Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Manitowoc Rapids 1 - Shadyside 1948 ************************************************ 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 3, 2007, 7:19 pm MANITOWOC RAPIDS 1 - SHADYSIDE Florence T. Pleuss Shadyside school was the name chosen for the school in Manitowoc Rapids No. 1. That was an appropriate name for the many box elders on the schoolground make a shady place on the land sloping to the west. These trees were planted many years ago by Louis Mathison. Most residents of the township still refer to this school as the Trainor school because the site adjoined the old Trainor farm to the east. Some old timers called it the Irish school because of the many Irish pupils who once attended it. The buildings is located on highway 151 about five miles from Manitowoc, the approximate location being near the N. W. corner of section 32, Manitowoc Rapids. The land on which the school is located was purchased from the government on August 15, 1850 by Ole Christianson. There is evidently no record of how, from whom, and for how much the original school site was obtained. On June 28, 1909, an additional quarter acre was purchased from Wm. Fischer, for $90. This added land to the west of the old schoolyard. The wish was to purchase additional space to the east instead of to the west, but since the Trainors had begun a small nursery on that piece of land, it was impossible to make a satisfactory deal. The district was set up for school purposes about 1850, although there is no written record to prove this. Most of the other schools in this area were started about 1850, and so one must assume that district number 1 would have been organized about that time. Records do show that when Hakan Nordi bought his farm from Oswald Torrison in 1858 a schoolhouse was on it, and it was agreed to have, it remain there as long as the district wanted it to remain. The first one-room log school was erected about 1850. It is believed to have been located on the present site, but Hakan Nordi's deed did not give the exact location of the school . The building was built by the early settlers with such materials as they had on hand. The farmers cut the logs, put up the school, and added homemade equipment for teaching and learning. The benches seated eight pupils each with long boards used for desks. One "black" board was used, and each pupil was expected to furnish his own slate. A long box stove stood in the front of the room with smokepipes leading to the chimney in the rear of the room. Water was brought from the Trainor farm in a pail from which the pupils got their drinking water by means of the inevitable dipper. Handwashing was not practiced with the precious water supply. The old log school burned down in 1871 from an overheated stove. The loss, in addition to the building, included a large new dictionary which had just been purchased. The remainder of the school term 1871-2 was held in a farm home across from the Trainor home. In 1872 the present frame school was built for $500. It was not as well equipped as it is today. The building is about 26 x 32 with an entry, two cloakrooms, and a good-sized classroom. Three windows on each of the long sides and two in the front care for the lighting. There is no basement, so the heating and ventilation system is placed in the schoolroom. At first an old boxstove was used, but this was later replaced with a coal stove and more recently with a floor furnace. The old fashioned woodbox was built into the partition between the entry and classroom so that the firewood could be thrown into it without going into the classroom. At first the wood-shed was located in front of the schoolhouse, but in 1907 it was moved and attached to the rear of the school. A door was cut into the rear schoolroom wall so that the fuel could then be easily gotten. The district erected a one-car garage after the teachers began driving to the school with their own automobiles. Neat, well-kept outdoor toilets are placed at the rear of the schoolyard. To care for the large number of library and text books which were being added yearly, the district in the 1930's built a large library cupboard with plenty of shelves and storage space. It was placed against the wall between the entry and the classroom. Electric lights were installed in 1939. The present school equipment and care of the buildings reflect the progressiveness of the district and its able board members. During the last few years of the old log school the enrollment was between 50 and 60 pupils. The size of the families then is shown by the fact that school records list the names of 11 children from the Mathison family, 16 from the Donovan family, and 7 from the Trainor family. Because two terms yearly were held up to about 1876, the town clerk's report to the superintendent in 1875 listed 81 pupils enrolled. After single terms were held, the enrollment figures dropped to between 30 and 50. In 1890, only 27 pupils were listed as attending, although there were 140 children of school age in the district. The 1945-46 attendance was 24, but that number was larger than for the past ten years. The establishment of the parochial school at Silver Lake, smaller families, older district residents, high school attendance, and other factors have caused this decline in .enrollment. Manitowoc Rapids No. 1 was settled by Norwegians, Irish and German families. The Manitowoc Rapids assessment roll of 1857 lists these pioneer settlers: J. Eisner, John Heinzen, Henry Volheim, Math. Wick, Adam Bleser, Peter Porten, U. Knutson, John Lantrey, G. Gerlach, I. Paulson, O. Christiansen, Issac Johnson, A. and Thor. Larsen, I. B. Dunn, James and Hugh Savage, P. Trainor, Oswald Torrison, A. Hutchinson, Pat Stevens, and Weyers. Later settlers were the Vettings, Schroeders, Baruths, Kaufmans, Brunners, Wildes, Techs, and Raethers. A former resident, Henry Baruth, became county treasurer and Jos. Brunner is the present town chairman. The early school officers received little or no yearly salary. Their duties were to keep the school in repair, purchase necessary equipment, and hire the teacher after the voters decided whether to hire a male or female teacher. The teacher's contract was usually written in the clerk's record book. Th [sic] earliest known clerk was Lars Mathison who served for more than ten years in the 1870's. Others serving were Thos. Savage as clerk from 1880 to 1898 and Al. Gauger, Steve Savage, Henry Baruth, Peter Mason, Frank Pleuss, and Louis Mathison as other board members before 1906. Three month summer and five month winter terms were common in the early days of this school. The superintendents' records show that five month terms were held after 1875, but evidently a spring session must also have been held because other schools in the township had 8 and 10 month school etrms. [sic] The salary paid teachers was usually lower than for other township teachers. Names of teachers before 1872 are unknown. Some of those after that date to 1906 were: Louise Cox 1872 S, Mary Sexton 1872-3 W. and S., Josie Murphy 1873 W, Bedelia Comer 1874-5 S and W, Wm. Mulholland 1876, John Barnes 1877, Mary Gilbert 1878, Maggie Kelley 1879-80, Fred Hammond 1894, F. Vetting 1895-97, Henry C. Ewald 1898, and Laura Madsen 1904-5. Other teachers before 1906 but the exact year unknown were Maggie Barry, Katie Egan, Minnie Torrison, Bridget Morris, James Crowe, and. a Mr. Kelley. Many of these teachers boarded at the Lars Mathison home. Fred Hammond became Dr. F. Hammond, and James Crowe became a rural mailman. The subjects taught in this school at first were limited to reading, spelling, arithmetic, and history. Texts common to the county were used, except that in this school Goodrich's history was used. There were no grades as we find them today. The divisions consisted of A, B, C, D, and fourth reader classes. Most pupils failed to get as far as the fourth reader, but if they completed, that they were considered brilliant and fit to go out to teach! School fairs were popular about the 1920's. The pupils cared for gardens, did canning and sewing during the summer to exhibit their products at the fall school fair. The articles, arranged on shelving, would be judged for prizes by a fair committee. In the evening the district residents came to see the exhibit and the prize winning products. Debates and the annual school picnic were other community affairs enjoyed by the 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/manitowo176gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 9.1 Kb