Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Gibson 1 - Larrabee ************************************************ 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, 5:49 pm GIBSON 1—LARRABEE Marion Novachek Early in the year of 1858, Darius Peck, Ben and John Birdsalls, and several other families came to this area from Gibson, Pennsylvania. The post office in their old home in the East was called Larrabee, so these early English settlers called this little settlement Larrabee. As the school for district No. 1 is located in. this village, it is only natural that the official name of Larrabee school be given to it. This area at one time was a part of the Mishicot township. Then this district was set up as Mishicot district No. 2, but when Gibson became a township by itself in 1858, this district became Gibson school district No. 1. Since its organization many changes have occurred to its boundaries, especially to the south when Gibson Jt. 7 was set up. The first settlers found a need for a store and a school. Wencil Charvat built the store at the location of the present Graycarek garage. The post office located in the present Wencil Ramesh home west of the village was moved to this store, because it was more convenient to get the mail at the store. This post office continued in operation until the rural free delivery began. The English settlers in this community built their first school somewhere east of Larrabee. Just where it was located seems to be unknown. It was said to have been one of the first schools in the town of Gibson. Much of the early, history of this school was furnished by Mrs. Leopold Kind and Mrs. Henry Heap since it was not until 1863 when Charles Kind moved to Larrabee and became the district clerk, that written records were kept. It is supposed that the first school was a log building, but nothing is known of its size or just how it was erected. Mrs. Kind and Mrs. Heap remember that the seats, desks, and blackboards were hand-made and that the rest of the furniture and equipment were meager and crude. Since this was the only public building in this vicinity, it was used for religious purposes. If a funeral was to be held, the pupils were dismissed. Later, about 1875, a Methodist church was built. That has been abandoned; moved to the village, and is now used as a blacksmith shop. The church was very likely located north of the village because there is an abandoned cemetery there. The second school was erected in 1884-5. The electors decided to buy one acre of land from Wencil Charvates for $20. This site was across the road from the present schoolyard. Leopold Kind supervised the construction of the building. He and his brother did the carpenter work, hired the masons, and the other helpers. The total cost of the brick school was $551.98. The school was about 24 x 30 feet with four windows for each long side. The front of the building had one door leading into a combination cloak and storage room. The classroom was furnished with double desks, a stove, and the usual equipment of a school for that period. The old building is still standing at the location where it was erected, for when the present building was erected, the school site and brick school were sold to Fred Graycarek. He is using the building for a storage garage and the yard for a storage space. The third and present modern brick building was erected in 1920-21. In preparation for the building of the new school, the voters in 1919 authorized the purchase of one acre of land from John Finnel for $500. It was also voted to dig the basement that fall and to begin building early in the spring of 1920. The new school is modern in all respects, having a full basement divided into lavatories, furnace, fuel, and play rooms. The entrance way has a stairway leading to the basement and one leading to the main floor cloakroom. From this semi-partitioned cloakroom two doors lead to a large classroom with windows from the left and rear. A library alcove on the west houses a well-built library cupboard to store texts and library books. A small teacher's room is also provided off the classroom. The schoolroom itself is equipped with bulletin and blackboards, .a piano, radio, electric lights, single adjustable desks, maps, and all of the best and latest teaching and learning aids. Gibson No. 1 has maintained a school with a continued large enrollment throughout the past decade. During the later 1800's, between 40 and 60 pupils, attended yearly, but by the first years of the 1900's, there were over 60 enrolled. The lowest attendance records were for-the early 1940's when only about 20 pupils attended. The number of children enrolled during the early 1870's was high because the total number attending for the winter and summer sessions was given. In its 90 years of existence, the Larrabee district has had thousands of pupils become leaders in this and other communities. Louis Sedlacek, the present town chairman, lives in the district as did Harvey Strouf, the present clerk of circuit court. Teachers have come from the Maly, Rehbein, Finnel, Novachek, Kasten, and Chaloupka families . Schoolboard members in 1863 were Charles Kind, Darius Peck, and John Smith. In 1885 when the second school was built, the board consisted of clerk Chas. Chatterton, treasurer Chas. Burt, and director Darius Peck. Others serving on the board before 1906 were R. McCollum, Luther Pellett, Alfred and Henry Heap, John Strouf, Jos. Sedlacek, and Jos. Wanish. Ambrose Pellett was said to have been the first teacher. Often two teachers — one for the summer and one for the winter term, were hired. The salaries of the teachers in the 1860's were between $25 and $30 for each 22 day teaching month. Sanders readers, arithmetics, and spellers were used. The list of teachers is complete from 1869 to the present time. The names of the teachers who taught this school before 1906 were: Daniel McArthy 1869, Lucille Wood and Jessie Decker 1870, S. Canright 1871, Kate Crowley and W. Hutchinson 1872, Henry Flagg 1873, Catherine Stitt and Floyd Benedict 1874, Byron Oakley 1875, Mary Honey 1876, Mira McMillan 1877-8, Mary Doucett 1879, Alice Symes 1880, May Shaw 1881-3, Ida Mason 1884, Ella Magee 1885, Ella Brown 1886, Alice Garnett 1887-88, Kate Sechrist and Lena Miller 1889, G. A. Magee 1890-1, Jos. Shambeau 1892, Susan Ludowise 1893, Lizzie Peppard 1894-5, Mat Ludowise 1896-7, Alice Thompson 1898-9, Dora Claussen 1900, H. E. Madson 1901, Wm. Samz 1902, Belle Baugniet 1903-4, and Walter Reich 1905-8. Those teaching after this date are listed in the Manitowoc County School Annuals. This district has several places of scenic and historical interest. The Gibson town hall is located a short distance north of Larrabee. Scenic West Twin River meanders through the western boundary of this district. A cemetery to the north of the village is the final resting place of the pioneer settlers. To the east, where the newly relocated county trunk crosses the river, there are to be found the ruins of Indian camping and burial grounds. The latter historical spot is relatively unknown even to the residents of this community. Today Gibson No. 1 is a community of progressive farmers and businessmen. The purchase of the feed mill in the village was one of the first cooperative businesses acquired by the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau in 1947. Leaders in this town are looking forward to the time when the Larrabee school will serve a larger community than it now does. 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/gibson1l133gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 8.1 Kb