Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Newton 6 - Valley View ************************************************ 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 22, 2007, 6:56 pm NEWTON 6 -VALLEY VIEW LaVerne H. Hartlaub Newton school district No. 6 was named the Valley View district in 1918 because of the view of Pine Creek valley which winds its way through the district and to the rear of the school yard. County residents refer to this school as the Northeim school because the school buildings have always been located near the hamlet of Northeim. The old Northeim district was organized early in the 1850's when this lake village and the surrounding areas were being settled. The first Newton district No. 6 was composed of sections 23-24-25-26-35 and 36. Today the district boundary lines have changed only to the north, where some parts of sections 23 and 24 have been attached to Newton No. 7. The first log school for this district was erected about one-half mile north of the present school site and near the present Northeim church at a cost of about $70. The crude building had a few small windows on three sides with the cracks between the logs chinked. The 60 pupils which it once accommodated used slates and slate pencils, for lead pencils and tablets were then unknown. The seats and desks were long enough to accommodate six pupils. Gone are the building and evidences of the first site. By 1864, the thriving community had so many children attending school that the voters decided to build a new and larger school building. This time the structure was to be built one-half mile south of Northeim which was then evidently the center of population for the district. Since this was to be a "more modern" and larger building than the first school, the district raised $275. It was a frame structure built to conform to the schoolhouses of that early period. Wooden blackboards were installed, but the pupils still sat on the long homemade seats taken from the first schoolhouse. As these desks were non-adjustable the little youngsters dangled their legs, while the big six-footers had their feet sprawled in the aisles. A big boxstove in one corner of the room heated the schoolhouse to about 60 degrees on "snappy" days. Old timers remember the teachers holding classes around the stove. Kerosene lamps, borrowed from the neighbors when needed, served to light the room for evening affairs. After serving the district as a schoolhouse for 29 years, it was auctioned off to Frank Leschke for $50 and moved to Northeim. There it was remodeled and made into a home for the Leschkes. At present it is the home of Joe Pekarske. In 1893, the district decided to build a new school and to locate it one-eighth of a mile west of Northeim on an acre of land purchased from Felix Sitkiewitz. The building, costing about $860, was to be of frame construction, about 26 x 32 feet, and with two windows on each of the long sides and on the entrance side. The building is now the east one-half of the present school. There was no basement, so a stove was still to be used as the heating plant. The main floor had a combination entry-cloakroom across the front of the school. The furniture, consisted of double desks and seats and the teacher's desk. The open water bucket and dipper were standard equipment until the 1900's. In 1905, a state law requiring the employment of two teachers for schools with an enrollment of more than 65 was passed. The law affected this district, and so the west one-half of the present schoolhouse was added. The addition plus the construction of two entrance halls and a bell tower cost about $1,000. The additional room followed the construction design of the building to which it was attached. The two schoolrooms were separated by wooden doors which rolled up into large wooden cases. For Christmas programs and evening social affairs, the doors were rolled up and the two rooms became one large auditorium. Each room was heated by a stove of its own. The two room school was maintained until 1915 when, due to decreased enrollment, the district voted for a one room rural school. The average daily attendance was, however, still large so the rolling doors were kept open except on very cold days when the children were seated in one room. It was not until the late 1930's that the rolling doors were removed and one room made of the entire building. The large chimney between the two rooms was removed and a new one constructed at the west wall. Today the Northeim school has most of the modern teaching equipment necessary. Modern physical conditions such as a basement, window lighting from the left and rear, and indoor toilets are lacking. The school's water supply is obtained from an artesian well located on the schoolyard. The schoolground has several fine pieces of playground equipment plus the woodshed and the two outdoor toilets. Electric lights were installed in the school in 1934. Although the number of pupils of school age residing in the district has averaged between 100 and 200 from 1870 to 1915, the number of pupils enrolled in the public schools has been low in comparison. For instance, in 1870 there were 187 children of school age, but only 67 of them attended school. That ratio was common until the 1900's when compulsory attendance laws were being passed. The highest enrollment occurred in 1905 when about 80 children attended. By 1915, the number enrolled had dropped to less than 60, the number set by the state for two teachers. At the present time the attendance averages about 20 yearly out of a school census list of about 50. The major causes of the decline in school population are due to smaller families, high school attendance, and the decline of the once prosperous village of Northeim. The 1856 Newton assessment roll lists L. Klein, A. Gahr, John and Peter Bordel, H. Grosshuesch, M. Kordas, J. Rosinsky, A. Schneider ,P. Pitsch, H. Vogel, Chas. Rehbein, Philip Goetz, A. Dumke, and Franz Hecker as early settlers. At present the district is settled by German and Polish people. Prominent former pupils of this school are John Pekarske, proprietor of a clothing store; Dr. A. Pekarske, a dentist; John Leschke, funeral director; Frank Kerscher, sheet metal shopkeeper; and Frank and John Rhode in the cheese and shoe business respectively. Peter Tomchek and Anton Pekarske, businessmen of Chicago, and Alma Rhode and Martha Pekarske, former teachers, were other well-known graduates. The earliest known school officers were August Gahr and Eglof Dumke in 1862. Others serving prior to 1906 were Chas. Leucker, Carl Dumke, Maurice Mann, Thos. Gretz, Henry Franzmeier, Peter Kuffel, and Nick Kuffel. The last named served for a term of 25 years. The records in the county office do not show that two terms of school were held, but it does indicate that six and eight month terms were common as early as 1872. The teacher's pay was average, being about $45 yearly for the 1870's and 1880's. The lowest pay recorded was for Isabel Cary in 1864 when $17 was the monthly salary. The names of teachers on record as having taught this school before 1906 were: Jos. W. Finch 1872-3, Evelyn Murphy 1874, J. Finnegan 1876-7, Thos. O'Neil 1878, L. A. Schmitz 1879, W. C. Schmitz 1880, John Goldie 1894, Albert Kielsmeier 1895, John M. Ruchhoeft 1896-7, Ralph Kestly 1898, Stanley Gretz 1904, and Peter F. Duvenick 1905. The decline of the lake port of Northeim is indicated by the school census At one time there was a thriving brick-making industry located at the rich clay deposits along the creek to the west of the present school. Lumbering was another major industry of this area. Every spring sailing vessels would arrive to take on cordwood for the larger lake ports. The ruins of the three piers at the mouth of the Pine river are still present. All of these industries employed a larger population than is found in the farming community of Valley View today. With the improvement of the Lakeshore highway, this area may some day become an important summer resort area. 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/newton6v214gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 8.7 Kb