; B. Johansen, 1904-08; B. B. Zeuner, 1908-09; H. H. Hackmann, 1909-12, and the present pastor, Rev. Charles Harms, who has had charge since 1912.
UNITED BRETHREN IN CHIRIST
Some twenty years ago, Henry Lohr, who had been holding relig- jous meetings in Columbus, made some twenty-six converts to the tenets of the Brethren Church and organized a society under that name. The names of some of the early members now remembered
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are George Cleveland, the Nelson family, William Lohr and wife, Minnie Lohr, Pearl Lohr, Jeff Lohr and family. Meetings were first held at the home of William Lohr and then the old church build- ing of the Episcopal Society was purchased and moved to its present site on Seventh Street. There is now a membership of eighteen per- sons. The pastor is Rev. F. Lohr. Other pastors who have served the church were Reverends Campbell, Stebbins and Lincoln Lohr, son of the minister now in charge.
REORGANIZED CHURCH OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
This church was organized at Columbus in July, 1865. At the time the members were II. J. Hudson and wife, G. W. Galley and wife, Charles Brindley and wife, Peter Murie and wife, James War- ner and wife, James Freston and wife. H. J. Hudson, pastor.
Mr. Hudson had come in an early day from England with a colony of followers and settled near St. Louis. Here he opposed the doctrine of the Mormons as expounded by Pratt and Young, and was one of the movers in the reorganizing of the church. In 1871 a little frame building, the first one erected by the board of education for school purposes, was purchased of the town authorities, who had been using it for a city hall, paying $350 for the property. This was afterwards remodeled and has ever since been the meeting place of this people. In 1879 Elder Hudson retired from the ministry and Elder Charles Brindley became pastor. Elder George Galley was for many years president of the Central Nebraska District.
ST. ANTHONY'S ( POLISH) CATHOLIC CHURCH
About two years ago the Polish people, of which are several fam- ilies in Columbus and vicinity, organized St. Anthony's parish and are now making strenuous efforts to increase the membership and secure funds for the building of a church edifice. A temporary chapel has been in use for the past several months and is located on East Sixth Street, also a parochial school, all of which is in charge of the pastor, Rev. Dennis Czech.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN IMMANUEL CHURCH
This society was organized in October, 1883, by Rev. Herman Miessler, who has been the only pastor the church has ever had. Articles of incorporation were taken out April 1, 1887. The fol- lowing named persons took part in the organization and incorpora-
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tion of the society: Louis Esslinger, Henry Luers, William Becker, Louis Schwarz, Louis Schreiber, Fritz Witte, Frangott Schmidt, Ludwig Esslinger, Diedrich Bartles, Herman Kretschmer, Peter Wilkins, Dietrich Ennan, William Hagemann, John Steenemann, Emil Heier, Gustav Geoer, F. Baumgart, August Helb, F. G. Stan- key, Leopold Plath, F. H. Rusche, Mrs. Paul Hoppen and Mrs. T. Bauer.
During the first year after the society was organized, services were held in the Presbyterian Church on Sunday afternoons. In the following year, 1884, a house of worship was erected on Fourteenth Street, at a cost of about twenty-five hundred dollars. This building was enlarged and remodeled in 1906. On an adjoining lot to the north is a school building, while to the west of the church stands the parsonage, the value of the property being estimated at about twenty thousand dollars. The school was incorporated March 24, 1908, by the following named persons: B. G. Bartles, Henry Bargemann, William F. Arndt. Henry Garms, Henry D. Claussen, Fred Wille, E. F. Rodehorst, J. C. Moschenross, Fred Krumland and W. F. Rodehorst.
In connection with this church society there is a parochial school located five miles north of Columbus, for the accommodation of the children who live in. that vicinity. In the two schools there are 100 pupils. The children who attend the Columbus school are instructed by one teacher, who has an assistant.
The Immanuel congregation now numbers 70 voting members (male), 325 communicants, or 450 souls. There is a ladies' society with a membership of seventy-five.
THE CEMETERY.
Columbus has an attractive and prettily kept burial place for those who have been called away to the city beyond the skies. This lies in the southeastern part of the town. It was laid out in the early days and as burials increased, the grounds were enlarged, and are now under the jurisdiction of the Columbus Cemetery Association which was organized December 8, 1864, by C. B. Stillman, J. Rickly, C. A. Speice, Jacob Ernst, Michael Weaver, and F. G. Becher. On the 14th of January, 1865, the association was incorporated by the follow- ing named persons: John Rickly, Jacob Ernst, Michael Weaver. Vincent Kummer, F. G. Becher, J. C. Wolfel. C. B. Stillman, H. J. Hudson, John Brauner, C. A. Speice, J. P. Becker, G. W. Stevens, I. N. Taylor.
CHAPTER IX
EDUCATIONAL
Recorded data relating to the education of the pioneer boys and girls of Platte County do not make a satisfactory showing, when one is desirous of being thorough and comprehensive on the subject of the schools. The first intelligence in this relation is the minute of a public meeting, held in the American Hotel, March 5, 1860, at which John Rickly, Michael Weaver and George W. Stevens were elected as members of the school board. However, it is highly probable that before this interesting event, means and measures were devised and adopted, whereby the few children then in the village, were put through a course of learning "readin', writin' and 'rithmetic;" the same being paid for by subscription to a fund by the heads of families benefited. That was the customary rule in all new settlements, when children were few in numbers and legal facilities were wanting, in the way of organization and means to build schoolhouses. It may also be taken for granted that some ardent advocate of the virtue of edu- cating the youth gave up a room in his humble home, where the modest and unassuming schoolma'am held forth, and a little brood of pioneers gathered around her and learned "the rudiments."
Howbeit, a step was taken in the right direction, when a school board was selected, and it may be determined that the organization of school district No. 1 was there and then consummated. In the month of October following, a census of the children in the county was taken, which developed a showing of 46 males and 20 females, of which total number 35 were east of the meridianal line and 31 west of it. The "Company House" or "Town Hall." constructed of logs and roofed with grass, the first structure erected in the town, was donated to the school board by the Columbus Company on December 10, 1860, and in this crude log cabin, then standing on the block now occupied by the brewery, in the southeast part of Columbus, the chil- dren foregathered for the first time in a public school and imbibed wisdom for future use, from that primitive and pioneer pedagogue,
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George W. Stevens. The progeny of the Ricklys, Weavers, Wolfels and Ernsts formed the initial class of pupils; the absence of such names in the list as Becker, Stillman, Guter, Browner and Reinke being plausibly accounted for by reason of the fact that their owners had been too busy in founding the future metropolis of Platte County to recognize their duty as citizens in founding families; in other words, they were bachelors, who, by their later conversion to the precept that "'tis not well for man to live alone," enabled the community to recoup its losses and in a measure increased the number of school children in the following decade.
The old grass covered company house retained the dignity of an educational institution but a short time, for on the 23d of March, 1861, the property was sold to Charles A. Speice for $20.25, and at a later date converted into stove wood. The first school order drawn in the county was made payable to G. W. Stevens for teaching. Mr. Stevens' bill against the county was $67.45, which was his stipend for sixty-seven days' service. In the fall of 1861 the school year was opened by pupils and teachers assembling in the first schoolhouse built for the purpose in Platte County. This was a one-story frame struc- ture, which stood about two blocks east of the courthouse, on Tenth Street. George W. Stevens was the first teacher. The building was afterwards used as a hospital for the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, then as court room and city hall. In 1871 it was purchased by the society of Latter Day Saints, who in the summer of 1887, while under the ministrations of Elder G. W. Galley, enlarged and remodeled it.
Fortunately, the names of children who attended this school in the years 1867, 1868 and 1869 are preserved in a little record book kept by the teachers. On the fly leaf of the record is the following inscription, written in a beautiful Spencerian hand: "A list of pupils who attended the district school in District No. 1, in the Town of Columbus, Platte County, State of Nebraska, during the term com- mencing December 10. 1867, and closing April 1, 1868. and the num- ber of days they respectively attended the same. Joel Warner, teacher." The names follow :
Bettie Weaver, Mary J. Weaver, Louis W. Weaver, Rosena C. Rickly, Albert Rickly, Augusta Rickly, Orlando C. Shannon, Vir- ginia Shannon, Luella Shannon, Francis L. Barnum, Helen Barnum, George Barnum, Josephine Bremer, Anna Paulina Bremer, Mary A. C. Wolfel, Frank Oscar Wolfel, Mary Jane Brown, Carrie Brown. Thomas C. Brown, Kitty Mullen, Damon Litle, Ralph Litle, Oscar Baker, Lizzie Baker, George Thrush, Frank Hayward, Alonzo Mil-
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ler, Horace H. Hudson, Isabella Brindley, Sarah Rice, Hiram Rice, Jacob Ernst, Thomas Regan, Mollie Hartman, Charles Brindley, Mary Mullen, Julia Schadd, Charles C. Draper, J. Freddie Speice, Mary Falkenbach, Henry Gerrard, Nellie Warren, Sarah Barnum, Samuel J. E. Galley, Mary Draper, Erastus Freston, George Erb, Henry Platte Baker, John Henry Barrow, John James Galley, Henry Falkenbach, Allen M. Wheeler, Mary Ellen Goodwin, Levi Kimball, Louisa Rickly, Willie Rickly, Hiram Brindley, Nellie Farren, Martha Alice Barrow, Charles Kimball, Jennie L. Weaver, Willie Ernst, Margaret Anna Goodwin.
Joel Warner remained as teacher until April 1, 1868, when Louisa Weaver took up the "birch rod," figuratively speaking. In addition to the names already given, Miss Weaver had under her charge as pupils, the following:
Dora Taylor, Douglas Brown, Thomas Bolans, James Bolans, Michael Bolans, Cassius Draper, Samuel Freston, Edward Freston, Charles Lathrop. Henry Lathrop. Samuel Rickly, Samuel Taylor, Anna Amelia Galley, Maria Litle, Mary Macmany, Charles Comp- ton, Willie G. Hills. John Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, Elenora Clinger, Mary J. Clinger, Rhoda Ann Chapin, Eva Coffee, Hannah Galley. Mary Long, Edward Lawrence, Claudy Coffee, Mary Regan.
Mr. Warner was pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and from the fact that he devoted part of his time to teaching gives rise to the suspicion that his parishioners at the time were too few in number to be able to pay him a salary commensurate with his needs. This probably accounts for Rev. Samuel Goodale's appearance in the school in 1869 as instructor. He for many years was pastor of the Episcopal Church. He began his labors as a teacher in the Columbus public school, January 3, 1869, and remained in that position until April 2d. Under him were the following pupils, in addition to those before mentioned:
Harry Coolidge, Joseph Coolidge. Frank Darling, Ellen Farren, Josie Goodale, Charles Rickly, Austina Warren, Louisa Anderson, George Clinger, William Clinger, James Barrow, Samuel Irwin, Los- sie Lawrence. Rudolph Kummer, Electa Smith, Daniel Smith, David Smith, Lulu Hudson.
For the rest of the school year Clara Bresee was the teacher, under whom appeared the following new pupils:
Maria Sutton, Ralph Sutton, Sallie Hudson, Katie Carruth, Ida Carruth, Elmer Carruth, Josephine Speice, Nancy Hare, John Smith, Irene Sloss, Charlie Buss, Nicholas Buss, Eliza Waller, Willis Wal-
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ler, Bennie Warren, Nettie Beebe, Allen Beebe, Charles Miller, Adolph Martin, Ellen Fairel, Thomas Hare, Martha Barrow, Otie Baker, Minnie Douglas, Joseph Douglas, George Houser, Arthur Douglas, Thomas Bolden, Johnnie Becher, Charles Hiller, Gussie Speice, Samuel Curry, Laura Anderson, Michael Bolden.
SUPERINTENDENT SPEICE'S ANNUAL REPORT
Under the good management and administrations of men who had the welfare of the community at heart, several school districts had been established in various parts of the county, schoolhouses erected and instructors employed to teach the constantly increasing number of children seeking knowledge. By this time the one-story frame build- ing erected for school purposes had ceased to meet the requirements and demands of the county seat, so that in 1868 a better, more com- modious and modern structure was built and occupied the following year. Charles A. Speice was elected county superintendent in 1867 and in 1869, II. M. Lathrop, who was elected to succeed him, failed to qualify, so that Speice held over until the vacancy was filled by the appointment of Rev. James B. Chase.
The report of Charles A. Speice, county superintendent of schools for 1871, follows:
There are twenty-one districts in the county, having an aggregate of 744 school children of school age (515 last year). The smallest district, No. 19, has 10 pupils ; the largest, No. 1, has 117. The two Columbus districts have together 165. District No. 11 paid out the most money for books and apparatus during the year. There is one adobe schoolhouse, two log and twelve frame houses. The total value of schoolhouses and sites is $8,614.91. Schools not visited during the year by the directors were Nos. 2, 7, 17, 19, 20 and 21. The county superintendent made seven visits during the year.
Twenty-five teachers were employed-15 male, 10 female. Total wages- male, $2,030.65; female, $1,078.25. The total resources for the year were $10,851.30, district No. 1 having the highest-$2,339.95, and districts 17, 18, 19 and 20, the lowest-each $15.74.
When it is considered that the county had only been in existence a little over one decade, the showing of the county superintendent was a very good one. In a way the facts and figures indicated a steady and substantial growth in population and prosperity. The two Colum- bus districts contained 165 children of school age and, as before stated, provision had been made to meet the demand for better accom-
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modations for them. To this end a new school building was erected in 1868. To generalize on the years preceding Superintendent Speice's report, beginning in 1861, the enumeration of children in the county for that year was 154 and the school fund consisted of the munificent sum of $157.34; in 1862 there were 159 children reported and the fund was $374.23; in 1863, 169 children and school fund, $459.47; in 1864, 167 children, and the fund, $385.36; in 1865, 198 children and the school fund, $821.80. This appears to have been a prosperous year in all respects as far as school matters are concerned. In 1866 there were 207 children and $731.37 in the school fund. In 1867 the number of children had very gratifyingly increased to 267. The Journal had the following to say of the new school building:
"Another monument of progress was this day made public prop- erty. Our new schoolhouse, the finest structure in the Platte Valley, was dedicated to educational purposes. The Hon. C. A. Speice and Judge Whaley, school directors, made very appropriate addresses, responded to by their efficient teacher, the Rev. Joel Warner, the Methodist pastor of Columbus, to whom we shall give a passing notice. He is one of the many in the clerical profession from whose approach the feathered tribe manifest no disposition to run away, since he eats no bread (or chicken) that he does not diligently labor for, attending to his duties as teacher of the public school, devoting his evenings to lessons in penmanship, and giving private lessons at the home of one of our merchants. This, with pastoral duties on the alternate Sabbath evenings, furnishes a steady round of appli- cation and labor truly commendable. We are not addicted to flatter- ing the clergy, but shall not keep back our meed of praise, when young men from the East like Rev. Joel Warner, struggle onward and upward to measure their capacities with our growing state. An inci- dent occurred at the opening of the new schoolhouse that we think too good to lose :
"When the school directors entered the building, consternation and curiosity was depicted on the features of the scholars. 'Are they going to have a lawsuit in here?' said one of the scholars to his mate. 'No,' was the response; 'they haven't got their books.' The directors are legal gentlemen and stand at the head of their profession in Platte County.
"The schoolhouse is a model of neatness and architectural taste. Its dimensions are 50 by 36 feet, the main room being 14 feet high. This room is furnished with seats and desks of the latest styles from the house of Sherwood & Co., of Chicago. The recitation and ante
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rooms are spacious and convenient. The building is surmounted with an observatory, commanding a beautiful view east, south and west, as far as the eye can reach. Looking to the east and south we have the Platte River, with its islands of cottonwood, box elder, ash and cedar; to the west the Loup Fork presents itself, with its ever shifting sand bars and zigzag course, spotted with its islands of timber, and by straining the vision a little more to the southwest, a dark blue line presents itself some thirty miles distant, groves of timber on the Blue River, and a sea of grass land meets your eye.
"The cost of the building we learn from the contractors, Becker & Speice, will be $4,000. The plastering was done by W. T. Calla- way, and the painting by David Anderson, of our county."
Children of school age kept steadily increasing, so that the demand for more school room space could not be ignored. To meet the emergency, another building was erected in 1874 and occupied in the fall of that year. Of this new schoolhouse, the Journal of current issne had the following to say :
"The new schoolhouse in district No. 1 is nearly completed and will be turned over to the school board some time next week. This structure is an ornament to the city, a credit to the district and a memorial to the school board, under whose management it has been erected-H. J. Hudson, moderator; H. P. Coolidge, treasurer, and C. A. Speice, director. It is located on a square of ground in the eastern part of the city, near the Catholic Church, and south of the railroad track. . Unlike most public buildings, there seems to have been no poor material or poor workmanship in its construction. The Cavis brothers, Charles II. and George, were the contractors, begin- ning their work about the Ist of Angust last. The building is 47 by 57 feet and two stories high, the walls of brick. There are ten apart- ments, besides hall and basement. The ante rooms are 9 by 12 feet. the library and recitation rooms 15 by 16 feet each and the two school rooms 25 by 44 feet. The hall is provided with ample geometrical stairways for entrance to the upper story, and the basement contains two Ruby furnaces in place all ready for heating the building, except- ing the adjustment of the registers.
"It is the intention of the school board to open the fall and winter terms in the new building on the first day of September next. Charles L. Hill, of this place, one of the successful teachers last winter, has been engaged as principal and the present condition of affairs in district No. 1 is indeed promising."
In 1878, a school building was erected in the Third Ward-a
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frame structure, with four rooms, having a seating capacity of 175. A few years later the school board purchased lots 7, 8 and 9, block 15, in Gerrard's addition, to which the building was moved, placed upon a brick foundation and supplied with modern conven- iences for teachers and pupils. This was replaced in 1912 by a hand- some modern briek structure, with the name Third Ward School, carved in stone over the main entrance. This building stands on Sixteenth Street, in the west part of the city.
The high school building is on the corner of Sixteeth and Murray streets and was erected in 1885. In a more recent year a large addi- tion was attached and a general remodeling took place.
At the northeast corner of Fifteenth and Jefferson streets is the Highland Park schoolhouse, which has been standing there many years. When first erected, it was outside of the corporation, about two and a half miles north of town. It long has been under the jurisdiction of the Columbus school board and plans have been made for a new building to be erected in the spring of 1915 at a cost of $15,000, so that today within the corporate limits of Columbus, and under the jurisdiction of its school board, are four brick school build- ings and one frame.
The indebtedness of the city on account of educational affairs amounts to $21,500. The school property is valued at $102,500; school sites, $37,000. The school year consists of nine months; the average monthly wage, for male instructors (3). $133; female, $67; amount of compensation for male instructors in 1914, $3,810; female, $1,919. Total enrollment for the year mentioned, 1,215, which was almost equally divided between the sexes. Present members of the board: President, Shell Clark; vice president, Carl Kramer; secre- tary, John Ratterman; treasurer, Walter Boettcher; L. F. Phillips, Frank Rudat, Albert Plagemann.
RURAL SCHOOLS
In the forepart of this chapter, the report of Superintendent Speice shows there were 21 school districts in the county in 1871. Quite a number have been formed since that time. Districts Nos. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 were organized in 1872; Nos. 30, 31, 32 in 1873; districts 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 in 1874, and since that time the remaining districts came into existence. As soon as possible school- houses were built in the various districts after they were organized, and teachers employed to preside over them. At this time every
Third Ward School St. Francis Academy
Second Ward School VIEWS IN COLUMBUS
High School Y. M. C. A. Building
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township has schools according to its needs and as the years go by the character of the buildings and curriculum is improving.
For his last report, Fred S. Lecron, county superintendent of schools, made the following report to the state superintendent of public instruction for the year 1913:
Platte County has 6,708 children of school age, 122 well qualified teachers and 235 school officers, who, as a whole, are always interested in securing the best of teachers and equipment for the benefit of the boys and girls in their respective districts.
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