Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Liberty 6 Cedar Grove ************************************************ 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 2, 2007, 10:47 pm LIBERTY 6 - CEDAR GROVE Dorothy Reinertson Liberty No. 6 was officially designated the Cedar Grove school because two groves of cedar grew near the school. Many of these trees have been removed but there are still remnants of these groves. The schoolhouse is located on the northeast corner of section 19. The school seemed to have no common name by which it was known prior to 1918. The Cedar Grove district was the last district set up in the township of Liberty. It originally belonged to Liberty 2 and 4 districts, but in 1877 agitation to form a new school district in this area reached the stage of official action. On December 22, 1877, the interested voters gathered and formed a new school unit composed of sections 17, 18, and most of 19 and 20, all in Liberty. Unanimous approval for such action was not given because a number of voters protested against the formation of a new district. These people appealed to state superintendent of schools, Wm. Whitford, to stop the formation of the proposed district. Supt. Whitford ruled against the appeal. The first district meeting was then held on May 2, 1878, at the Ole O. Berge home. All of the qualified voters, forty in number, attended. One of the first questions put before the voters was the choice of a proper school site. Two places were suggested. One was the present site on the then Tolef Thompson's corner, with the schoolhouse to be built between the two pine trees standing then at that spot. The other site suggested was the northeast corner of the Emerik Throndson's farm. By ballot vote it was decided to locate the building where it now stands. The sum of $10 was paid Mr. Thompson for the site described as follows: Between the two pines on the northeast corner of the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of section 19, T. 18 N., R. 21 E. The next order of business at this first meeting was the type and cost of the building to erect for school purposes. After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that $750, if legal, would be raised to build a suitable school and equip it. A committee of six, consisting of Peter Knudson, Osten Tolefson, Ole Marken, Mathias Reinertson, Ander Ival, and Tolef Thompson, was appointed. Two district residents, Mathias Reinertson and Peder Knudson, were hired to build the school. Tolef Thompson was the first district clerk. The first schoolhouse completed by September 30, 1878, has served the district up to the present. It is a frame building about 24 x 30 feet without a basement. Cross-lighting from three windows on each side is still maintained. The year it was built, it was furnished with "blackboards", a globe, box stove, and plank seats and desks. Since that time, double desks replaced the plank seats, and in more recent years single seats have been provided. A floor furnace now heats and ventilates the building. The school is now equipped with a piano, sandbox, library shelving, maps, running water piped from a nearby spring, and other teaching and learning aids. Electric lights were installed during the past decade. The school has a medium-sized classroom and a common cloakroom for both sex. A hand bell calls the students to work. The schoolyard also contains a woodshed, and toilets which are built behind the schoolhouse. The excellent care which has always been taken of the buildings reflects the pride that the district takes in its little school. It is reported that the first year of school ending Augus [sic] 31, 1879, sixty-three pupils attended, although the town clerk's report to the superintendent for 1880 shows that only 43 were enrolled that year. The enrollment from 1880 to 1905 averaged from about 25 to 45 pupils. These figures include boys and girls who were from 16 to 20 years of age and who attended during the winter months only. At present the average yearly attendance has been from 10 to 15. Smaller families, older farm owners, high school attendance by pupils over 14 years of age, and other factors have brought about the decreased enrollment. Most of the early settlers in this district were of Norwegian descent as the following names will indicate: Mas Olson, Osten Tollefson, Thrond. Knutson, Knut Throndson, S O. Berge, Ander Peterson, Ole Jorgenson, Ole Madson, Iver Gullickson, Peder Anderson, Ole Berge, and Knud Berg. All of them were farmers, and the district has remained a pure farming community. The many graduates of this district school have become prominent in agriculture, banking, business, government, and teaching. The Berg family is noted for its teachers, having had Lillian, Marie, and Alice in that profession. The present town chairman, Elmer Rogne, is a district resident. The first school officers were clerk Tolef Thompson, treasurer Ole Berge, and director Mads Olson. After their fees were established and regulated the clerk received $3 yearly, the treasurer $2, and the director $1. As the years passed, these yearly salaries were raised to partially compensate the people serving the hours of time devoted in maintaining a good school. The voters of the district appreciated the efforts of these officers by re-electing them for long periods of service. The following service record indicates the confidence of the voters in their school officers: Mathias Reinertson 24 years, Otis Marken 21 years, and Joel Johnson 22 years. At the first schoolboard meeting in 1878, it was decided to hire a female teacher. That policy has been followed with few exceptions up to the present. Mary A. Classen was the first teacher, receiving $28 monthly for five months. She was rehired, for six consecutive terms, with her wages rising to $32 a month. The nationality of the teacher preferred is indicated in the following list of teachers serving from 1884 to 1906: Martha Olson, Mary Davis, Julia Lyken, Julia Marken, Erma O. Marken, Margaret Stephenson, Julia Densmore, Nora Morris, Jennie O'Connor, Mamie Gunderson, and Nellie Nelson. Because of the limited extent of the district, the average salary for the teachers was nearly always below that paid by surrounding districts. In 1894, as an example, Julia Marken was paid $30, when the town average was about $45 per month. For the past decade or two, the district has paid its teachers as well as others have. County records list the usual texts for this school which were used almost countywide. Sanders and Swinton spellers, Sanders and American Education readers, Robinsons arithmetic, Swintons geography and. history, and Kerls grammar books were used up to about 1900. The three R's were stressed in all grades. Before beginning to read, the beginners had to learn their A, B, C's. During the early 1900's school fairs were held each fall, at which the children would exhibit their finest farm products. Prizes were given for the best. Spelling matches were really contests in this district for the prize sometimes was a purebred heifer calf donated by some farmer in the district! The school building has always served as a social center at which programs, box socials, and other community gatherings are held. The district has no scenic or historical places of special interest. 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/liberty6171gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 7.9 Kb