Clay County Indiana

                        EDUCATIONAL.

    When, where and by whom the first school was taught in Clay
county can not be answered with any assurance of accuracy. The educa-
tional history of the county for the first twenty-five or thirty years is, but
traditional. The first schools were taught in primitive log cabins which
had been vacated as dwellings. The pioneer schoolhouse was built of
round poles, chinked and daubed, with one pole cut out on either side and
the space closed by the use of greased paper, to admit the light. In one
end was the, door, swung on rude wood en hinges, and in the other end
a spacious fireplace. The floor was of puncheons, and the seats long
benches of split saplings or slabs, the bark side turned down and the split
or splintered side exposed for seating accommodations. These houses
were, built, generally, by voluntary contributions of material and labor on
the part of those interested in the respective communities, and without
any expenditure of money for trimmings and furnishings. Oliver Crom-
well related to the writer at different times that be assisted in building
a schoolhouse of this description on the site of the town of Poland, when
a very young man, in 1825, the year that the county was organized, which
may have been the first one. It is known, too, that among the first, if not
the original, a cabin, distinctly for school purposes, was put up on Eel
river, a couple of miles north of Bowling Green, in the Walker neighbor-
hood. It is probably safe to assume that the first schoolhouse was built
within the territory of Washington township, and that either Samuel
Rizley or Jared Peyton was the first teacher.
    Under the statute of 1831, the finances and other features of our
common school system were managed locally by the citizens of the several
school districts. Having decided to build a house, each tax-payer within
the limits of the district was required to work one day in each week until
the house should be completed, or instead, to pay an equivalent of fifty
cents a day, that the labor might be employed. Teachers were then hired
on such terms as their services could be secured, partial payment, at least,
being made in such commodities as they would consent to receive. The
township trustees (of whom there were three) constituted the board of
examiners to certify the teachers’ qualifications in reading, writing and
arithmetic. An applicant who could write a readable hand, “cipher” as
far as the “single rule of three,” and “mind his stops” in reading was
accepted as a competent instructor. Under the law of 1831 counties were
required to elect school commissioners to receive and disburse school
funds, who served for the term of three years, which law was repealed in
about the year 1844, and the duties of this office made to devolve upon
county treasurers. The commissioners for Clay county during this period
were Eli Anderson, Thomas Harvey, Thomas West and Hale C. Con-
away. The statute of 1843, which was in some respects an advance, pro-
vided for the more thorough and efficient organization of school districts,
and conferred upon them the power to determine whether the tuition
revenue apportioned should be used exclusively in payment of teachers,
or partially applied in providing grounds and houses. Under this statute
the teachers’ qualifications were certified by a board of county examiners
chosen by the circuit court, the names of those serving in this capacity
during the nine years intervening between this date and the taking effect
of the statutes under the new constitution can not be given.
    By the provisions of a law enacted at some time in the ‘30s, the
county seminary became an important feature of our system of popular
education. The sources of the fund for the building of the county semi-
nary, as provided by law, were fines imposed by justices of the peace,
and by the circuit and other courts, with certain penalties forfeited, delin-
quencies, etc., the county board to proceed to build such institution at any
time the accumulation of such funds should amount to $400. The semi-
nary in this county was built in 1839, at Bowling Green, near the border
of the town plat, east of the court house, which was utilized in the teach-
ing of both public and private schools for the period of practically twenty
years—until the building of the first frame schoolhouse on the site of the
town, by Township Trustee D. A. Conover, on the southwest side, in the
year 1859. On the 27th day of April, 1860, the seminary ground and
building was sold at public sale by County Auditor Wheeler, to T. J.
Polsg.rove, who purchased it for a family residence for $300. Prior to
the building of this institution, Bowling Green schools were taught in the
original log court house on the north side of the public square.
    The first school in the county seminary was taught in 1840 by John
Williams. There is no record to which appeal may be made for the names
of the teachers employed from time to time during the twenty years of
the life of this primitive educational institution; but among them were
Dr. John Williams, Hiram Wyatt, Nancy E. Waugh, Lizzie Waterhouse,
William K. Houston, James M. Oliver, Josiah Hambleton, A. H. L.
Baker, James M. Townsend, Dr. Dodge, George N. Beamer, James G.
Miles, Professor Summers, Miss Frankie Hall, Fred Hall, Of these, Dr.
John Williams and George N. Beamer are the only known survivors,
both of whom have all along continued to reside in Clay county.
    The law of 1853, under the new constitution, provided for the ap-
pointment of three school examiners, who held for the term of three
years, and were chosen, usually, from the three respective commissioner
districts. They did not constitute a board of examiners, but acted inde-
pendently of each other. Practically, the examination of teachers and the
issuing of license constituted the “sum and substance” of their official
service. During the first year of administration under this law but
twenty-five licenses were granted in the county. The examiners appoint-
ed in 1853 were James M. Lucas, of Cloverland; Enos Miles, of Bowling
Green, and Ebenezer C. Smith, of Perry township. Among their suc-
cessors were James G. Miles, Mrs. Carrie P. Doyle, 0. H. P. Ash, Aaron
S. Simonson and Jesse Purcell, the last three named having been legis-
lated out of office by the law of 1861. We quote the following from
Examiner Smith’s report of 1853 to the State Department:
“The county in which I reside has often been complimented
with being one of the darkest corners of the state. If this is true,
a few remarks from one living, as I do, in a retired part of this
county (and, I suppose, one of the darkest parts of it), may be of
some value as affording a better view of the ‘shady side’ than you
would obtain from some other sources. In acting in the double
capacity of examiner and township trustee, I have found myself
obliged to use, to its fullest extent, the liberal construction you gave
to Section 9 of the school laws, in your instructions on page 58; and
even then, it has been with some difficulty and considerable delay
that our township has been supplied with teachers. The law, how-
ever, on this point, in my opinion, is about right. The standard of
popular education in our country is everywhere rising, and some-
thing should be done to elevate it in our state. And I do not see how
this can be done without bringing up the standard of qualifications
in teachers to the proper point. In endeavoring to make the law do
its best, instead of refusing to license those whose qualifications were
not such as were desirable, I have granted them in all cases seem-
ingly admissible. But, at the same time, it has been my aim to be so
thorough in all my examinations as to show the candidate wherein
he was deficient, and give those who were rusty (as most of them
were) a pretty fair hint to brighten up, and I have had the satisfac-
tion of knowing that in some cases this course has had the desired
effect. Tedious examinations have been much complained of, and
the fear of such may have been one reason why I have had so few
applicants. No license has been granted to any one who had not
some knowledge of English grammar. There is great want of sys-
tem in the mode of giving instruction in our schools in this part of
the country. This should be attributed to the wretched condition of
our houses and want of uniformity in books, rather than to want of
capacity in teachers.”

    In March, 1861, an advance step was taken in the legislation of the
state affecting popular education, providing for the appointment of one
school examiner for each county, to serve for three years, and enlarging
the sphere of his duties and powers. At the June term of commissioners'
court, 1861, Samuel Loveless, then teaching at Bowling Green, was chosen
the first examiner for the county under this statute. In June, 1864, he
was succeeded by William Travis, of Center Point, who, having been
legislated out of office by amendments to the statute at the next succeed-
ing session, was re-appointed June, 1865. In June, 1868 he was suc-
ceeded by William H. Atkins, of Bowling Green. Three years later Mr.
T ravis was re-appointed, and was again legislated out of office at the ses-
sion of 1873, when the county superintendency law was enacted, providing
for the election to be made by the township trustees. In June of that
year (1873) W. H. Atkins was elected superintendent. In June, 1875,
he was succeeded by Allen R. Julian, of Bowling Green, who was suc-
ceeded in 1877 by Preston B. Triplett, of Harmony. In 1879 Triplett
was re-elected. In June. 1881, he was succeeded by John W. Stewart,
of Brazil, who was re-elected in 1883, and succeeded in 1885, by Maston
S. Wilkinson. of Center Point. In June, 1887, William H. Chillson, of
Clay City, was elected and successively re-elected up to and including the
year 1897. having served twelve years, when he was succeeded at the
June election of 1899 by James M. Tilley, of Brazil. Willis E. Akre, of
Brazil, was elected June, 1903, and re-elected June, 1907 (present incum-
bent). Under the truancy system of making attendance at publid schools
compulsory the following named officers have served the county in this
capacity: Absalom B. Wheeler, W. T. Modesitt, A. M. Storm, William
C. Gantz, Edward Scheutz, —— White, William Moore, E. G. Bush,
Carl Baumunk, George K. Dickson.
    Perhaps, the first private school in the county organized and main-
tained by individual effort, of higher grade and instruction than the
public school, was the “Bowling Green Institute,” by Josiah Hambleton,
at some time in the ‘50s, of which but very little can be said in detail
after the lapse of more than half a century. This school was taught
in the Seminary building.
    In the year 1866, there came to Bowling Green a young man named
Canfield, who rented Mozart Hall, which he furnished with the neces-
sary facilities for teaching, including a commercial course. Having
taught several terms, during a part of which time James Willigman
was associated with him as assistant, he abandoned his purpose to estab-
lish his school permanently at Bowling Green and went elsewhere.
    In the year 1865 a private school was founded at Center Point, by
William Travis, which, from lack of better facilities, was taught for
several consecutive terms in the United Brethren church. The special
object and mission of this school, as instituted and maintained by the
founder, was that of preparing teachers, for the public schools by a
course of review and normal instruction.
    The first tangible fruits of the impetus given the cause of popular
education and the interest developed on the part of the ardent friends
and patrons of this school, was the building of the first two-story depart-
ment school-house in the county, in the summer of 1866, at the cost of
$3,000. Of this amount Sugar Ridge township, by Trustee George
M. Moss, contributed $6oo, the cost of a country district house such as
were then built, the $2,4oo having been raised by popular subscriptions
by the people of Center Point and the immediate surroundings. Here,
in the year 1867, was organized and taught the original graded school
in Clay county. This school was frequently spoken of, at large, as a
“high school,” which it was in the sense that it was above the common
or district school, that is, on the second floor. For the year 1866 C. P.
Eppert was associated with Mr. Travis as instructor in mathematics and
U. S. history.
    Among the many liberal contributors to this fund and as patrons of
the school deserving of special mention were Martin H. Kennedy, Daniel
W.  Hays, Watkin C. Davis, C. W. Moss, William Givens, Dr. John
Gilfillan, Zeno Hinshaw, Lewis F. Ambrose, Win. J. Kennedy, John
McCurley and others.
    Only the lower room of this building was completed in 1866, in
which the district school was taught the succeeding winter, by C. P.
Eppert. Previous to this time School Examiner Samuel Loveless had
taught two terms of select school of advanced grades at Brazil—in the
little frame public school building on North Meridian street, in the
summer of 1862, and in the Presbyterian brick church, on South
Franklin street, in 1863.
    In 1859-60 Emery Brant taught several terms of select schocl at
Bowling Green, including the higher branches, very successfully. He
had taken a course at Asbury University and was then preparing for
the ministry in the M. E. church, which was his life work, in which
he was crowned with success and won the laurels of the profession.
    A number of Bowling Green people met at the clerk’s office, in
the court-house, on Wednesday evening, February 5th, 1862, and organ-
ized a joint stock company for the promotion of the educational interests
of the town, of which 0. H. P. Ash was elected president; Hezekiah
Wheeler, secretary, and James Black, treasurer. In carrying Out the
plans of their association, Rev. T. S. Milligan was employed as teacher,
who opened school on the 29th day of April following. Rev. Milligan
was a fine scholar and experienced instructor, pastor of the Presbyterian
church.
    Miss Lorinda Kilgore, afterward employed by this association
rendered efficient and satisfactory service and also taught successfully
at a later day in the public schools.
    In September, 1857, a joint-stock company was organized to build
an academy at Brazil, and in March, 1859, a similar company was
organized at Bowling Green, neither of which carried its purpose into
practical execution.
    An educational association was organized at Center Point in the
summer of 1870, composed of the most substantial citizens of the town
and its surroundings for the purpose of maintaining a school which
would afford the opportunity for competent instruction in the higher
branches as well as in the common school course. The affairs of this
association were managed by a board of directors, or trustees, chosen
annually by the membership. Teachers were employed on an agreed
salary, the association making good any deficits, in case the tuition fees
paid in were insufficient. The board of directors, or committee, for the
year 1870 were C. W. Moss, D. W. Hays, J. C. Gilfillan and William
Givens, and for the year 1871, C. W. Moss, D. W. Hays, J. C. Gilfillan
and W. J. Kennedy. The teacher employed, as principal, for the first
year was W. T. Catbcart, from the State University; for the second
and third years, Charles M. Parks and James 0. Collins, respectively,
from Westfield (Illinois) College.
    Many terms of private school, of from five to ten weeks, usually
called “normals,” or normal institutes,” to afford teachers and others
home facilities for review and instruction in the philpsophy and methods
of teaching, intervening the terms of public school, were taught at
Brazil, Center Point, Clay City and other points, some years ago. The
county superintendent, associated with one or more experienced and
successful teachers of the county, constituted the corps of instructors,
as the rule. Among those who conducted these schools may be named
John W. Stewart, Preston B. Triplett, Maston S. Wilkinson, William
H. Chillson, John W. Love, Thomas N. James, Josiah S. Gosborn, John
C. Gregg, Thomas J. Scott, C. P. Eppert, William Arnett, Homer Hicks,
John E. Travis. W. W. McGregor taught similar schools in Cass and
Harrison townships. Though this system seems to have run its course,
or fulfilled its mission, being no longer in vogue, its resultant benefits
in the more efficient work of our common schools are not to be over-
estimated.
    Of the pioneer or early teachers of the county more than half a
hundred may be named. By early teachers is meant those who taught
either private or public schools within the period of the first third of a
century of the county’s history. To locate them by way of enumera-
tion they may he divided into three classes—those of the north, those of
the central, and those of the south part of the county.
    In the north part of the county: Francis B. Yocom, Jacob Burke,
Charles B. Cole, Artemas Gilbert, Isham Steed, Arthur Howard,
Benjamin Carman, John Lewis, Joseph Kennedy, Daniel Dunlavy, Isaac
Applegate, Dr. Parsons, George D. Teter, James H. Stewart, James
Batts, Dr. A. P. Davis, Milton P. Carter, Samuel Hill, Aaron S.
Simonson, John Frump, Jr., Mrs. Hempstead, Elizabeth Adams, Mary
Johnson, Rhoda Hall, Emily Root, Mrs. Martha Hawkins, Caroline
Dunlavy, Emma Gaylord.
    In the central part: Samuel Rizley, Jared Peyton, Harvey Peas,
Alfred Bolin, Bluford Bolin, William Slack, Thomas Riddell, David
Herald, James Riddle, Samuel Long, Benjamin Payne, William Heaney,
James Marshall, George O’Brien, Timothy Lucas, George Rector, Enoch
M. Rector, Milton H. Pearcy, Elias Helton, Nathan A. Gibbons, Baldwin
H. Witty, Hezekiab Wheeler, David Lane, James McGuire, John Gibson,
Solomon Cunningham, Andrew Orman, Benjamin Eddy, John Shuey,
Alfred Wyatt, Isaac M. Moore, Ebenezer C. Smith, T. M. Robertson,
Montgomery Hobbs, Margaret McNamar, Ruth Fagan, Clara Wheeler,
Mrs. Sarah Jeffers.
    In the south part: Zachariah Denny, William W. Ferguson, John
Neal, Joe Wiles, Hugh Kane, David Alexander, Isaac Richart, Daniel
Wood, David Cooper, William L. Buckallew, Robert Dalton, John
Lichty, William P. Haviland, Lemuel W. Blevins, John Harris, Henry
0. Duncan, Peter A. Edmonson, George W. Duncan, Isaiah S. Fair,
Charles Grim, William Brothers, A. J. Tipton, Sapphira Darling,
Elizabeth Kauble, Julia Foster, Ellen J. Hill, James B. Zenor.
    Of all this number (and many more) of the hardy, self-sacrificing
pioneers, who blazed the pathway for succeeding generations of teachers,
but five are known to he living, who still reside in the county—Nathan
A. Gibbons, John Frump, Alfred Wyatt, William L. Buckallew, T. M.
Robertson, aged, respectively, $9, 87, 83, 82, 76 years.
    A compilation of the reminiscences, humorous, pathetic and other-
wise, in the personal and professional experiences of these primitive
“Wielders of the Birch” (not ten per cent of whom ever taught in a
frame house), were such a thing possible, would afford interesting
reading and pastime to their successors.
    Of one of the three first schools in the south end of the county,
which was taught by Joe Wiles, in a cabin standing on ground now
enclosed within the orchard on the Levi L. Johnson place, three miles
south of Middlebury, it is said that the Baher boys, living on the State
road, west of Eel river, at the point later known as Coffee postoffice,
five or six miles distant, attended regularly, tramping through an unbroken
forest, with the river to cross. A trail was blazed out for the three
brothers to follow. The school-house could not be sighted at any distance.
    The public schools of Brazil were taught in the original log house
erected in 1845 for church, school and hall purposes, near the site of
the present M. E. church, until the year 1861, when the first frame house
was built, on North Meridian street, in which the first school was taught
in the winter of 1861-62, by Samuel Loveless, then county school
examiner. The last public school in the log house was taught in the
winter of 1860-61, by John C. McClaren, and the last private school,
in the spring of 1860, by William Travis.
    The public school system of the town of Brazil was under the
management, or administration, of the trustee of Dick Johnson town-
ship, until the incorporation of the town, in the latter part of the year
1866. Three years later the incorporation proceeded to build the brick
house on North Meridian, which was completed ready for school in
the fall of 1870, three years before the incorporation of the city.
    The history of the administration of the public school system of
Brazil, beginning with the completion and use of the Meridian street
building. now comprises a period of thirty-nine years. During this
period of school years there have been but eight superintendents. The
first was F R Smith for the years 1870-71 and 1871-72, succeeded by
C.  P. Eppert, for the years 1872-73 and 1873-74, who was follwed by
M.  S. Wilkinson, for the year 1874-75, when C. P. Eppert was again
installed, for the years 1875-76 and 1876-77, who was followed by J. C.
Gregg, for five years successively, from 1877 to 1882, when he was dis-
placed for the year 1882-83 by A. D. Hurst, followed by J. C. Gregg, for
the year 1883-84, who was succeeded by J. M. Brown, for the year
1884-85.    Gregg then again succeeded to the position for fourteen years
consecutively, from 1885-86 to 1898-99 inclusive, when he was succeeded
by W. H. Fertich, for three years, from 1899 to 1902, when he was dis-
placed by L. B. Odell, for the five succeeding years, from 1902 to 1907
inclusive. succeeded by C. C. Coleman, who has since occupied the
position.
    From a careful analysis of this schedule it is seen that J. C. Gregg
filled the position for twenty years, a fraction more than half the time,
his succession having been broken but twice for the period of twenty-
three years, and then but a year at a time.
    Of the assistant superintendents Thomas N. James has a record of
thirty-six years, having been first employed in 1873, with a continuous
service, excepting an out of two years, from 1902 to 1904.
    A feature of our public school system was the Township Library,
inaugurated fifty-five years ago, provided by the state, the first distribu-
tion of books to the townships having been made November 1, 1854.
Though in the main the books provided were a miscellaneous- collection,
adapted to family reading, there were a number of volumes auxiliary
to the course of study pursued in the common schools, intended to
encourage and aid pupils in self-reliance in the work of popular educa-
tion. For many years these books were taken out and read by both
teachers and pupils. It was no unusual thing for readers to vie with
each other in the number of volumes read during a winter, or for a
year’s time. Their usefulness, influence and good results were rec-
ognized. But it is characteristic of the American people to tire of even
a good thing anti go in quest of the new and more pretentious, and often-
times so at the expense of quality and results. Every change is not an
improvement nor reform. Township libraries are no longer enumerated
as assets in the inventory of the township’s educational agencies and
appliances. Of the thousands of volumes in the libraries of Clay county
only remnants are now to be found, and they among the abandoned files
and rubbish of trustees’ offices.


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