USA > Ohio > Champaign County > History of Champaign County, Ohio, Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 52
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TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The histories of early schools of the townships are very scant, due to the absence of all of the early records, and also to the fact that people are living now who were educated in those early days. However, in a brief and general way an effort has been made to trace the educational movement
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in each township, along with facts and conditions as they exist at the present time. The histories of the village schools, including Christiansburg, Mechan- icsburg, North Lewisburg, St. Paris and Woodstock, are to be found in the histories of these respective villages.
ADAMS TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
Although the settlers were required to work very diligently in order to earn a livelihood, yet one of the foremost things of interest was the educa- tion of their children. Previous to 1820, the children of this township were not given the privileges of an education. The first school house in the town- ship was erected on the Ritter land in section 6, about 1820 or 1821. Samuel Bates, who was a farmer of little more than average erudition, was one of the first teachers; and as a remuneration for his services received two dollars for each pupil in attendance. The next school house in the town- ship was erected three or four years later in the northwestern part. As early as 1829 the township was divided into four school districts, two of which had buildings. In 1901 the township located at Rosewood its central high school, which was continued until it was supplanted by the present sys- tem in 1911.
When the voters of the township voiced their sentiments for consoli- dation and the erection of a building at Rosewood, the one-room district school houses were abandoned, and now there is only one school building in the township. This building accommodates three hundred and three pupils. A large majority of the pupils are hauled to the school in the thirteen wagons owned by the township. The longest time on the road for any one wagon is one hour and twenty minutes, and the shortest forty-five minutes. The longest distance is six and one-half miles. A. B. Buroker has been the superin- tendent of the schools from the beginning and is to continue in the same capacity for the coming year. His assistants for 1916-1917 were the fol- lowing: Kathryn Gries, principal; Mabel Stephenson, assistant; W. A. Gaver, seventh and eighth grades; Celia Evringham, sixth and seventh grades; Emma Pickering, fourth and fifth grades; Mabel Krigeor, third and fourth grades; Hazel Harmon, second grade; Harlena McNeil, first grade; W. A. Gaver, manual training; Celia Evringham. The enrollment for the school year was three hundred and twenty-six.
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CONCORD TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
Settlers living in the vicinity of the Harbor graveyard were the first to make preparations for the education of their children. Near this grave- yard on the farm of William Harbor was erected the first school house, about 1820. But not in all cases did the pioneers wait to construct a school house, as was true in this township. An old house standing on the farm of Valentine Russell was used for school purposes for several years. As time advanced a school house was built on the farm of John Miller; however, some contention arose as to the proper location and it was torn down and removed to the west side of the John Shriver farm. The house was occupied until 1838, when it was vacated in favor of the building that had been erected on the site of the present school house. Two of the early teachers in the township were H. Neer and William Mouser. In the course of time, one- room houses were provided throughout the township and were in use until the adoption of the present system.
Concord township was among the last to adopt the plan of township supervision, but among the first to come under the system of consolidation. The township organized a high school at Eris in 1898, with D. H. Taylor as the first superintendent. He was followed by Paul Gulick and Joseph C. Neer.
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The township was half "consolidated" before centralization came in 1914. Under the present system about one hundred and ninety pupils are transported in ten wagons owned by the township. The longest haul is six miles and the time consumed varies from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. The average wage paid to the drivers is a little less than thirty- six dollars and fifty cents per month. The school house has an auditorium with a seating capacity of three hundred, where chapel exercises, commun- ity lecture courses, entertainments and graduation exercises are held. The enrollment of the school for the past year was two hundred and fourteen. The superintendent for 1916-17 was Waldo Zerkle and his assistants were: E. A. LoLacheur, principal: Hazel Fitzpatrick, assistant; W. L. Pond, seventh and eighth grades; Alta Kizer, fifth and sixth grades; Katie Vaughan, third and fourth grades; Marie Kesler, second grade, Ruth Zea, first grade.
GOSHEN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The history of early educational processes in Goshen township is vague, and from the sources now at hand doubtless will remain so. One of the
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first school houses in the township was erected on the Edward Guy farm, just east of Mechanicsburg, and formerly within the corporate limits of the village. There were very few log school houses built in this township prior to 1820, but, between 1820 and 1830, five or six were erected in what might be designated as the settled communities. It is a regretable fact that the names of the early teachers have not been preserved for the present gene- ration, but in no instance are records available to show who they were.
Today there are four of the one-room schools remaining in the town- ship, all of which are under township supervision. The Mechanicsburg- Goshen school district has been consolidated, and the entire township now enjoys the advantages of a high school in the village. Only two wagons are employed, as only about twenty-five pupils need transportation. The longest distance is six miles, and the average time consumed is one hour. There are eleven teachers and a superintendent in the village and four teach- ers in the outlying schools. The teachers for the past year include the fol- lowing: Bert Highlands, superintendent; Edna Paschall, principal; Martha Rowinsky, assistant; Ella Clemans, assistant; J. C. Woodward, assistant; T. W. Thompson, eighth grade; Zita Deveraux, seventh grade; Anne Dorsey, sixth grade; Ada Longbrake, fifth grade; Lenna Morgan, fourth grade; Lottie Hunt, third grade; Blanche Messick, second grade; Donna Colwell, first grade; Ruth Vaughan, district No. 2: Rhea K. Sweeney, district No. 4: Blanche Smeltzer, district No. 7; W. H. Talbott, district No. 8; Bess Hunter, music. The total enrollment for the schools during the past year was five hundred and seventy-one, one hundred and one of whom were in the high school.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The majority of the pioneers of Harrison township were people who keenly felt the need of an education, and therefore they were not slow in taking measures to give their children such advantages. The first school house in the township was erected in 1815. Another early school house was located in section 19, on the farm of a man named Taylor. One of the first teachers at this latter place was a man named Piper. During the period from 1820 to 1835, many log school houses were erected in the township. The citizens of the township were among the first to organize the territory into school districts and to make use of the public lands set apart for school purposes.
Harrison township was among the first to adopt the plan of township supervision, but unfortunately gave up the plan after a few years trial. Today
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the township is in the throes of the preliminary step to centralization-the selection of a suitable site that will benefit the greatest number. This is usually a bone of contention, a fact particularly true in this township, where the courts are trying to straighten out the controversy. As the situation now stands, the township has four one-room school houses and one two- room, building ,the latter being at Spring Hills, all of which accommodate one hundred and fifty-five pupils. Two township-owned wagons haul about twenty-eight pupils to the school at Spring Hills. The teachers for the school year 1916-17 include the following: Spring Hills, Hugh Eleyet, intermediate; Hazel Hill, primary; Mildred Shanley, district No. 2; Leona Sidders, district No. 3; Lucile Pyle, district No. 5; Hazel Guey, district No. 6. The total enrollment for the schools of the township during the past year was one hundred and sixty-six.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The first school in Jackson township was conducted in the Grafton set- tlement and was maintained by local subscription, the teacher charging from one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars a quarter for each pupil. Not very long after the first school house was built, another one was erected just north of Christiansburg. The first teacher who taught in the latter was John Hutton. As the number of settlers increased, another school house was erected south of the village. Today there stands five one-room school houses in the township as evidence of the interest taken by the people in education. Much to the credit of the voters, these buildings have all been abandoned, and the opening of the school year 1917-18 will see the pupils assembling in a new, modern, thirty-thousand-dollar, centralized school building. With the opening of this building the township will have two school buildings, the one just mentioned, and the one at Thackery, which has a principal, and assistant, an intermediate teacher and a primary teacher. The teachers who were in charge of the school work during the past year were as follow : Thackery-J. A. Caldwell, principal; Mary Richardson, assistant; Roxie Gentis, intermediate; Cleta Jenkins, primary; Gladys Anderson, Apple; Freda Ford, Bollinger; Scott A. Mowen, Grafton; Mabel Jenkins, Honey Creek; Grace Gentis, Mohock. A total of two hundred and sixty pupils were enrolled in the township during the past year.
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JOHNSON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The early school history of Johnson township will ever remain in obscurity, as there are no early records at hand and nothing has ever been written on this subject. What is generally thought to be the first school house in the township was erected on section 6, about two miles east of St. Paris. The site is now known as the Snapp school. In 1824 the school law for districting the township was passed, but it was many years thereafter before the schools were supplied with public funds. Section 16, reserved for school purposes, was not sold until about 1830, and the proceeds put into the school funds. The oldest school building standing is that in dis- trict No. 2, about two miles north of St. Paris.
The citizens of Johnson township seem to have been content with the old-fashioned school house for almost a half century, as little improvement was made until within the last few years. When the people did act, they did so with vim and vigor, as they are preparing to erect a new seventy- five thousand dollar school building at St. Paris, the finest in the county. With the completion of this building, the school-building question will be solved for a number of years.
The teachers who had charge of the work during the past year follow : Gertrude Conway, district No. 1: Bessie Dugan, district No. 4: Lelia Hamil- ton, district No. 5; Carey Barger, district No. 6 (A) ; Alta Bodey, district No. 6 (B); Hazel Neal, district No. 10; W. H. Brelsford, music. The total enrollment was one hundred and fifty-five. This does not include the St. Paris schools, a full history of which is given in connection with the chap- ter devoted to the town.
MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
No authentic evidence is at hand concerning the very early schools of Mad River township. It is known, however, that subscription schools were conducted until about 1826, at which time the township was divided into eight school districts, there being two hundred and thirty-three fami- lies in all. Among the best known of the early teachers were Isaac Neff, who taught in the township for twenty years; and David Loudenback, a teacher of more than average ability, who taught for several years. The schools were usually well attended, in some cases having as many as eighty to ninety pupils in one room.
During the course of time several school houses were erected through-
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out the township and continued to be occupied until the germ of consoli- dation took root. Consolidation was forced upon Mad River township by degrees. It was suggested as a money-saving measure, and the school board consolidated a number of the smaller schools as a means of avoiding their maintenance in separate buildings. This plan worked so admirably that in the spring of 1901 the school board voted to suspend all the sub- districts of the Westville precinct, and transport all the pupils to Westville. A building was accordingly erected for that purpose and dedicated for school purposes in the latter part of November, 1901.
The school board saw the wisdom of establishing a high school; and in keeping with the idea of consolidation, a high school of the second grade was instituted. In the course of time the board saw fit to raise the standard of the school and it was made one of the first grade. The first superin- tendent of the school under the present system was John J. Richeson, who was a thorough school man and did much toward making the schools of West- ville what they are today. The teachers for the school year of 1916-17 were the following: Westville: J. R. Price, superintendent; Ruth Cox, principal; Alys Sinclair, assistant; H. W. Hess, seventh and eighth grades; W. W. Offenbacher, fifth and sixth grades: Dora Turner, third and fourth grades; Alice Kollefrath, first and second grades.
Mad River school district is centralized in two places, at Westville and at Terre Haute. A recently completed building and the enlarged, remodeled building at the latter place accommodate two hundred and seevnty-three pupils, ten teachers and the superintendent. Nine wagons are employed in hauling the children to school. The average wage paid the driver, who furnish their own conveyances, is thirty-eight dollars and fifty cents a month. The time consumed on the road varies from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.
The teachers of the Terre Haute school for the year 1916-17 were J. R. Kite, principal; J. M. Gard, assistant : Mckinley Nichols, sixth, seventh and eighth grades; Burnette Parmenter, third, fourth and fifth grades; Estelle Neese, first and second grades. The total enrollment for the two schools in 1916-17 was two hundred and ninety-three.
RUSH TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
Probably the first school in Rush township was established in 1820, and was taught by Asabel Woodsworth. The school was soon transferred to Phoebe Smith's cabin, which stood on lot No. 24 in the village of Wood-
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stock. Schools were taught there until 1824, when a log school house was built. Lester Smith taught the first school. During the course of time sev- eral one-room school houses were built in various parts of the township and were occupied until within the last two or three years. The south half of the township, including Woodstock, was the first to vote for the centraliza- tion of schools. The new building was completed and occupied in the fall of 1915. Nearly one hundred and fifty pupils are hauled to the village from various parts of the school district six wagons are employed, and the longest drive consumes but an hour. The northern half of the township voted to consolidate in 1915, but the building was not completed until 1916. Today this building is doubtless as complete as any in the county, and stands as a monument to the good judgment of the voters of the school district. An extended discussion of the early schools of Woodstock is given in the chapter on the town.
The teachers for the northern consolidated district of the township at North Lewisburg are C. O. Taylor, superintendent; Florence Hunter, prin- cipal; Edith Hicks, assistant; R. M. Hunter, seventh and eighth grades; Hazel Overfield, fifth and sixth grades; Edna Cook, fourth grade; Margaret Barnes, third grade; Alice Freeman, second grade; and Frances Wehe, first grade. The teachers for the southern consolidated district at Woodstock are the following R. D. Conrad, superintendent; Mabel Briney, principal; Eliza Allison, assistant; F. E. Peneton, seventh and eighth grades; Sarah Vogelgesong, sixth grade; Marjory Kimball, fifth grade; Ada Holycross, fourth grade; Sarah Martin, third grade; Grace Reed, second grade; Har- riet Smith, first grade; T. R. Davis, music. For 1916-17, the total enroll- ment was two hundred and sixty-seven, of whom forty-seven were in high school.
SALEM TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
Salem township, although quite rich in the lore of its pioneer history, is very deficient in accounts of its early schools. Probably the first school house was built in 1814, on land known as the Samuel Black farm. Among the pioneers who were interested in education, and who aided that cause in every way possible, were Isaac Gray, Enos Baldwin, John McAdams, Aaron L. Hunt, William H. Baldwin, Nathan Moffitt, and Colonel John Thomas. Some of the early teachers of the township were Robert Crocket, Daniel Baldwin, Edward L. Morgan, John Organ, Henry Cowgill and Jesse Bald- win.
In the winter of 1826-27, Dr. Samuel A. Latta taught school in a log-
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cabin school house on the land known in later years as the David Fulweider farm. At night he taught a grammar school. Just how many one-room school houses were built in the township prior to centralization is not known, but it suffices to say they have all been abandoned.
Salem township was among the first in the county to establish a high school. The school was established at Kings Creek in 1891, with Professor Barber as the superintendent. He was followed, in the order mentioned, by D. C. Bryant, C. E. Brashares, D. H. Sellars and C. D. Conover.
The township has fourteen wagons, which transport more than three hundred of the four hundred and sixty-four pupils, attending the three schools at Kings Creek, Couchmans and Kennard. The average salary paid the drivers is about forty-five dollars and fifty cents a month; the longest distance traveled is seven miles, which, with one exception, is the longest of any in the county. The township employs a superintendent and fifteen teachers, including one who teaches music and drawing. The names of those who were in charge of the school for 1916-17 follow: Kingscreek-D. O. Brelsford, superintendent; W. H. Whiston, principal; F. P. Blose, assistant ; Hazel Petty, assistant ; Iva Nichols, eighth grade; E. L. Blair, sixth and sev- enth grades; Jennie Lockwood, fifth grade; Beatrice Swisher, fourth grade; Sarah Ream, second and third grades; Louzetta Miller, first grade. At Couchman-Frank Thomas, room A; Phyllis Gifford, room B; Nellie Yoder, room C. At Kennard-Chauncey Kauffman, room A; Gladys Kite, room B. Ruth Blose, Ruth Arrowsmith and F. P. Blose had charge of the domestic science, music and art, and manual training, respectively. The total enrollment for the three schools for the past year was four hundred and seventy-seven, eighty-one of whom were enrolled in the high school. The county normal school, as before stated, is maintained at King's Creek.
UNION TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The first school house in Union townhsip seems to have been built prior to 1810, and stood in section 28. George Minturn was probably the first teacher. Another school house was built about 1810 or 1812 on the Runyan farm, where the school was taught by John Owens and later by a man named DeLong. The course of study in these early schools consisted of instruction in Webster's speller and Pike's arithmetic. These schools, as it was with others at this early time, were run on the subscription plan.
Today Union township has seven one-room school houses, nearly as many
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as all the rest of the townships combined. The conditions in the township are not favorable to consolidation, although the time probably will come when such a system will be adopted. The worst hindrance to such a plan is the faulty condition of the roads, especially those of the north and south, and until these are greatly improved consolidation must wait. However, the people are beginning to show an interest, for at Mutual a modern two-brick school building is under construction and will be ready for occupancy for the school year of 1917-1918. The teachers for the past year follow: Howard Thornburg, Ludlow ; W. F. Essman, Buck Creek; Mary K. Cartwell, Long Pond: Wendall Graham, Mutual; Margaret Emory, Wild Rose; Imogene Gardner, Union; Dorothy Lowe, No. 10; Rachel Everett, Oak Ridge; Beatrice Wilson, Pisgah; Sarah Dorsey, Yankee Hill. The total enrollment in the township for the past year was two hundred and fifty-seven.
URBANA TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The early history of the Urbana township schools is largely that of the subscription schools of Urbana. These were begun as early as 1808, and their history is found in that of the city schools. One of the earliest of the township schools outside of the village limits was on the north side of the Urbana and Mechanicsburg road, opposite the entrance to Patrick avenue. Other school houses were erected as they were needed; and at the time the township voted to consolidate her schools, there were eight of the one-room school houses in use. During the past year they have all been abandoned and the pupils are now conveyed in modern wagons to the centralized school, which is similar in most respects to the others of that kind in the county. In the summer of 1917 the township trustees offered for sale the eight one-room brick school houses of the township.
The teachers in charge of the work, beginning with the school year 1916, included the following: F. C. Bowers, high school; Hiram Petty, Pence ; Doris Coover, Kenega; J. P. Houser. Humes; Ethel Thornburg, Hedges; Clara Hayes, Infirmary ; Ida Fuson, Dallas; J. F. Blager, Prairie. The total enrollment for the year for the township was two hundred and twenty-three, six of whom did high school work.
WAYNE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
A public-spirited man of the name of Isaac Gray seems to have been the first to start the educational movement in Wayne township. He, with the
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assistance of a few neighbors, erected a rude cabin in 1813 or 1814 for school purposes. The cabin, similar to all of its kind, stood a short distance south- east of the site of the Carmel church. There were several other pioneer school houses erected at various places during the settlement period, but no authentic account of them can be obtained. At North Salem was erected a log house which served as a church and school house from 1824 to 1830. As time advanced and the population of the township increased, several one- room school houses were erected in various places. These were occupied until the citizens voted to supplant them by the more modern centralized schools. Today there are two such schools in the township-one at Mingo, and the other at Cable. The building at Cable was occupied during the school year of 1916-1917, while the school at Mingo will be ready for occu- pancy in September. 1917. Both of the buildings represent the latest designs in architecture, and, as community centers, will certainly answer well the purpose.
The teachers for the school year of 1916-17 included the following : At Cable, Frank Nichols, principal; Frederica Crawford, assistant; Cliffe Spain, seventh and eighth grades: R. G. Johnson, fifth and sixth grades: Dixie Braley. third and fourth grades; Ethel Clay, first and second grades; Ada W. Madden. At Mingo, B. A. Aughinbaugh, principal ; Helen Kinnard, seventh and eighth grades; Arthur Curl, fifth and sixth grades; Mrs. Edna Mason, third and fourth grades; Lillian Miller, first and second grades. The total enrollment for the Cable school during the past year was one hundred and fifty-five: and for the school at Mingo, one hundred and four.
CENTRALIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION.
Centralization and consolidation have had a constant and steady growth in Champaign county, beginning in Salem township about twenty-one years ago, when the Dilbert school was transported to Kings creek. The first attempt on a large scale was made by Mad River township when one-half of its schools were centralized at Westville. This was followed almost immedi- ately by Concord consolidating the south half of the township at Eris about seventeen years ago. Kings Creek's old three-room building soon gave place to its present eight-room building.
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