Lafayette County WI Archives History - Books .....Schools 1976
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/wifiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 29, 2008, 11:58 pm

Book Title: A History Of Blanchardville, Gem Of The Pecatonica

Wisconsin's First School In 1829

[photo] First Blanchardville School in 1858.

Blanchardville Blade, March 13, 1924

    "Thrilling tales of early education in Wisconsin when children thought it an
every day occurrence to flee eight miles to a government fort when Indian bands
started activities in the vicinity is told in a family chronology published by
relatives of Mrs. G. W. Schellenger, pioneer teacher."

    Mrs. H. A. Chapman and Mrs. Edward Drews, Madison, produced the family
history written some years ago to prove claims that Mrs. Schellenger, then Miss
Beulah Lamb, opened the first school in Wisconsin in 1829.

    Miss Lamb, then eighteen years of age, opened the school in Gratiot Grove in
June, 1829, while the Rev. R. T. Coddle, Episcopal minister, opened his
institution in the fall of the same year at Shanty Town, near Green Bay.

    An extract from the Schellenger family record, which shows the perils under
which education was obtained in early days, follows:

    "Colonel Dodge, Commander of Fort Hamilton, was preparing to drive the
Indians from the vicinity when a riderless horse came galloping into the fort.
It proved to belong to a man named Apple, and in ten minutes Colonel Dodge was
after the Indians and had killed the whole band."

    Fort Hamilton was the refuge sought by students and teacher at the Gratiot
Grove School, according to the record.

    Mrs. Schellenger, who died twenty years ago, often told her daughters and
granddaughters of experiences during Indian raids. The women in the fort made
bullets while the men fought. The lead balls were placed in rows to cool and the
fort defenders would rush into the room where the bullet molds cooled and filled
their mouths with shot.

    Few children attended Mrs. Schellenger's classes. Most of the settlers were
unable to read or write. When Miss Lamb married, in 1831, one of her first
duties was to teach her husband the three R's."


Blanchardville Schools

    There were other interests besides making a living and keeping well that
mattered to these early residents of Blanchardville in the 1850's. Education was
very important. The Latter Day Saints conducted the first school in the
community, a subscription school, very likely, in their building on the William
Kline farm on the east side of the present day Graceland Cemetery. In 1858 the
first district school convened in a small frame building on Main Street, south
of the Ski Printers office site in Block One.

    Charles F. Trivet was the teacher, with Alvin Blanchard and Henry Mill as
the two board members. The Blanchard, Larson, Mill, Gould, Driscoll, Graham,
Dearth, and Palmer children, and no doubt there were others, attended. There
were about two dozen pupils, in all. Reading, writing, and arithmetic were the
main subjects, and the law required three months of school each year.

    School continued in this building for a period of time, but with the coming
of more people to the area in the eighties, it was apparent there was a need for
a larger building. There was an enrollment of some forty pupils at this time. A
new two-storied structure, 28' x 40', was erected on School Street in Olson's
Addition at a cost of $2,000. The sum of $400 was appropriated for current
expenses and one teacher was hired. Mr. Will N. Hazelton was the teacher. Later,
Ella Baker Bainbridge, who had studied at Platteville State Normal School, was
hired for the primary department.

    Teacher qualifications in those days were established by a two day series of
examinations. Textbooks recommended by book agents were purchased at the local
drugstore. Arbor Day programs and picnics in the Maple Grove (now "13th Ward")
were some of the extra-curricular activities. George Sardeson was the school
district treasurer for many years. In 1887 the Town of Blanchard .selected
forty-seven titles of books on such subjects as history, animal and plant life,
travel, and counsel for young people, to be placed in the library of the school.
The school continued to grow. Wings were added at various points in the need for
more room. A high school course was added in 1905 through the efforts of Mr.
Corlett, a teacher. The first class to graduate from the local high school was
in 1907 with Kate McGuigan, Mildred Gilbertson Moe, Pearl Phillipson Nave, and
Clarence Blanchard as the first graduates.

    The class of 1909 was the first class to graduate after attending the entire
four years of high school at the local school.

    In 1908 a new brick schoolhouse was erected on Cross Street at a cost of
$22,000. During the construction of this school building, due to the careful
supervision of Mr. Olson, it was discovered that too much sand was being used in
the foundation — a situation that was promptly corrected. The former school
building on School Street was sold to Fred Zweifel to be used as a residence.
Later it was converted back to a school and was used as a Home Economics Cottage
for a time. Harold Ostrum then acquired this property and used the site for his
new residence, now the Albert Erickson home.

    The first school building on Main Street was converted to a home and used as
such until the site was purchased by Mrs. Mary Ann Smith. The old building was
torn down and the large brick residence which was built in 1909, now occupied by
the Thomas Saether family.

    In 1927 the Smith-Hughes Department was added to the school through the
efforts of Principal Moeck.

    There were improvements made in the physical plant in 1942 with the building
of four classrooms in a separate cement structure. In 1950 a gymnasium was added
with the school children taking an active part in providing extra funds. The
Class of 1959, under the direction of Mrs. L. M. Cowley, raised money through
various projects and donated $20 to buy cement blocks. Also through the efforts
of Mrs. Cowley, the first stage curtains were purchased by' the grade school
children. In 1960 the two separate units of the physical plant were converted
into one large unit. Teachers and children were no longer obliged to move from
the brick building down to the lower classrooms and gym during the course of
their school day. The office was incorporated into the area between the two
plants. Space for a modern science room, a home economics department, a
kindergarten, an agriculture room, and a cafeteria with a kitchen were added at
this time. The kindergarten had been held in the Dona Robinson home previous to
this addition. In 1963 a further improvement was made with the addition of the
English and history rooms and a library.

    In 1971 there was a consolidation of the Hollandale and Blanchardville
school districts, bringing about the realization of a better school system for
our area. A contest was held inviting the residents of the area to submit names
for the new school. Mrs. Bernardine Daly Schuler was the recipient of the $25
savings bond for submitting the name "Pecatonica". The purple and gold school
colors were replaced by gold and green. The Golden Eagles became the Vikings.

    In 1974 there was a further improvement of the school plant by the addition
of a building to house agriculture, art, and industrial arts classes. New shower
rooms were added in 1975.

    The current enrollment of Pecatonica Area Schools, kindergarten through 12th
grade is 660 pupils. Some of the classes are held at the Hollandale school. The
state vocational board placed the Pecatonica Area School District in VTAE No. 3,
Fennimore district.

SCHOOL OFFICIALS — 1976 PECATONICA SCHOOL BOARD

    President, Orville F. Kiel; Clerk, Lorna Paulson; Treasurer, Robert Berg;
Ronald Hermanson, Glen Schriber, Carlyle Thompson, Stanley Nelson;
Administrator, Ray J. Nevins; Blanchardville School Principal, Paul James
Carter; Hollandale School Principal, Betty Massey.

Custodians

    Many school children fondly remember the man who did the janitor work at
school. It seems he always had time to do that little "extra" that the teachers
were too busy to do or perhaps weren't aware of any need.

    Fred Jaegers, "Mr. Jaegers", as he was always called, custodian at the
school for thirty years, was such a person. Many times he was seen at noon
sitting on the "box" in the lower hall surrounded by a group of children. He
must have enjoyed this time talking and laughing with his friends.

    Other custodians of our school have been Alvin Blanchard, Laurence "Pete"
Severson, George Torkelson, Vivian Ingwell, and that brand new generation of
custodians, Thomas "Tom" Kammerude. With a little time and other generations,
they, too, will provide pleasant memories for the school children.

Band Mothers

    A meeting was held at the Harold Ostrum home on Monday night, October 15,
1929 to organize a Band Mother's Club. The purpose of the club was to raise
funds to help support the school band. The officers elected for the remainder of
the school year were: President, Mrs. Harold Ostrum; Vice-President, Mrs. S.
Bakke; Secretary, Mrs. Wm. F. McGuigan; and Treasurer Mrs. D. E. Baker. It was
decided to hold a pantry sale at the Marshall Meat Market on Saturday, October
20th. All mothers were kindly asked to donate toward the sale. It was also
decided to tax each mother 50 cents per month to add to the funds.

    "Remember the date, Saturday, October 20th." This was a notice of a meeting,
from the Blade files. It was repeated many times in the years of the existence
of the Band Mothers. The names of the officers changed, but the Mothers had the
same motives to do things for the band, to buy uniforms, new instruments, new
music, to help out in any way they could.

    Gradually the need for an organization of mothers helping the music
department was not of such importance as the school assumed all the expenses. So
in the late 1960's the Music Mothers, as the group was now called, disbanded.

Parent-Teacher Association

    The first meeting of parents and teachers was held at the school Friday
afternoon, December 9, 1919. A talk was given by Mr. Arthur Johnson, school
principal, relating to opportunities for cooperation between the parents and
teachers. Before closing, a short business discussion took place. As a result, a
Parent-Teachers' Association was organized. Mrs. Carl Chandler was elected
President and Mrs. Harold Ostrum, Secretary and Treasurer. A committee to act in
conjunction with the executive officers was appointed by the President. The
members of the committee were Mrs. Archibald McKellar, Mrs. Ernest Regez, Jr.,
Miss Mayme Agnew, Miss Zella Shultz and Mr. Johnson. After a discussion of
future plans, the meeting adjourned.

    The P.T.A. continued for a period of time but interest lagged so it was
disbanded.

    In the late 1940's the people decided a parent teacher group was necessary.
In 1949 Harold Saether was President, Mrs. F. W. Baker, Vice President; Mrs.
Robert Cleary, Secretary; Mr. Starkweather, Treasurer; Beulah Folkedahl, Program
Director. The following committees were named: Education Committee, Lyall
Cowley, Mrs. Joyce Jackson, Theressa O'Connor, Mrs. James Ula, Mrs. Howard
Thompson, Mrs. W. H. Weaver; Parent-Teacher relations, Ronald Skaife, Rev. T.
Kleven, Mrs. Bernard Gant; Attendance, Mrs. Robert Cleary, Mrs. Walter Peterson,
Steve Jacobson; Entertainment, Virginia Johnson, Monica Wahl, Orville Folkedahl;
Refreshments, Mrs. L. J. Unterholzner, Mrs. Parnell Hamilton and Mrs. Morris
Hermanson.

    The P.T.A. group voted to sponsor the Cub Scouts in the village.

    In 1961 the name of the group was changed to Parent-Teacher Organization
because the group was not affiliated with the national group.

    Parent-Teacher conferences were inaugurated in the local school in the
1960's, so the importance of the P.T.O. was greatly diminished. Therefore, in
December, 1967 the organization was phased out.

Blanchardville Alumni Association

    The first meeting of the Blanchardville High School Alumni was held on
November 11, 1927. There was a football game between the Warren, Ill. team and
Blanchardville in the afternoon followed by an alumni banquet sponsored by the
Senior Class and planned by the Home Economics Department. Those attending
included in addition to the alumni, the Senior Class, the football squad, the
faculty of the school, the Board of Education and Dr. Corlett, principal of the
school twenty-two years previously. Every graduation class was represented.

    The idea for an alumni homecoming had originated with Prof. A. H. Moeck who
was the principal of the school. The general attitude that the affair proved a
success was evident from the prevailing sentiment that the Alumni Homecoming Day
be an annual event.

    The second annual meeting of the Blanchardville High School Alumni was held
at the high school on Saturday evening, October 27, 1928, with Professor F. N.
Muzzy acting as toastmaster. Several gave short talks on organizing an alumni
association.

    Mrs. Earl Barber was chairman. The question of making homecoming an annual
affair was discussed. It was voted upon and carried unanimously. Officers were
elected for the coming year and these were: Pres., Mrs. Earl Barber; Vice Pres.,
Mrs. Homer Marshall; Secretary and Treasurer, Louis Lehnherr. Upon Roy
Heggestad's suggestion a motion was made and carried that a constitution be
written. The chairman appointed a committee to draft a constitution: Miss Kate
McGuigan, Mrs. Harry Disrud and Everett Soper.

    At the third meeting in 1929, the constitution was adopted with an annual
dues of $.50 for each member. This meeting was held at the Legion Rooms with a
meal and a dance held later in Steensland-Mason Hall. Prizes were given for
floats in the parade and for the best decorated business windows.

    On October 31, 1931, at the fifth meeting of the Alumni Association, the
group voted to have a committee work out some plan to put the association's
money to good use. The balance that year was $284.82.

    At the eighth annual meeting a motion was passed that the president appoint
a committee to investigate the possibilities of securing a permanent athletic
field. Dr. S. Marshall, LeRoy Steensland, Allie Sardeson and Carlton Chandler
comprised this committee.

    A motion was made at one meeting to make homecoming a part of a three day
celebration to be held in the summer, but Marvin Lien made the motion that the
event should continue as in the past.

    At the 14th annual meeting of the association on October 12, 1940, Miss Mary
Dobson was appointed recording secretary to take care of all records of the
association. She continued in this capacity through the 22nd meeting, doing an
enviable job with all the records.

    In 1942 there was no banquet because of the war. During the war years ('42
through '45) the events surrounding the gala homecomings were curtailed greatly.
On October 5, 1946, the 19th annual homecoming was held with a short memorial
service honoring those of the Alumni Association who had given their lives in
World War II. It was noted that with the graduation of Betty Buckingham in 1946,
this made the five members of the William Buckingham family all members of the
alumni.

    The annual banquet was given a special touch in 1951 as the meal was held in
the new gymnasium. At this meeting, Marguerite Trotter was appointed recording
secretary to continue in place of her aunt, Mary Dobson.

    In 1972 the graduates of the consolidated schools of Blanchardville and
Hollandale, known as Pecatonica Area Schools were invited to the homecoming
festivities. By 1975 Pecatonica area graduates had organized their own alumni
association with Brent Duckwitz, President; First Vice President, Sherry
Johnson; Second Vice President, Fred Kolb, Jr.; Secretary-Treasurer, Kathy
Hermanson Gilbertson, and Recording Secretary, Mary Eveland Kolb.

Tom Thumb Wedding

    A play known as the Tom Thumb Wedding was put on by the Primary teachers,
Miss Eva Atherton and Miss Kate McGuigan. It was held in the Steensland Mason
Opera House shortly before the United States entered World War I.

    Noah Perlmutter, a local tailor, and father of three of the participants,
made patterns for the boys' suits. The teachers cut them from black cambric and
sent them home to be stitched. Shirt fronts were made from the stiff shiny paper
of fabric sample books which Mr. Perlmutter donated.

[photo] Tom Thumb Cast - Front row, May Kelly, Lenore Schindler, Lucille McKenna
(bride), Thomas Saterlee (groom), Mark Perlmutter, Tena Thompson, Robert
Thompson, Paul Hendrickson. Second row, Beth Thomas, Elaine Swiggum, Charmian
Blanchard, Bernice Reising, Dudley Waite, Clayton Ingwell. Third row, Annie
Perlmutter, Theodore Thompson, Beatrice McKellar, Philip Sardeson, Eleanore
Wenger, Francis Scott, Mildred Myer, Wilma Mason, Byron Olson, Erma Kittleson,
Theodore Perlmutter. Fourth row, Leif Olson, Stanley Marshall, Frank Noble,
Laverne Ryan, Frances McKenna, Carlton Chandler, Margaret Johns, Ernest Wenger,
Helen Scott, Alvin Kelly. Stanley Marshall, Laverne Ryan, Byron Olson and
Clayton Ingwell of this group were to go on and star in the Medical Profession
as doctors.

[photo] Blanchardville Baseball Team — First row, William Buckingham, Linus
Gould, Archie Bainbridge, Hjalmer Monson, Frank Ryan. Second row, John Ryan,
Lester U'Ren, Burnell Monson, Joe Olson, Clarence Blanchard. Third row, William
Masters, Coach Charles Buckingham.




Additional Comments:

Extracted from

A History of Blanchardville, Gem of the Pecatonica


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wi/lafayette/history/1976/ahistory/schools282gms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/

File size: 18.1 Kb