Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Rockland 2 - Poplar Grove ************************************************ 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 25, 2007, 11:13 am ROCKLAND 2 —POPLAR GROVE Eva B. Helgeson Rockland district No. 2 school was given the name of Poplar Grove because the school is surrounded by numerous poplar trees. Many of the older residents of this and nearby communities have known this as the Deffke school because the first log schoolhouse was located on the Ernest Deffke farm. Others in the vicinity of Collins refer to it as the "school on the hill" because, it is located on a higher elevation of land. No definite records can be found as to the exact date when the voters were asked to assemble for the purpose of organizing a school. Town assessment records on file in the county treasurer's office indicate that district No. 2 was in existence before 1856. It then consisted of sections 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30. In 1912, District No. 3 was formally organized which detached sections 27-28 and those parts of sections 33 and 34 lying north of the Manitowoc river from this district. Just when the first school was erected is officially unknown, but one of the early settlers of this district relates that about the year 1855, the residents of the present Collins, Wells, and Poplar Grove districts banded together and laid plans for the erection of a school building. This first schoolhouse was of logs and was constructed by John McCoy on a plot of land which was a part of the Ernest Deffke farm which is now owned by Roy Lau. No record is given as to its size. Ella Hagenow of Reedsville was the first teacher at a salary of $20 per month. She taught reading and some arithmetic to the 40 pupils enrolled. The school furniture consisted of a teacher's table and plank benches constructed by Miss Hagenow's father who was an early day cabinet maker. When the Wells group decided to form a district of their own and to build a schoolhouse for their own community in 1873, the log school was moved from the Deffke farm to a corner at the intersection of the present Louis Krueger and the Henry Klann farms, one-half mile west of the present school site. The formation of the Wells district detached most of sections 19 and 30 from this district, further limiting its areal extent. The Wells district is now known as joint district. No. 5, Rantoul, in Calumet county, joint with Rockland in Manitowoc county. In 1884, the voters decided to erect a frame school building at a cost of $734. The site chosen was the present one located two miles northwest of Collins on county trunk J. The site was a part of the Louis Krueger farm. In payment for this plot of ground Mr, Krueger was given the old log building which he remodeled into a cow barn. The new frame schoolhouse was about 24 x 36 feet, one story high. Three windows on each of the long sides as well as windows at the front provided natural lighting. The crude plank benches were replaced by patented double desks but the equipment was still meager according to present day standards. By 1898, the enrollment of over 80 pupils necessitated additional schoolroom space. Accordingly, at a special meeting called on September 15, 1898, the voters authorized a 12 foot addition to the north end of the school building costing $300. The growth of the village of Collins and the increased number of farmers in this area caused the school population to rise continuously. The state had by 1905 set up enrollment limits for one teacher. The district residents, too, realized the need for reorganizing their school system. At the annual meeting held July 6, 1909, a motion was adopted "that the school should be graded". Another motion authorized the schoolboard to go to the Grimms school to inspect their arrangement for changing over to a graded school. At a special meeting called for July 23, 1909, further plans were considered to remodel the school into a two room building. After several motions had been passed, the legality of this special meeting was questioned by one of the voters because he claimed that proper notices for a special meeting were not posted. All transactions were then called null and void, and another special meeting was called for August 4, 1909 to consider legally the business to have been transacted on July 23rd. The opposition at this meeting presented a petition signed by the citizens of Collins for a new schoolhouse in that village. After considerable discussion a motion was made, seconded, and passed that two separate school buildings be maintained by Rockland district 2 — one at the old location and one at Collins. The school board was to accept the Collins school if erected per specifications. In 1912, the Collins area detached itself from district 2, and became Rockland No. 3. The building erected in 1886 and added to in 1898 is in use today. From time to time various improvements have been made. In 1921, a porch was built, while in 1925 a new board fence was built around the schoolyard. New outbuildings were erected in 1926. The interior walls and ceiling were covered with sheet metal-and a new chimney built in 1928. The old double desks with their carved initials and etchings were replaced by single chair-type desks the following term. During P. W. A. days in 1934, a hardwood floor was laid and electric lights installed. Open shelved libraries, a steel filing cabinet, tables, chairs, and a floor furnace complete the schoolroom equipment. The building lacks such modern conveniences as indoor toilets, running water, basement, and correct window lighting. The enrollment during the first 50 years of this school's existence was large. The fact that a graded school set up was considered as late as 1909 shows that many pupils were in attendance even at that time. With the withdrawal of the Wells and the Collins areas the size of the school was affected considerably. Today the enrollment averages about 15 out of a school census of 40. The convenience, of bus service to Reedsville has caused some children to attend the parochial school there. The 1860 township assessment roll lists the following pioneers as land owners in the original district: Carl Lau, Carl Behnke, John Jahnke, Wm. Schwanke, Gottried Krueger, Michael Wunsch, Fred Wells, Paul Behnke, Frederick Krueger, and L. Klawitter. Some former students who became prominent were Arthur Schroeder, who became county clerk and now district supervisor of assessments at Green Bay, Benjamin Wunsch, now with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, Melvin Wunsch with the social security board in the East, and Adolph Valleskey, a state dairy and food inspector. The many other graduates have been and are respected and influential citizens in their communities. Records show that the main transactions at annual school meetings were to determine the length of the term, the languages to be taught, and who should furnish the fuel and clean the school. These jobs were usually let to the lowest bidder. Of special interest to one reading the records was the amount of money raised from generation to generation for school purposes. The yearly taxes from 1880 to 1913 averaged $50 while after 1925 the yearly appropriation was between one and two thousand dollars. Frequent changes in school officers were made according to records. Wm. Klann served as clerk for the longest term —15 years. Other school officers on record in the county office as having served prior to 1906 were Fred Pollack, Christ Krueger, Carl Lau, F. M. Krueger, Carl Valleskey, Nick Schroeder, Robert Lau, and Chas. Wunsch. A one year term for teachers was common before the 1900's. Winter and summer terms seem to have been held up to about 1880. The term length after that date ranged all the way from 3 to 7 months. The superintendent's record book has this entry for the winter of 1873: "No winter term". German was taught each year for one month until 1918. This German school was in addition to the regular terms. The salaries were raised and lowered according to the times, ranging from $20 per month when Ella Hagenow taught to over $200 per month for the 1947-1948 term. The list of teachers teaching this school before 1906 is incomplete. Those on record in the county office are J. G. Lemkuhl 1872; Ella Ross 1873; Bridget Nolan 1874; Annie Carberry 1875; Mary Patnode 1877; Mary Hougen 1878; Emma Gibson 1879, Annie Hill 1880; Henry Strodhoff 1894; Winifred Meany 1895 and 1898; Anna Michan 1896; Fred Schwalbe 1897; Jennie Schwartz 1904; and Dora Knutson 1905. A later teacher, Orrin Meyer, is at present the Calumet County Agent. Rockland district No. 2 has no places of scenic or historical interest. It is now a community of prosperous farmers who are now studying the best solution to a more efficient and economical school system to meet modern trends in rural education. 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/rockland220gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 9.5 Kb