Keokuk County Iowa IAGenWeb - 1904 School Essay Contest

In writing a history of my school I have taken much pleasure in putting my thoughts together and I shall now endeavor to present them to you in a few minutes.

I have learned that the first school taught in Thornburg was held in a building owned by Mr. N. Holdeman, who is now cashier of the Thornburg Saving Bank. The school was managed on the subscription plan and Miss Nettie Meade, daughter of Oscar Meade, who now lives near Sigourney, was the teacher. The instigators of this school were Messrs. A. Branson, D.W. Waites, C. Cox, S. Hogue, and S.F. Barber. This school was held for a period of six months when the population of the town had increased so rapidly that the large attendance at school compelled the people at Thornburg to erect a new school building of greater size. A site in the northwestern part of town was chosen as a suitable location.

The house contained two good rooms and halls which provided plenty of room to accommodate the number of pupils. All modern equipment of the day were furnished to make them comfortable.

Some of the boys and girls who have studied under the roof of this building and have become well known in these parts are G.H. Williamson, bookkeeper, First National Bank, Sigourney; Frank Beatty, student at Wesleyan University, Mount Pleasant; Grace Schrader, student at State Normal School, Cedar Falls; Cecil Hamilton, with the Big Four Railroad; Ima Seymour and Lena Santee, both teachers in the Thornburg schools.

In the years 1894/95 the mining industry became so prosperous that the population was almost double. The school building was then condemned as not useful for school purposes and was sold to the Grand Army Post and moved to the main part of town where it has since been known as the G.A.R. hall. It is used for lodges and all social occasions.

Our town now boasts of a beautiful school building 45 x 50 feet which is built in modern style. It was erected in 1896 and is located in the northeastern part of town. A good collection of trees consisting of maples, catalpas, box elders, and elm afford us much shade. We did have a well but the water was condemned unfit for use and up to this time we have not succeeded in getting a new one. It gave way by sections and furnished the boys many a tumble. The appearance of the schoolhouse outside was helped greatly by a new coat of paint that it received last summer. The walks were also improved by repairing and generally the looks of our schoolhouse and schoolground, I think, rank with the looks of any in Keokuk County.

The building contains four rooms 24 x 33 feet, and three of them are in use. There are three halls, a large one downstairs which is 48 x 9 ½ feet and two upstairs, which are each 24 x 9 ½ feet. We have more than 125 seats and desks in the schoolhouse. The desks are too high for the short people and too low for the tall people but taking them on an average they answer the purpose nicely.

The building is heated by a hot water apparatus which heats the rooms to a satisfactory temperature. Much credit is given the janitor, Mr. Shibley, concerning the heating of the building.

We have a good supply of maps, globes, and charts but they are badly worn and need to be replaces with new ones. We have a good library containing 150 books of stories of adventure and fiction, three set of histories, and one set of the Britannica Encyclopedia, making in all about 200 books in the library.

The rooms on the inside are very pretty. Our newly whitened walls are made attractive by a set of Brown’s famous pictures which give them quite a domestic appearance. The pride of our school is a portrait of the late President Wm. McKinley. The portrait was presented us by the president of the schoolboard. Beside this we have several portraits of novelists, poets, and historians.

The windows are adorned with window curtains and flowers. The curtains are somewhat worn but serve the purpose for which they are intended. Among our flowers are geraniums, oxalis, callas, cactus, and a fine large begonia, beside others which I have not mentioned, go to make my school pleasant and attractive. Much credit is given the present schoolboard for the interest they show in our school. They are experienced and manage our school wisely. They are making a revision of the course of study which we hope will improve the condition of our school. Our parents show their interest by giving us their encouragement but they fail to make an appearance in our schoolhouse. I wish the parents and schoolboard would feel it their duty to visit us more frequently. The pupils show their interest by regularity of attendance. The attendance has been so regular that the register shows a clean, white page. The pupils who are neither absent nor tardy are award a certificate at the end of each month which is very nice.

I hope to see the day when the Thornburg school will stand at the head of all the schools of Keokuk County. Our teachers are aiming to bring the school up to this standard and I hope that by another year the unfinished room will be completed and an additional teacher provided for us. I think our worn our equipment should be replaced with new and better ones.

Next to home is school and I think school should be made just as pleasant as home, not only inside, but outside as well. I want the boys and girls who go out from Thornburg school to be those worthy of an office trust. The coming nation will be made up of boys and girls of today and I hope to see one boy from Thornburg school become a State Governor, or better still, a U.S. President.

We are daily being taught the virtues of true life and if we zealously labor for the right, success is certain.