Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Franklin 13 - Franklin ************************************************ 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 31, 2007, 5:31 pm FRANKLIN 13 —FRANKLIN Florence Kosiechka Franklin school district 13 was officially named the Franklin school in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the great American statesman and inventor. To most residents in this section of the county it is referred to as the Pfeffer school because the school is located near the Pfeffer farms. Franklin No. 13 was organized when Franklin township included the town of Cato and was the 13th district set up in that combined municipality. The district was organized in the summer of 1856, just before Franklin No. 14 was set up. Since its organization, areas of land have been detached to become parts of Franklin school districts numbers 1, Jt. 3, and 4 which were set up later than district number 13. The original No. 13 included all of sections 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 33, and 34 in Franklin. Early settlers of this area in 1856 were Pat O'Hearn, A. Hubbard, James Kirby, S. Nolan, Theo. and Reuben Piper, A. Sheehy, John Reddin, H. Hubbard, and L. W. Dunham. The first schoolhouse was built shortly after the district's organization. The log structure was located on a site one-half mile south of the present schoolyard, on the land now owned by Thos. Kostechka. There are no official records concerning this school because the available written records date back to 1869. Joseph Pfeffer, an early settler, furnished some information about this log schoolhouse. Homemade wooden benches, blackboards, and tables were used to supply the necessary furniture. Summer and winter sessions were held at that time with the three month winter session beginning in December and the two month summer session for May and June. Clementine Robinson, the teacher in 1869, received $20 per 22 day month in the summer and $25 per month in the winter. Evidently it was worth $5 per month more to teach school in the winter when the young men and women attended. The sum of $5 was voted for books at that early period. In 1871 this log building was abandoned and sold to a Mr. Relling who remodeled it into living quarters. Later on, Jos. Svacina, who purchased the farm on which the log building was located, razed it and used some of the building for a new house. The voters at the annual meeting in September, 1870, authorized the construction of a frame building. Oleus Olson was engaged to furnish the material and to build a schoolhouse, 18 x 24 x 8 feet, with one outside door opening into a 6 foot entry extending across the width of the building. There were to be three windows on each long side, said windows to be made up of 10 x 12 inch panes with 12 panes to a window. The building was placed on a stone wall which was built up 12 inches above the ground. The outside of the building was clapboarded and painted. For his labor and the material Mr. Olson was paid $300. The school was built on the present site purchased from Ole Nielsen and his wife May for $15 on March 21, 1872. Mary Doolan was the first teacher in the second school, receiving $25 per month for her services. The two term year was still in vogue at that time. The box stove kept the school fairly warm during the cold winter months. In 1875, Mat Reddin was paid $50 to make some building repairs and to make 14 desks and seats which seated four to six pupils each. Yearly kalsomining and repairs were made to the building until 1901 when the voters authorized the construction of the present schoolhouse. The old frame building was turned into a woodshed and for the teacher's garage. The present school was built in 1901 for about $650. It is 24x40x12 feet, of frame construction, and placed on a stone wall two feet high. The building has three windows for each long side and one window for the entrance side. Two entrance doors from a concrete platform open up into cloakrooms, one for each sex, although the entrance at the southeast corner was kept locked for years and the cloakroom used for storage purposes. Between the two cloakrooms, the schoolroom extends to the front window with this part of the room used for storing the dinner pails and for a semi-washroom. The front wall is covered with slate blackboards. The library books are stored in movable cupboards, and the heating system is a victrola-type stove without a ventilating system. The double desks, which replaced the homemade seats and desks in 1901 were used until the school closed. During the years the building was used, the walls and ceiling were whitewashed every year. No electric service was provided the building. The enrollment for this school never was very large. During the winter when the older boys and girls attended, the attendance was greater than in the summer. The largest enrollment occurred in 1899 when 68 pupils attended. The greatest number of pupils of school age was about 80 in 1895, while at present there are less than 50 children between the ages of 4 and 20 years. With the passing of years during this century, the enrollment in this school continued to decrease. One cause of this decrease was parochial school attendance at Reedsville, Maple Grove, and Whitelaw. By 1946, the attendance had dropped below ten, therefore, the voters at the annual in July 1946 voted to suspend their school and transport the remaining.pupils to nearby operating schools. The school continues to be suspended for the present. Summer and winter sessions were held during the early years of Franklin 13. The teacher's salary for the summer term was lower than for teaching the winter session. After 1900 when single terms were held, the length of term averaged seven or eight months. This was one of the last of the county schools to abandon the eight month school year. The teachers usually stayed for one term because of the low pay and for other reasons. Names of teachers for this school prior to 1906 were Clementine Robinson, Mary Doolan, Jennie Silsbee, Ida Murphy, Agnes Classon, Melora Shove, Annie Lawrence, Celia Fitzmaurice, James Cahill, Bert Johnston, and Dan Peppard for. the 1860's and 70's; Cora Lawrence, Hattie McIntosh, Josie O'Connor, Nellie Doyle, Katie Mullins, and Emma Lawrence for the 1880's; J. P. Shambeau, Anna Meehan, Geo. Kings, and Hannah Lorrigan for the 1890's ;and Mayme McMahon, Hilda Halvorson, and Walter Bleser for 1900 to 1906. The earliest school officers on records for 1869 were clerk Stephen Hubbard, treasurer John Strohfeldt, and director Mathew Reddin. Other district residents serving on the board in some capacity were James Piper, Charles Strohfeldt, John Meehan, G. F. French, John Kostechka, Chas. Krueger, Wm. Reitmeyer, Chas. Krohn, John Mayerl, Orrin Piper, and Jos. Pfeffer. The last named served for 30 years on the local school board. The district has no places of historical interest, although this area was a favorite hunting and camping place for Indians because stone arrow points, spears, and hatchets have been found by the hundreds. The Branch river running through the northern part of the district provides residents with fishing and recreation grounds. The prosperous farmers of today are meeting the educational needs of their children through transportation to larger and more modern schools nearby. 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/franklin130gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 7.9 Kb