THE FIRST SCHOOL.
Daniel M. Harris and Peoria I. Whitted are said to be entitled to credit for starting the first school in Audubon county. At their suggestion, in the spring of the year 1854, they, with Nathaniel Hamlin, Richard M. Lewis, Thomas S. Lewis, Isaac V. D. Lewis, W. H. H. Bowen, John M. Donnel, and perhaps others, met in Mr. Hamlin's dooryard and agreed to erect a log room for a private school house. Mr. Hamlin and Mr. Bowen agreed to give the timber in the tree for the building. The Lewises, Elijah and William Carpenter and Mr. Bowen cut the logs and Bowen hauled them with an ox team. The people assembled on a day set, made a log rolling and put up the walls of the building on the land of Mr. Hamlin, in the edge of the timber on the west side of the road leading south from near Hamlin's house, about a quarter of a mile distant.
Some of those who performed the work were John S. Johnson, Reuben Carpenter, John M. Donnel, Daniel M. Harris, James Eagan, Walter J. Jardine, W. H. H. Bowen, and perhaps others. Mr. Hamlin was the "boss," and Richard M. Lewis, Isaac V. D. Lewis, William Carpenter and Peoria I. Whitted were axmen, and each carried up a corner of the building. The walls were rough hewed inside and chinked, and a roof put on. As was the custom, and to encourage the workmen, a supply of "liquid inspiration" was on hand, but tradition does not mention the "bottle holder." Reuben Carpenter gave an oak tree for the "shakes," or long shingles, to cover the roof, which were "rived" by him and the Lewises and were laid on by Hamlin, Whitted, the Lewises, and perhaps others.
A half-sash window, with ten by twelve lights, was placed in the north and south sides, and a door in the east end of the room. Mr. Bowen got boards at Iraniston [sic Iranistan], Iowa, for the door and writing desks, the latter being formed by stout pins in the wall, upon which boards were fastened. The floor was made of split basswood logs, called "puncheons," and the benches for seats were made in the same manner, with pins for legs.
Miss Ella Northgraves, of Cass county, taught the only term of school in this room, which began in March, 1855. She was hired and paid by Hamlin and Harris. The pupils were Mary, Hannah, Rose, Malinda and W. Allan Hamlin; Belle, James, Clarinda and Daniel W. Harris; Nancy Stanley and another pupil from Grove City, name unknown. Such was the foundation of school instruction in Audubon county. The Hamlin children, except Mary, and the Harris children mentioned are now living. Hannah Hamlin, now Mrs. Hawk, and Rose Hamlin, now Mrs. Thomas, became school teachers. John F. Wallace afterward taught a term of private school in Nathaniel Hamlin's old first log dwelling.
LOCATIONS OF SOME COUNTY SCHOOLS.
In 1865 there were but five school houses in Audubon county, viz.: one at Exira; one at Audubon City (Hamlin's Grove); one in section 27, Exira township, known as the Frost school; one on the northeast corner of section 17, Exira township, where the present school house is situated, known as the Green school house, and one at Oakfield.
The following year there was a new school house built at Jobes, on section 1, Audubon township; one near Ballards, on section 36, Oakfield township; and another near Beerses, on section 2, Hamlin township. From that time onward school districts and school houses increased, until at the present time every part of the county is well supplied.
The youths of Audubon county have first-class opportunities of obtaining primary education, and the high schools of Audubon and Exira furnish extra facilities for pursuinbg higher branches of study.
FIRST COUNTY INSTITUTE.
In 1866, while Benjamin F. Thomas was county superintendent of schools, a teachers' county institute or convention was held at Exira for a week, conducted by Professor Enos, from Cedar Falls, Iowa. This was the first meeting of the kind in the county attended by the writer. It is traditional that there had once been previously a teachers' meeting, when Robert N. Day was county superintendent. Those in attendance at the institute in 1866 were Benjamin F. Thomas, Clara Barlow, Malinda A. Norton, Jennie M. Norton, Jennie McCowan, Susan Ballard, Carrie Ballard, Helena Delahoyde, Laura Delahoyde, Tryphenia Hopkins, Edna Prior, H. F. Andrews, Charles H. Andrews, Van Buren Crane and probably others. It was a pleasant occasion and highly enjoyed by the teachers and citizens in attendance. Among the teachers conspicuously absent were John A. Hallock, Beulah Sylvester, George A. Dissmore and Juliette Bowen.
In 1878 there were forty-nine school houses and one thousand two hundred and five pupils of school age in Audubon county.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS.
Charles F. Wilcutt was county superintendent from 1884 to 1889, inclusive. He had been at the head of the Exira school several years. He graded the school and brought it up to standard requirements. He was an important factor in establishing the county school system on a modern basis. In 1888 the system of the rural school districts and school houses was completed about as we have it at the present time, with three thousand two hundred and eighty-three pupils of school ages. David P. Repass was the next superintendent, from 1890 to 1897, inclusive, another model school officer. He was followed in turn by Robert C. Spencer and Arthur Farquhar, who were also able and efficient officers.
Miss Ella M. Stearns, the present incumbent of the superintendent's office, was elected in 1906, practically as a nonpartisan candidate, and was re-elected successively several times in the same manner. This unusual compliment and courtesy suggests her ability and popularity as a practical, progressive, up-to-date educationalist, and head of the present county school system.
CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE IN 1905.
The enumeration taken in 1905 showed the following number of children of school age in Audubon county: Independent Districts--Audubon, 542; Exira, 242; Gray, 64; Brayton, 76. Townships--Audubon, 377; Cameron, 234; Douglas, 370; Exira, 348; Greely [sic Greeley], 278; Hamlin, 376; Leroy, 255; Lincoln, 358; Melville, 203; Oakfield, 376; Sharon, 504; Viola, 247. Total, 4,850. Illiterates in the county, 97.
SCHOOL STATISTICS FOR 1914.
The following table shows the school enumeration for the year 1914, in the independent districts and in the respective townships of Audubon county:
| TOWNSHIP | SCHOOL
HOUSES. | TEACHERS. | PUPILS
ENROLLED. |
|---|
| Audubon | 2 | 16 | 503 |
| Exira | 1 | 9 | 301 |
| Gray | 1 | 3 | 67 |
| Kimballton | 1 | 3 | 72 |
| Audubon township | 9 | 16 | 225 |
| Cameron township | 9 | 13 | 150 |
| Douglas township | 9 | 15 | 220 |
| Exira township | 10 | 18 | 200 |
| Greeley township | 9 | 15 | 176 |
| Hamlin township | 9 | 13 | 230 |
| Leroy township | 8 | 12 | 183 |
| Lincoln township | 8 | 11 | 141 |
| Melville township | 9 | 14 | 155 |
| Oakfield township | 9 | 14 | 195 |
| Sharon township | 9 | 13 | 225 |
| Viola township | 9 | 20 | 171 |
| | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
| Totals | 112 | 205 | 3,214 |
Value of school houses in 1915, $141,950.
REPORT SHOWS GOOD CONDITION OF SCHOOLS.
In her report for the year 1914, County Superintendent Ella M. Stearns included the following:
"Born in rejoicing and cradled in hope,
Pointing new paths for adventurous feet,
Promising power with the future to cope,
Whispering low of the summer-time sweet
Camest thou hither, Now nearing they bier,
What dost thou leave us, Oh, vanishing year?"
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"In accordance with the time-honored custom, this is where the business world is getting ready to take its annual inventory of its resources and liabilities, and so we believe this may be a fitting time for a brief review or inventory of our schools.
"Our commission of education has recently said, 'Among the greatest (16) needs of rural schools of the United States is that of better houses. Most of the older houses are cheap, ugly, uncomfortable, badly ventilated, poorly heated and lighted, with no conveniences for school work and many with inadequate and filthy outbuildings. In many places, abandoned churches and cabins, no longer fit for use as homes, are given over to the schools---somewhat as out-grown, out-worn and cast-off clothing is given to paupers.
CONDITIONS IN AUDUBON COUNTY.
"The first part of this statement will apply to some of the schools in our county. The 'vanishing year' will leave us with some 'ugly, uncomfortable, badly ventilated, poorly heated and lighted school buildings and some wrecked and filthy outbuildings, that are both a physical and moral menace to the pupils of those districts. While these are classed as liabilities, we have a goodly number of resources to place on the other side of the balance sheet.
"The year 1914 has added several new and sanitary school buildings to our capital stock of new buildings given in at the beginning of the year.
WHAT SCHOOL HOUSES SHOULD BE.
"School houses are not only the temples which we erect to the god of childhood; they are the homes of our children for a large part of the day, through the most plastic years of their lives, the years when they are the most responsive to impressions of beauty or of ugliness, and when their environment is, therefore, most important. The houses should, therefore, be planned and built not only with the feeling of reverence with which all temples and other sacred buildings are erected, but also with that care for health, comfort and convenience which we exercise in the building of our homes. It is economic waste of the worst type to spend annually large sums for schools, perhaps larger sums in the time of children and then fail of the best results because of bad construction and poor equipment of school houses. It is worse than an economic waste to destroy the health and lives of children through failure to observe simple and well-known sanitary laws. The school improvement leagues of some of our states have taken for their motto, 'For Our Schools: Health, Comfort and Beauty.'
HEALTH, COMFORT AND BEAUTY.
"This has been the motto taken for our new buildings in this county and has been carried out to the best of our ability in several of the older buildings in the county. 'Health and Comfort' have been looked after in lighting, heating and ventilating of the buildings, in the heated cloak-rooms, in the handy arrangements of the fuel room, right-sized desks and proper arrangement of them and in the use of the sweeping compounds to guard against an undue amount of dust in the school rooms. There are also many schools using the stone water jars and individual drinking cups. One of the most difficult problems of hygiene in the rural school is that connected with the water supply.
THE BEAUTY SIDE.
"And now for the 'Beauty' side. The walls of several school rooms have been tinted a subdued but pleasing color, and treated with a flat or oil paint, devoid of gloss, washable without injury, the effect of the decoration. This has been done at comparatively slight expense. There have been put up picture rails in order to protect the walls, if for no other reason. The school rooms have been supplied with a few good pictures suited to the age of the pupils; many of these are worthy copies of the great masterpieces. And we will also say here that several of these have built-in book cases, filled with suitable books and supplementary readers, along with other suitable furniture.
"In many other districts having the older buildings, the room furnaces have been installed and the school rooms have been made cheerful and comfortable. The large majority of Audubon county rural schools are kept in very good condition. In talking with other county superintendents, we have come to the conclusion that we rank well with the other counties of the state, yet there is still room for improvement.
"The town schools in the county are well housed and equipped considerably above the average towns of their size. One of our towns is putting up a new school building which is modern in every respect and certainly reflects credit upon the community, school board and city superintendent.
"In listing our resources, we have kept close to the physical or material equipment of our schools, but there are other resources, did space permit, we might mention such as the home credit work, the spelling contests, etc.
COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
"The work the young people, and older people, too, have been doing in lyceums, debating clubs and country life clubs, must at least have mention. The work for the coming winter has already started. There used to be the husking bees, the barn raisings, the threshing days and even the log-rollings. There used to be the spelling bees, the old-time 'literataries,' the 'heated' debates. We hope to hear of every community having some kind of organiation [sic organization] this winter whereby the people may come together for profit and amusement. We have considerable material accumulated in our office just waiting to be used in such ways, and we want the young people to feel free to come to the office for this material.
"The school house door must swing open freely for all who would work for the public good and for everything that may contribute to community welfare. Above the door of every rural school house in the land should some such sentiment as this be written: 'This Building is Dedicated to the Service of this Community and to a Common Cause of a Better Life for All.'"
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