Keokuk County Iowa IAGenWeb - 1904 School Essay Contest

The first schoolhouse in District No. 10, German township was built on the divide between Bridge Creek and German Creek, now Mr. Fred Meyers’ field, near the stage road then leading from Sigourney to Washington. The schoolhouse was built in the old pioneer style of undressed logs with a roof of clapboards. There were two windows, one on each side, the size of the panes being eight by ten inches. The seats were made of slabs and the desks of undressed boards. The school house was erected in 1850. It was also used as a church by the people of the community and in it my mother was baptized. (Editor’s Note: This was the initial location for the German Evangelical Church, a burial ground was co-located northeast of this log structure, burial records no longer exist. The church moved in 1857 into a new brick church, 1 ¼ miles north and ½ mile east, along what is now Iowa highway 92.) Afterwards a stone schoolhouse was built at the place now known as Stony Point. The stone was procured in the vicinity and the work was done by Mr. Ahrens, Fred Dorman, and Peter Fritz. About 1873, Mr. Henry Miller bought the old log schoolhouse and has since used it for a stable.

Once two boys were sitting together and since no other amusement offered itself, they began to kick each other. Of course, the teacher noticed the disturbance. He went to the boys seized them by the hair and bumped their heads together. The boys thirsted for revenge. While sliding that noon, they found a large stone in the way. They let it alone and went to get their teacher. The two boys got on the sled with the teacher, but just before they reached the stone, they jumped off and the teacher went on. He did not soon wish for another sleighride.

In the course of years, the schoolhouse was found to be too small for the number of pupils. Those from the western half of the district found it very inconvenient to walk so far. The patrons of the western half of the district petitioned the schoolboard of German Township for a division of the sub-district. It met with much opposition but was finally granted and division made as it now is and a new schoolhouse was built. For the first year it was agreed to select a room near the center of the district. This was before the new schoolhouse was built. The room selected was a southeast room opening from a porch in what was then Ferdinand and is now the William Wickenkamp residence. The teacher was Miss Lizzie Dunker, the sub-director was Fred Kilmer. It was decided that Mr. Fred Schwenke Sr. and Mr. Kilmer were to choose the site for the new building. They selected the crest of the hill east of Bridge Creek, on the north side of the road,
and about a mile and a half northeast of the mouth of Bridge Creek. The new schoolhouse was built in 1880 by Dan Seger.

The first teacher who taught in it was Miss Dunker. The second teacher’s name was Mary Young. Mr. Fred Schwenke was the sub-director. The school boys frequently hunted rabbits on the newly plowed sod and then had disputes about them. Some of the teachers we have had since then are Libbie Wyant, Susie Jennings, Lettie Adams, Jessie Holland, May Jackson, Sue Downing (in whose reign we used to have [a] fine time skating), Nancy Frey, Antoinette Merz, Minnie Strohman, Rufus McVicker, Harry S. McVicker, Milton Hoffman, and George Schwenke.

While Milton Hoffman was teaching at No. 10, the boys caught three rabbits. Mr. Hoffman proposed that we have rabbit soup. It was a dish never to be found in any cookbook. The girls would have nothing to do with such haphazard cooking. We boys and Mr. Hoffman did it all alone and it was fine. Mr. George Schwenke is our teacher at present. We have had rabbit soup this winter and we had a picnic dinner Monday, February 2, 1904 for just the pupils and we had all manner of good things to eat.

The size of our schoolhouse is 16 by 27 feet. It is oblong in shape. The schoolhouse is in fairly good condition except that the foundation is crumbling away. The schoolhouse was painted on the outside about a year ago. The schoolhouse is nicely plastered on the inside and the ceiling has been painted. It has shelves for the dinner pails and hooks upon which to hang the wraps. We have nice pictures framed in various ways hung upon the walls, also tissue paper chains and silver stars on them strung crossing the front of the room.

Our apparatus consists of measuring blocks, McGuffey’s reading charts, Caxton’s charts, a globe, a map of Keokuk County and an excellent dictionary. The globe is about four inches in diameter. The map of Keokuk County is a new one about four feet square. The chimney is on the west end of the schoolhouse and the stove stands in the middle of the room. Which has been considered the proper place since pioneer days. In that position it takes up the best part of the room and does not warm the corners of the room, as it would if it were moved into a corner and furnished with a jacket.

The schoolhouse has six windows and no window shades but the light is excluded by shutters. It has two wall lamps, on each side, which we use when giving an evening entertainment. The blackboards are six in number, two in front and two on each side of the room. They are made by coloring the plastering with liquid slating. The desks are arranged in three rows, one row on each side and one row in the middle. There are 16 double seats. They are all good with one exception. A few of them have the initials of G.H.S., H.S.M., M.H.H. and J.R. Mc. Where the small seats leave off the large ones begin, the seats are too high and the desks too low for comfort or health.

Our library is a circulating one. The number of books in the township library is 148. The books we have at present are: “Nelly’s Silver Mine,” “The Story of our Country,” “Things Will Take a Turn,” “Modern American Oratory,” and “Through the Year.” We would like to have many more books added to the library.

The punctuality and attendance of the pupils are good with the exception of the pupils from two families whose names I prefer no to mention. The number of pupils enrolled is twenty-five. The number of visits from parents and others is about one per month. Our sub-director comes very often also. We have a program every two months and will have on at the end of the term.

In the near future, I would like to have consolidation of schools so that we might have a high school. I would like a large building to be heated by hot air, a deep well with good water; paved roads all over the township and men hired to take the children to and from school in wagons. I would have a little oil stove in each wagon and have the wagon covered like a stagecoach so they could go rain or shine. I would like to have a gymnasium and a boys’ military company. The building should have two or three rooms with tools and material to make things.

It should also have a room where girls might be taught by a good teacher how to cook and sew. There should be a yard containing about two acres partly beautified by trees and flowers, partly used as a playground and the rest given up to flower and vegetable gardens.

The schoolhouse should have adjustable seats, plenty of necessary apparatus and many good pictures and casts brought by the district. In fact, it should be a second home.

High above the building should float a large American flag.