Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Meeme Jt. 6 - Woodland ************************************************ 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 4, 2007, 9:59 pm MEEME JT. 6 —WOODLAND Dorothy Bosch Meeme joint district No. 6 was named the Woodland school in 1919 as the result of an essay contest conducted by the school. The name was deemed appropriate because the school is situated adjacent to a lovely wooded area. Prior to 1919, and even today, it was and is commonly referred to as the School Hill school since it is located about one mile northwest of the village of the same name. The exact location of the school site is the northwest corner of section 8, township of Meeme. Meeme No. 6 was organized for school purposes in 1859 according to the Meeme assessment roll of that date. The assessment rolls prior to 1859 indicate that this area was not included in any other school district. The original district was composed of sections 5-6-7-8, Meeme. Since that time various pieces of land have been detached and attached. Up until 1903-04 the district was wholly in Meeme, but at that time the town clerk's records to the superintendent show that it became joint with Liberty when parts of sections 31 and 32 in Liberty were attached to Meeme No. 6. Since all old records concerning the school have been destroyed, most of the facts about the first school are those obtained from older residents and from county records. The first school site was said to have been located a short distance north of the present site. The first building was said to have been a gray frame building of average size. The equipment was limited, consisting of schoolroom furniture consistent with that period. The pupils had individual slates. The room was heated by an old-fashioned four-legged stove. In 1882, a new school was erected on the present site for $450 according to county records. School sessions were held in this building until 1906 when it was torn down and the present school built. The new structure, a two-room frame building, was constructed at an approximate cost of $2,500. The new school did not have two entirely separate classrooms since an open double doorway connected the two rooms. When school was in session, this doorway was closed by a curtain. Both rooms, though, had blackboards. Both rooms had their own separate cloakrooms for the boys and the girls. The district maintained a second class state graded school from 1906 to 1915. The first teachers in the new school were Prin. Eugene Knox and Margaret Stephenson. In 1915, due to decreased enrollment, it was decided to revert to a one-room school status. The unused classroom on the north side became a playroom and was shut off from the used classroom by a wooden, roller panel door which could be raised out of the way when community school affairs were held. The primary cloakrooms became storage spaces. Since 1916, the school board members were given authority to equip the school with lightning rods, to purchase playground equipment, to modernize the heating and ventilating systems, and to install electric lights. The school has no basement, so a floor furnace is used and an outdoor fuel shed and toilets are used. A large built-in library houses the many books found in school. A fire in the school in the 1930's destroyed a large section of the library but, fortunately, early discovery of the blaze prevented the burning of the entire school. Insurance adjustments made possible the replacement of the burnt books and the repair of the building. The district takes pride in maintaining a first class building with the latest and best equipment. The fact that the school has gone, from a one-room to a two-room and back to a one-room system is an indication of the changes in school enrollment from era to era. The town clerks' reports to the superintendent show that in 1870 the enrollment was only 32. Thereafter a gradual increase was noted for every five year period, so that by 1900 the attendance was 68 for the year. A business boom in School Hill in the early 1900's brought an influx of families as is shown by the school attendance records. From an enrollment of 65 in 1900 the attendance jumped to 90 in 1905, to 106 in 1907, and to 108 in 1909. Thereafter the boom must have subsided because by 1911 the enrollment had dropped to 71. Despite the fact that 50 pupils were still enrolled in 1915, the voters favored the return to the one-room school system. At present the attendance averages between 15 and 20 yearly. Much of this decrease has resulted because of the establishment of parochial schools at Osman, School Hill, and St. Nazianz, although the usual rural factors are prevalent. The assessment roll of 1858 shows that the following were early settlers or land owners in this district: A. D. and W. H. Kettel; A. L. Weeks and Co.; William Langjahr; L. Roundsville; T. Schultz; D. Francis; D. Levins; M. Hosford; S. Schwartz; M. Bast; Wm. Nellis; B. Sanford; G and Math. Brost; N. Brown; and P. Stein. The several thousand children who have attended this school became leaders in their communities. The first school clerk on record for this district was F. Riplinger, 1872. Sevard Nellis served in the same capacity from 1872 to 1896. Other school officers after that date and up to 1906 were John Bushman, Fred Meyer, Hugo Knorr, Harlefinger, and August Quante. The latter served for a period of-twenty years. The record of teachers who taught in this district is very incomplete prior to 1906 when county school annuals began to be issued. The records kept by the early county superintendents show that the following teachers taught in this district: John Carey 1872; Emily Richter and Katie Donahue 1873; Thos. O'Neil 1874-6; Sara Sibree 1877; Emma Atwood 1878-79; Hubert Jermain 1894-5; Will Heckmann 1896; Katie Mullins 1897; Mike Hoban 1898; and Elizabeth Schneider 1904-05. Of these teachers Will Heckmann became a teacher of deaf and dumb in North Dakota, while Hubert Jermain became a doctor. A later teacher, Eugene Knox, also became a doctor of medicine. The district maintained winter and summer sessions up to 1874 the records show. The salaries paid the teachers were the average for the times. The town clerk's reports indicate that Sander and Swinton spellers, Sander and McGuffey's readers, Davis and Ray arithmetics, McNally and Mitchell geographies, Swinton's histories, Sill, Phineas, and Kerl's grammars were used during the latter 1800's. The parents bought the texts from book agents or from the district. The schoolhouse has long served as the center of community gatherings. The old fashioned spelling matches were held. School fairs were held as a sort of harvest festival at which district prizes were given. At one time the vacant primary room was used as a basketball court by the young men of the district. Christmas programs are held yearly in the school. The early community history of this district is interesting. School Hill is so named because it is the highest point in Meeme. The school is situated on this hill. The name "Meeme" was derived from an Indian word meaning "wild pigeons". The first building in the village of School Hill was a store, now used as a machine shed and storage room for a fire engine. The store was begun by Vincent Steffen and later run by Henry Abel. While Mr. Abel had it, it housed the post office. Other businessmen of early times were Peter Hilgert, mason; Henry Dedering, painter; Math. Graham, wagon-maker; Jacob Schad, blacksmith; George Jermain, storekeeper; Herman Schneider, harness-maker; and Henry Roethal, cheesemaker. In 1900 the village experienced a boom for at that time John Buschman and Christ Hickman built a grist and saw mill. A year later the School Hill Milling Co. was established by a group of local residents. In 1905 Anton Miller and sons built a cement factory. Today, the village has the usual businesses found in small rural communities of our county. 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/meemejt6194gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 8.6 Kb