Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Gibson 3 - Zander ************************************************ 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, 10:13 pm GIBSON 3 —ZANDER Lorraine Kasten Gibson district No. 3 is known as the Zander district because it is located a short distance from that village. The school has always been so designated. The hamlet of Zander built at a crossroad was named in memory of John Zander, one of the early settlers. The Mishicot assessment roll of 1858, when Gibson still was a part of Mishicot, shows that the present Gibson district 3 was then made up of parts of Mishicot school districts 7 and 9. When Gibson became a township, this area became Gibson No. 3 and consisted of sections 3-4-9-10 and parts of sections 15 and 16. Since that time many boundary changes have occurred, but these sections still serve as the nucleus of the district. The first log schoolhouse for this district was built about 1858, although there is no written record of its construction. It is known that it was located nearer Zander's corner than the present school is. This building was sold to Helmuth Zander on September 15, 1870 for $10.50. What he did with the structure is unknown. The second school, a frame structure, was located on the present school site, about 20 feet south of the present building. It was built in the summer of 1870 by John Ording, a local carpenter, at a cost of about $400. According to an old picture of the school, the building had no porch so the school door led directly into the school from the schoolyard. It is thought that the building was about 24 x 36 feet and one story in height. The structure had windows on the long sides. There evidently was no cloakroom so the children's wraps were hung on hooks in the rear of the schoolroom. An addition was erected in 1885 at a cost of $340 according to county records. This addition was made necessary because of the large enrollment during the 1880's. The seats and desks in this school were double and constructed entirely of wood. The blackboards were just "black" boards. The building was heated by a boxstove. The rest of the equipment consisted of a water bucket, a dipper, a teacher's desk, and a few maps — equipment common to our pioneer schools. When the voters decided to erect a modern structure for school purposes, the second school was sold to William Wachholz of Francis Creek for $90. This building became a part of the present Wachholz garage at Francis Creek. The third and present school was built in 1916 at an approximate cost of $3,000. When erected, it was considered one of the most modern school buildings in the county. The school is about 36 x 36 feet. It has a large entry which is used as a basement entrance and the main hallway to the school. The hallway leads to a large cloakroom from which a door leads to a small storage room which is walled off from the entrance, and two doors leading to the classroom. The schoolroom which is about 22 x 34 has a large built-in bookcase along the north wall. The room is equipped with all of the latest and best teaching and learning equipment. Electric service was installed almost as soon as it was available. The basement houses a heating-ventilating plant, a fuel storage room, and a large playroom. The playground which was enlarged in 1940 by purchasing a quarter acre to the rear of the school for $50 from Chas. Spevacek has more playground equipment than found for most county schools. The original plot of land was given to the school district in 1870. With the excepton [sic] of outdoor lavatories, the school is now considered modern and shows the pride that the community takes in its educational institution. The Zander school was always a large school until very recently. All during the last half of the 1800's, the enrollment averaged between 60 and 80. The attendance, according to county records, has been high in proportion to the children of school age residing in the district. In the 1880's the school age pupils in the district numbered 160. In 1946 that figure had dropped to 51, just one-third of the number residing in the community 60 years ago. That is a good illustration of why rural school attendance is as low as it is at present. At one time in 1875, there were 85 pupils going to school. In the 1940's the average yearly attendance was between 20 and 30 pupils. This community is not affected by parochial schools, and yet it has experienced the same decline in enrollment as other rural schools. Two terms of school were held until 1875. Although the district paid the highest salary in Gibson, the teachers usually stayed only for one term. The terms fluctuated from year to year. As early as 1871, a seven month term was held but that was not the average term length. It was not until 1895, that a nine month term was held. The first teacher in the old log school was said to have been William Kind, while Geo. Anderson was the first teacher in the second school and received $44.50 per month. Other teachers listed in county records as having taught this school prior to 1906 were: Wm. Ross 1870 S, Jessie F. Decker 1871, James L. Stitt 1872 and 1876, Josie Howarth 1873, Henry Flagg 1874, Harold Whitmore 1875, Ed. Brown 1877-8, James O'Hara 1879, J. B. Rick 1880, H. J. Westgate 1894, Isabel Trossen 1895-6, Louis Trossen 1897-8, and Geo. Sladky 1904-5. The early classes consisted of what we now think of as grades 1 to 4. Beyond that the classes were known as "A" and "B" classes. The town clerks' reports to the county superintendents list the Sanders and the Swinton spellers, and Sanders and the New Education readers, Ray's arithmetic, Cornel's and McMurry's geographies, Guffey and Swinton histories, and Wells and Kerr's grammars as common texts for the 1870's and 80's. The district officers have retained their offices for long terms and have taken a deep interest in maintaining the best school possible. John Rick served as clerk from 1870 to 1876, while Helmuth Zander, Sr. served as treasurer from 1870 to 1900. His son, Helmuth, Jr. served from 1912 to 1935. Others on record before 1906 were Clerks Wm. Zander 1877-80, H. C. Ellingbo 1880-1898, and. James Holly 1904-05. Friedrich Willert, John Zander, Knud Thompson, Sven Olson, Friederick Damerow, John Miller, Byron Markham, Peter Hansen, Gottlieb Winters, and Mathias Wirth were early Norwegian and German settlers in this community. Today there are very few of these family names remaining, being largely replaced by later settlers of Bohemian extraction. The hundreds of former pupils have gone forth from this school to become prominent farmers, teachers, businessmen, and mechanics. Among the more recent graduates who have become teachers are members of the Kasten, Foreman, Lukes, Rehbein, and Mueller families. Gibson No. 3 has no important areas of scenic interest. The once thriving hamlet of Zander has become a crossroad stopping place with most of the first buildings built in the 1860's and 1870's either torn down or repaired or remodeled into homes. Many of the foundations of the first buildings remain as mute evidences of the importance of this hamlet to the community. The Zander church and public school are the two institutions which remain of all the attractions that Zander once had. 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/gibson3z152gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 7.9 Kb