Reagan School History, Laclede County, Missouri In late 1853,old Reagan,located in Northern Laclede county was established.Children were being educated by their mothers at home,so these hardy pioneer settlers recognized a great need for an organized school,to formally educate the numerous area children. After several neighborhood meetings,the farmers went to nearby woods,where many white logs wrer cut,trimmed & squared.....draggged out of the timbered hills by teams of horses and mules.The centrally located site chosen was owned by the Reaban family,who donated a plot of ground.In appreciation,the workers named the school after these generous people. The hewn logs were framed,stacked and chinked with clay and mud.Two large windows were cut in the south and east end of the building,and a narrow door opened to the north.Twelve panes of heavy glass, 8x8 in size were ordered from St.Louis and came in on stagecoach at Sleeper.A mud,stick and gravel chimney,shored up with green saplings was constructed on the west end of this primitive structure,to accommodate the old cast iron wood heating stove[donated by a local merchant].Tweleve coal oil lamps,sitting in iron,swinging in brackets,were placed on the walls,to help light the dim interior. There was no state aid,funding the schools of those early days,merely a goverment edict stating:There should be one school,located approximately every 4 square miles,in rugged frontier land,following the Louisiana Purchase and the Homestead Act. So these County homesteadreds contributed what they could afford toward the purchase of books and personal slates.Treasured books-some very old,were brought by families to try and stock a library for this valuable first school.Benches were built,no student desks,a few small tables and low stools completed the furnishings.The teacher had a tall stool from where he conducted the lessons.A magnificent sum of 12.00 per month was paid to the 1st Reagan teacher.According to the late Josie Darrow Bryant,that schoolmaster was a Mr.Chandler,who taught the school several years.The district residents took turns boarding the teacher,who receives his meals,a bed,[which sometimes was a pallet by the fireside],plus laundry done each week,all was considered a part of the monthly salary.Around 64 students crowed into this wonderful new school that first term.Even some adults who wanted to learn to read came as often as possible.There was no charge for those attending school.Of course the children were delighted when their teacher boarded with them and walked home to and from school each day,to their home. Thus begin the long history of Reagan School.In January 1899 a tragic turn of events,a swift acting chimney fire ensued.It was a windy,frigid day and inspite the valiant efforts of pupils and teacher carrying water in buckets from a near by pond,the building was totally destroyed. The children managed to save their precious books,slates,school recorded and winter coats.For the remaining 3 months they attempted to hold classes in homes near the school.School was dismissed in early March and immediately the community fathers gathered contributions to buy sawed lumber from a near by mill near Dove,Mo.Construction of the present day Reagan school began.Once again Mr.& Mrs.Babe Reagan donated the land for a new building-located a 1/2 mile from the original site,sitting near a wagon road which leads into Lebanon. This new,large frame buliding was solidly erected with a modern wood furance and blackboard-both shipped by train from Kansas City.Six large windows,hanging & braketed kerosene lamps,a big blue metal globe[hanging on a pulley & chain from the ceiling,square embossed metal ceiling tiles,bookcases and a cabinet were installed.Benches with back rests,a rough teachers desk and chair and stools were built by George Gilbertson,a carpenter and native of Norway,who would have young daughters in school.A lareg deep well was hand dug next to the building,with wooden gutters running off the roof line to catch the rain water and empty into the well. When the building was completed,a community celebration was held.The basket dinner and prayer service of dedication drew over 150 people from the surrounding area.This is the historic building which still stands today,in original and usable condition.The Alumni & preservation committee assumes responsibility for the upkeep on the school and grounds.Contributions toward this fund is very appreciated. The district fathers who donated the money and music to bulid these Reagan schools were:Moses & Jaser Norman,George Gilbertson,Babe Reagan,R.M.McGuire,Willis Lane,Hiram Gregory,C.H.Fulbright,G.T.Turner,S.M.Kinnett,Walter & Buck Martin,L.M.Chandler,D.H.Davis,J.W.Arnold,Anthony Darrow,Ellis Atchley,A.M.Esther,S.H.Alexander,William Lambeth. The above information was provided by Mamie Gilbertson Norman and the late Josie Darrow Bryant before their deaths a few years ago.Both are graduates of Reagan school. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Renee Koechner ====================================================================