Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Cato Jt. 8 - Cato Falls ************************************************ 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 October 27, 2007, 12:40 am CATO JT. 8 —CATO FALLS Cato school district joint 8 has always been known as the Cato Falls school. Up until 1874, the schoolhouse was located at Cato Falls on a piece of property on the south side of the Manitowoc river. The exact location was said to have been just south of the bridge across the road from the present Ed. Staudinger farm. Cato No. 8 was officially organized at the first annual meeting called September 24, 1860, upon order of the town superintendent of schools. The meeting was held in the Wm. Cary store at Cato Falls. After David Silsbee was chosen clerk, the meeting adjourned to the Dan Silsbee shop for further business. S. A. Newell was chosen clerk for 1 year; E. N. Evans, treasurer for 2 years; and Thos. Fenton, director for 3 years. It was voted to build a frame school on the above described site of one-half acre. The sum of $150 was raised to pay building costs with the building committee composed of E. N. Evans, Thos. Fenton, and Wm. Cary. It was voted to put the treasurer under a $500 bond! The original Cato school district number 8 consisted of an area in the immediate vicinity of Cato Falls composed of sections 29 and 30 and the south half of section 20, all in Cato township. It originally was a part of Cato districts number 3 and 9. On June 8, 1874, the town boards of Rockland and Cato held a joint meeting to attach the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4, of Sec. 30 in Cato to Rockland Jt. 4, and all of section 24 in Rockland to Cato No. 8. These detachments and attachments of land areas made this district Cato Jt. 8, joint with Rockland after September 21, 1874. The first and present schoolhouse was built in the winter of 1860. It was a small building about 20 x 30 feet with windows on three sides. The total cost of the building was $190 with the equipment consisting of homemade desks and seats, a teacher's desk, and a box stove. It was not until 1869, that the district voted a double outdoor toilet 5x8 feet with "a partition through the middle". It was built by John Croissant for $12. In 1871, the voters authorized the construction of a stone wall under the schoolhouse for $25. In 1873, a special meeting was called to vote on the question of a new school and site farther to the west to accommodate the farmers residing in that area. It was decided to buy a site from John Croissant (now the Jos. Tienor farm) for $65. At first the voters decided to tear down the old school and build a new one on the new site. This decision was later rescinded and Jos. Phillipen was paid $125 to move the old school to the present location. John Gintner, an old resident, living in the district then and now remembers that the building was moved to the present site on the ice of the Manitowoc river in the winter of 1873-4. Repairs, a foundation, moving the outhouse, plastering the school, and 4 new desks brought the total cost up to $150.41. Except for minor repairs and additions such as a new floor, patented double desks, stoves, maps, etc. the school remained as it was originally built in 1861 until 1939. In the spring of 1938 the enrollment had dropped to six pupils with an average daily attendance of three. The voters at the annual meeting in July, 1938, voted to suspend school. A year later, several new families moved into the district and raised the number of children who wished to attend to fourteen, so the vote was to open school again. Before the state would allow the school to operate, the district had to modernize the structure. The windows in the east wall were removed and windows added to the west wall. The chimney had to be rebuilt and moved and a new heating-ventilating system installed. An extra door was cut into the east wall near the northeast corner. Electric service was also installed at about the same time. The old double desks and seats purchased in 1894 were retained. Outdoor toilets were repaired and improved to meet sanitary standards. The school then remained in operation until 1944 when it again suspended operations. By 1946-47, the district had no pupils attending a public school since the 58 children of school age were attending parochial schools at Clarks Mills and Reedsville or attending high school at Valders and Reedsville. The district records, which are as complete and well-kept as any in the county, date back to 1860. Early settlers of 1860 mentioned were H. W. Bersie, John Tuschel, E. N. Evans, S. A. Newell, Thos. Fenton, Calvin Dorr, Dan Silsbee, C. A. Eggert, Jos. Miller, M. Engerson, Sam Bersie, Peter Gerber, and Wm. Chisholm. Later pioneers, of about 1870, in addition to the above, were David Soper, Wencil Schmidt, Wencil Miller, John Dietrich, Orrin Hammond, John Croissant, Jos. Felber, Wesley Mason, Wm. Greenman, E. Brown, John Gintner, Jos. Schluck, Christ Thompson, Allen Champlain, Adam Wallender, John Steiner, and Franz Kellner. The Cato Falls area was settled by Yankees. Cato Falls was once a prosperous village boasting two taverns operated by Jos. Felber and Franz Kellner; a saw and grist mill operated by S. A. Newell; a store operated by Cary, Brown, and later by Kellner; and a blacksmith shop operated by Dan Silsbee. The community boasted of about ten houses in which lived the families of Mason, Bersie, Hein, and Dorr. Ruins of these residences were in evidence until very recently. The offices on the school board were always in the hands of the Yankees until about 1880. No one person held office for many terms because of the competition for them. The following residents served on the board at various times before 1906: S. A. Newell, Thos. Fenton, John Boynton, Peter Gerber, A. P. Cary, Franz Wilhelm, Alf. Alfson, Jos. F. Dietrich, H. W. Bersie, Calvin Dorr, Jos. Silsbee, Halvor Alfson, Franz Kellner, Jos. Tuschel, Geo. Schmidt, John Gintner, E. N. Evans, Fred Helfrisch, Peter Eigenberger, W. H. Truettner, J. F. Rappel, and Peter Geigel. For the first 40 years of this school the term of school was divided into a summer and winter session. Mary Croissant in the winter of 1861, January to April, received $1.50 per week plus board. The winter terms were for three and four months with summer sessions of two and three months. Winter sessions usually began in November or December, with the spring or summer term beginning in May or June. The pay ranged from $8 per month in 1863 to $50 in 1869 .The average salary during the 1800's was about $30 per month of 22 days per teaching month. It was not until about 1874 that the 20 day month was specified in the teachers' contracts. Local teachers were employed, but teachers from Maine, Madison, and Marinette were hired at one time or other. The list of teachers is complete because of the fine records kept. Teachers who taught this school in addition to Mary Croissant were: 1862 Emma Hurd, Angeline Robinson; 1863 Mary Shove, Evelyn Flagg; 1864 Evelyn Flagg, Elizabeth Abbott; 1865 Josie Norris, Sarah Tucker; 1866 C. M. Croissant, Martha Oakley; 1867 C. S. McGinley, Lizzie Dryer; 1868 Julia Sharp, M. E. McMillan, Nina Dezell; 1869 Frank Wallace; 1870 Maggie Mitchell, John S. Cleary; 1871 Alice Gould, Evelyn Flagg; 1872 Mary Murphy; 1873 Josie Murphy, Estella Newell; 1874 Estella Newell, Kate O'Donnell; 1875 W. A. Synon, Delia Lawrence; 1876 Relia Lawrence, Esther Burnett; 1877 Angeline Heath, Richard Burke; 1878 Angeline Heath; 1879 Edith Squirrell, Mary Hougen; 1880 Mary Hougen, Minnie Torrison; 1881 Minnie Torrison, Thos. Hogan; 1882 Marian Hougen; 1883 Lizzie Hammond; 1884 Nellie Fenlon, Marian Hougen; 1885 Mamie Solberg; 1886 Maggie Mullins; 1887 Mamie Brennan; 1888-9 Julia O'Marken; 1890 Ida Olson; 1891 Kitty Thornton; 1892 Sarah Kennedy; 1893 E. V. Peppard; 1893-7 and 1899-1902 Mamie Laughlin; 1897-8 John Wilhelm; 1903 Katie Laughlin, 1904 Celia McCarthy; 1905 Jennie Norris; and 1906 Mamie Brennan. The last teacher in this school was Madonna Hunsader in 1943-4. Cato Falls is now nothing more than a falls in Cato township. The eariy industries have disappeared as have the store and cheese factory of J. F. Rappel. Two homes now make up the hamlet. The river provides the community residents with recreation and fishing spots. The falls is a scenic spot which attracts picnickers throughout the summer. The district is now settled by prosperous German and Norwegian-American families who see no possibility that the little rural school built 87 years ago will ever be used again for school purposes. Additional Comments: Extracted from: 1848 - 1948 CENTENNIAL HISTORY of the Manitowoc County School Districts and Public School System EDITED BY JOS. J. RAPPEL, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1948 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wi/manitowoc/history/schools/catojt8c66gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 9.2 Kb