Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Maple Grove No. 1 - Marquette School 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, 10:21 pm MAPLE GROVE NO. 1 - MARQUETTE SCHOOL Mary D. Cavanaugh Maple Grove District No. 1 is known as the Marquette School and was so named in honor of Father Marquette, a French Missionary. To real old timers it is known as the Nolan School because of the connection that the Nolans had with the school's history. The school is now located in Section 11 of the township of Maple Grove. The Marquette School district was organized about the year 1854. The district originally was composed of Sections 2-3-10-11-14-15-23 and the S 1/2 of Section 12, the NW 1/4 and the W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 13 and the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 22. Since that time various parcels of land have been detached. The first schoolhouse was built on a site about 3/4 mile east of the present site. It was located on the old Morrisey farm. The building was constructed of logs and furnished with home-made benches. Now all that is left of this site is an old pine stump which stood near the door of the first building. Before the second school was built the voters decided to locate it more centrally in the district. The Nolans must have given permission to have the site located on their farm for records in the register of deeds office show the following transactions: In 1858 the United States of America through Pres. Buchanan conveyed the NE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of Section 11, T. 20, R. 21E to Edward Nolan. In 1882 his heirs sold the land to J. P. Nolan. That same year Dist. No. 1 decided to buy the land on which the school stands. The records also show that Sarah and J. P. Nolan conveyed to District No. 1 a piece of land running two rods east and west and eleven rods north and south on the SW corner of the NW 1/4 of Section 11. It was also agreed that the district was to keep the site fenced at all times. If the school site was ever abandoned, the land was to revert to the owners. The second schoolhouse for the district and the first on the new site was also built of logs. The exact date when it was constructed is unknown. It, too, had rude home-made benches and blackboards which were hung on the wall. On Monday, June 5, 1882 the voters decided to build a new school on the same site. This was schoolhouse number three for the district. It was a frame structure 26 x 40 x 12 feet built on a good stone foundation. At a meeting held January 7, 1883 a resolution was passed to have J. P. Nolan and Aug. Kiekhaefer visit Maple Grove District 4 to get ideas for a building plan. The third school was built in 1883 at a cost of $384. Patented seats were installed at a total cost of $11.80. School records give a lengthy description of the fence erected in 1889 by John Duggan for $70. The school board inspected the building yearly to see what improvements were necessary. During one visit they found that the blackboards needed a new coat of plaster of Paris and that the woodbox needed a new bottom of pine or oak boards! In January 1940, fire of unknown origin destroyed the little white schoolhouse. The children were than transported to Maple Grove 2 and Franklin. Jt. 2 until a new building was erected. During the summer and winter of 1940, through a P.W.A. project, the fourth schoolhouse was built. It is modern in every respect with basement, indoor toilets, playroom, cloakrooms and a large, well-lighted and ventilated school-room which will seat about forty pupils. The Marquette School has always been a one-room school. The highest enrollment in 1881 was 67. As the years have past, the attendance has decreased steadily. About 1940 the enrollment was about 20, while at present it has gone down to eleven. Larger farms, fewer children per family, and parochial school attendance at Maple Grove and at Reedsville are the contributing factors to this decline. The Assessment Rolls for the township of Maple Grove for 1866 on file in the county treasurer's office lists the following as early settlers or land owners in this district: Ed. Linnane, Mich. O'Connell, Thos. Morrisey, Martin Kelly, Pat and Martin O'Neil, Mich. Leary, Martin Mahoney, John Driscoll, T. Guhin, Cornelius Lynch, John Sheehy, Thos. Meany, Sylvester and Pat Cavanaugh, the Doolans, John O'Hearn, John Mulcahy. Members of the D. C. Cavanaugh, the Sullivan, the Nolan, the O'Neil, the Guhin, the O'Hearn and the Leary families are well known in the teaching, farming, and other fields. The earliest school officers of which there is a record are for the year 1870. At that time they were Clerk Martin McNarma, Treasurer Edward Nolan, and Director John Fieldon. Others who served on the board up to 1906 were: Martin Kelly, James P. Nolan, Aug. Kiekhafer, Mich. Cavanaugh, Mich. O'Connel, and John O'Neil. The school was run on a two term plan in the early days. The winter term of four months began in October, while the spring term began about the middle of April and lasted for about three months. The teachers were paid the prevailing wages for each term. They always boarded in the district. P. W. Cavanaugh tells how Charlotte Flynn, who boarded at his home when he was a small boy, brought home books and pictures for him. The usual subjects from the texts of that day were taught. Teachers who taught in this district from 1871 to 1906 were Bridget Nolan, Annie Watts, Jeremiah Falvey, John P. Kennedy, Charlotte Flynn, John P. Judge, John P. Sheahan, Mary Patno, Elizabeth Kelly, Joanna O'Connor, Mary Burke, Maggie Morrisey, J. W. Guhin, M. M. Guhin, Ellen Doyle, Herman Westphal, Peter J. Linnane, Wm. J. Morrisey, and Mamie Linnane. Those after 1906 are recorded in the School Annuals. The district has no places of historical or scenic interest. There are many evidences that the continental glacier has passed over this area. Many of the small drumlins are rich in gravel deposits which are and were used extensively in road building. 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/maplegro183gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 6.7 Kb