Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Liberty Jt. 4 - Badger 
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LIBERTY JT. 4 -BADGER
Rita Groh

Liberty joint district No. 4 was named the Badger school after the nickname of
our state and not because there were many badgers in this area. The more common
name for the school is the Pigeon Lake school because it is situated a little
more than a mile north of that lake.

    This school district was set up as early as 1856 for taxation purposes at
least. The Eaton assessment roll of 1857 shows that at that time this district
contained all of sections 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33 of the present
Liberty township. From 1857 to 1860 the township of Buchanan (now Liberty) was
in existence and so Eaton No. 4 became Buchanan district No. 4. After 1860,
Buchanan became Liberty township and then this school district became Liberty
No. 4. Since its organization much of its area has been detached to become parts
of Eaton Jt. 1 and Liberty No. 6. In 1909, a small piece of land in section 4,
town of Meeme was attached to this district and thus it became Liberty joint 4,
joint with Meeme. At present this district is made up of sections 27, 28, 29,
32, and 33, and parts of sections 21 and 22, all in Liberty, plus a piece of
land in section 4, Meeme.

    The schoolhouse is located on the corner of county trunk highway C and the
Pigeon Lake road. For many years this school site was leased to the district by
Mike Dunbar and his wife. In 1891, the district bought the school site from the
Dunbars for $24. The size of the schoolyard is 10 x 8 rods or one-half acre.

    The first log schoolhouse was located one-half mile west of the present
school on Highway C. No trace of the original site or building remains. Just
when this building was built, its size, and cost are facts unknown as the
district records of those early days are destroyed. It is known that the first
school had no floor and that the desks and seats were made of planks. It is said
that some of the pupils' desks were so high that they often toppled over.
Whenever this happened, the children were punished by being made to sit under
the teacher's desk or by sitting in the chimney hole. The latter punishment was
often rather difficult for some boys because they were so big. Just when the
first school was abandoned is unknown.

    The second log building covered with siding and painted red was built on the
present site. This must have been some years before 1870, since it is said that
J. C. Mallaz was one of the first teachers in the school. There is no record of
such a teacher after the above date in the county superintendent of schools
records. The size of this building and interesting facts about its construction
are unknown. There were double seats and desks, one large world map, and one
"blackboard" was used in the school The children used slates in place of tablets
and writing paper. The slate rags used to clean these slates were often used to
dry the hands of the children. The schoolroom had neither shades nor curtains,
and it was cleaned once or twice a year. One night while a dance was being held
in school, the floor collapsed. The voters then decided to build a new
schoolhouse. No report is given of what was done with the old school when the
new one was built.

    The third and present frame schoolhouse was built in 1889 for about $471 and
was painted red. The building was constructed by August Lenz and Fred Liitzke.
The interior remained unpainted for several years, but after that it was
whitewashed yearly. That practice is still followed at present. The building is
about 24 x 30 x 12 feet with the entrance part used for one large cloakroom. The
classroom contains three windows on each of the long sides. There is no bell
tower, so-a small hand bell was used to call the children to order. The room is
still heated by a large box stove and has no ventilation system. Electric lights
were installed about 1940. A wood box built into the wall separating the class
and cloakrooms makes it possible to put in wood from the entry sides and take it
out from the schoolroom side. A large new library cupboard was built in recent
years to store the text and library books. Single, adjustable desks were
purchased several years ago. A storm shed entry was added to the front of the
school building recently. The outbuildings consist of a large garage woodshed
and toilets. There never has been a well on the grounds so water was carried
from a neighbor's well.

    During the first half century of this school's existence, it was common to
have pupils in school who were 18 and 20 years of age. These "oldsters" came to
school during the winter months as they were needed on the farms during the rest
of the year. Only a few ever graduated from the eighth grade. The
superintendent's records show that winter and summer terms were in vogue up to
1875. The town clerk's records to the superintendents indicate that this never
was a large school as the highest enrollment of about 60 pupils occurred just
before Liberty No. 6 was organized in 1877. The average attendance from 1870 to
1905 was between 25 and 40 pupils yearly. The average daily attendance for the
year 1945-46 was eleven pupils. Much of the recent decrease is due to the usual
rural population factors. At a special school meeting held in the spring of
1947, the voters voted almost unanimously to suspend school operations after the
1946-47 term and transport the pupils to Eaton Jt. 1.

    Early settlers of the district were John, Mike, and William Dunbar, Mike
Crowe, Charles Lutzke, T. K. Hougen, and Dan Tracy. The latter became an
assemblyman from our county. Albert Hougen became a lawyer and is now located in
Manitowoc. O .T. and Edward Hougen became doctors of medicine. Marion, Emma, and
Evelyn Hougen, John Dunbar, E. S. and Margaret Crowe became teachers. E. S.
Crowe later became editor and owner of the "Manitowoc Pilot". The above named
lawyers, doctors, and teachers were some of the more well-known graduates of
this school.

    The citizens of this school district have re-elected the school board
members for many terms. Charles Hougen, one of the officers, served as treasurer
for 40 years. Albert Wagner and Carl Lenz each served from 20 to 25 years on the
board. Records show that Michael Dunbar served as clerk from at least 1872 to
1880 and in other official capacities thereafter. Wm. Crowe's name is recorded
as clerk from 1894 to 1906.

    The first known teacher in the first school was J. C. Mallaz and his salary
then was $10 per month. Teachers' names on record up to the time of the first
annual in 1906 are: Mary J. Rowe and Nancy Darling 1872; Thos. O'Neil and P.
Donahue 1873, John Carey and Jos. W. Finch 1874; Mary Cody 1875; John Lonergan
1876; J. N. Humphrey 1878; John Barnes 1879; J. F. Simms 1880, Maggie Crowe
1894-5; Katie McNulty 1896-7; M. H. Garrey 1898; Lottie Georgenson 1904, and Mae
Brady 1905. Others remembered by district residents were Ralph Elmgreen, Maggie
O'Connor, and Verona O'Grady.

    The subjects taught in the first schools consisted of reading, spelling, and
arithmetic, but later grammar, history, and geography classes were taught.
County records show that Sanders and Swinton spellers, Sanders and American
Education readers, Rays arithmetic, Kerls grammar, and Swinton histories and
geographies were used in the 1870 and 1880's The teaching of the A, B, C's was
stressed. Spelling matches were held frequently. Each year on the last day of
school the families of the district gathered at Pigeon Lake for a school picnic.
Games of all sorts are played and the picnic lunch enjoyed by all.

    Pigeon Lake, one of the county's largest lakes, is a favorite vacation spot
for local and distant residents. Summer cottages dot the shores, while the
western shore property is the location of Camp Sinawa, the boys' and girls'
scout camp, Fishing, boating, swimming, and ice-skating are popular in the
proper season. Since its organization in 1857, the school has gotten its mail in
turn from the post office at Meeme, St. Naziahz, and Valders.


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/libertyj169gms.txt

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