Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Gibson 2 - Holmes ************************************************ 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 November 1, 2007, 9:50 pm GIBSON 2 — HOLMES Violet H. Markwardt Gibson district No. 2 is known as the Holmes school. In 1918, the voters decided to give it this name in memory of the famous poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, whose poems the pupils liked so well. The school is located near the southeast corner of the SW 1/4 of section 11, Gibson. The land on which the school site is located was deeded to Feidel Reich by Pres. James Buchanan on February 22, 1858. One acre of this land was in turn sold to this school district for a school site for the sum of five dollars. Since it was a part of the original tract of land of the late Feidel Reich, the school was originally known as the Reich school. Gibson No. 2 was originally a part of the township of Mishicot. The Mishicot assessment roll of 1858 shows that Gibson 2 then was called Mishicot No. 7 which included sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, and the E 1/2 of sections 3, 10, 15. After Gibson became a. township by itself, this area became Gibson District 2. Today the district consists of sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 14 and most of sections 13 west of the East Twin River. When Mishicot Jt. 2 was organized in 1865, the land east of East Twin River in section 13 was attached to the Mishicot district because it was difficult for the children to cross the unbridged river to get to the Reich school. The first one-room log school building was erected about 1858, although there are no school records available before 1872 to prove just when the building was erected. In this school the outer wraps of the pupils were hung at the back of the room. The numerous lunch pails were placed on a long bench nearby. The room was heated by a box stove. The heat from it often blistered the varnished desks nearby but did not remove the frost from the desks on the opposite side of the room. Blackboards were truly "black boards" in those days. In 1872, the logs of the building were covered with siding and painted white. This did not add a great deal to the children's comforts in the school, but it added a great deal to the outside appearance. As the interior walls were whitewashed, cleaning the school consisted of scrubbing the floors and wainscoting, washing the windows, cleaning the stove pipes, and whitewashing the walls — all for the sum of about five dollars. In 1910 a belfry and a bell and an entrance hall were added to the old building. In 1913 a well was drilled by William Reif. Since the school is built on rocky land, it was necessary to go down only sixty-five feet to get good water. Before the well was drilled, water was obtained from the Hodek farm across the road. The old school was sold to Wencil Honzik, Sr., for forty dollars. He razed the building and used the lumber and timbers for a barn. The old double desks were sold at public auction for twenty-five to thirty-five cents apiece. The desks, while in use in school, caused many a quarrel between the occupants as to the exact dividing line. On March 24, 1919, the first special meeting was held to plan for a new school. At a later meeting the type of school to build was voted upon. It was agreed that the site used up to that time was satisfactory. The new building was to be brick-veneered with a full basement consisting of a playroom and a fuel and furnace room. The first floor has a large classroom, a library alcove, and a large cloakroom. Louis Zellner contracted to build this school for $4,940 but the cost eventually was about $5,500 due to changes and additions. To help keep down the costs the patrons agreed to do all the hauling of lumber, brick, and other materials necessary. In order that something of the old be kept in the new building, the bell was transferred to the new structure. In 1920, Stephen Rozik agreed to erect a flag pole, for six dollars. The school is modern except that outdoor toilets are still in use. The enrollment in the Holmes school from decade to decade shows the same trends as in other rural schools. During the later 1800's some of the pupils were young men women of seventeen to twenty years of age. One of the older residents states "There were more of us then, but some went to school then until they were men and women". Since 1870, when the enrollment was sixty, the number of pupils has declined steadily about ten per decade. At the present time the enrollment has remained at about fifteen to twenty pupils. The Mishicot assessment roll of 1858 lists the names of these early settlers for this district: John Barr, Louis Roullier, Gottlieb Winters, John Wegner, Wm. Siewert, Joseph Roullier, Dan Westcott, Fred Borcherdt; Peter Hansen, Mathias Wirth, and Feidel Reich. During the past years many of the district voters have served on the school board. Those of whom there are records were: John Dobre, Geo. Eckart, John Bodwin, August Stueck, Rudolph Reich, Wencil Honzik, Henry Kempfert, and William Reich. Records show that summer and winter terms were held in this district during the 1870's. It is interesting to note that this district usually paid more for teachers' salaries than did surrounding districts. If a female teacher was hired, the salary ranged from twenty-five to thirty dollars per month, but if male teachers were engaged, the salary ranged from thirty to forty dollars monthly. Men teachers seemed to have been preferred as the records show these teachers as having taught in the district: Celia Fitzmaurice 1872-3; Ernest Pries 1874; Jessie Ross 1875 and 1877; Wm. Ross 1876; Aggie Scott 1878; Floyd Benedict 1879; Jos. Scheurer 1880; Jerome Craite 1892; Blanche Pelishek 1893; Wm. Brown 1894-96; Peter Federspiel 1897-98; Leona Weilip 1900; Elsa Thompson 1901; Henry Duckart 1902-04; and Adolph Kazda 1904-05. Those after 1905 are listed in the county school annuals. The school has had many graduates since its organization. All of them have been successful in their fields of endeavor. Dr. A. F. Stueck, a physician of Manitowoc, was a former pupil. Graduates who became teachers were John and Ben Reich and Adeline Honzik. Frances Rebitz has entered governmental service in Minneapolis. School fairs, contests, and Christmas programs have been common to the community. As far as records could be found, only one box social was ever held. At this social many beautifully decorated lunch boxes were put up for auction. The most ornately and intricately decorated lunch box was that of the teacher, but one of the young women of the district matched her artistry with the result that an embarrassing complication arose when the boxes were auctioned off. This complication was the undoing of any future plans for a box social. The members of the community are deeply interested in all functions of the school. Hot lunches were being served in co-operation with the district mothers. The district has no places of historical interest. Branches of the East Twin River wind their way through the district and serve as picnic and fishing spots for local residents. 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/gibson2h151gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 7.7 Kb