Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Schleswig Jt. 6 - Maple Corner ************************************************ 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 December 30, 2007, 9:43 pm SCHLESWIG JT. 6 —MAPLE CORNER Delores Lenz Schleswig joint district No. 6 was named the Maple Corner school in 1919 because of the tall half-century old maple trees that form right angles on the school yard. The school has been and is still commonly referred to as the Millhome school as it is located a mile east of that village. Schleswig No. 6 was organized in 1869. On December 27, 1869, Peter Kaiser sold the present site to the district school board for $18. The description of the site is as follows: "The southwest corner of the S 1/2 of the SE 1/4 on the Sheboygan and Calumet Plank Road. Fence running north along the section line for 6 1/2 rods, thence west six rods, thence south 6 1/2 rods, thence east six rods to the place of commencement of Sec. 35, T. 17 N, R. 21E." Prior to 1869, this district was parts of districts 4, 5, and 7, Schleswig. It was not until 1894 that the district became a joint district. At present Schleswig joint 6 is joint with the town of Rhine in Sheboygan county, and with the town of Meeme. The district now consists of most of sections 25 and 26, the E 1/2 of section 33, and all of sections 34, 35, and 36 in Schleswig; a small part of section 31 in Meeme; and a part of Rhine township. The first records, nea' and inclusive, were written in German from 1869 to 1874. The first log schoolhouse was built on the present school site. Records do not give very much information about this school except that in 1875 it was decided "a shed shall be built unto the schoolhouse and it shall have a good lock". The location of the school was but a short walk from scenic Sheboygan river. One can imagine that the students in this first school spent much of their recess time at and on the river. In 1888, the district decided to build a new school. The old school was sold for $34, moved to Millhome, remodeled, and to this day is used as a residence. The new school, the present building, was built by Herman Dexheimer for $715. It was built as a one-room building with windows on the long sides. It is set on a stone foundation without a basement. New seats were purchased the same year. Every year the school walls were renovated by whitewashing. In 1897, additional land of 27 1/4 square rods was purchased from Peter Kaiser for $54.50 to enlarge the schoolyard. A new maple floor was laid in 1898 for $61.05. In 1903, a new -woodshed was built. A ventilation system was installed in 1907 for $36. A well was drilled in 1909. Five years later 50 new adjustable seats and desks were purchased for the sum of $67.50. To meet the requirements for special state aid for maintaining a first class rural school, the district voted to remodel the school by placing the windows on only one long side and in the rear of the classroom. Since that time, the progressive patrons and board members have made yearly improvements. It now has an entry, a bell tower, a cloakroom, a large classroom, piano, radio, steel filing case, floor furnace, a large library cupboard, electric plate, and other modern teaching equipment. The school began with an enrollment of about 30 pupils in 1869. By 1875 the attendance had gone up to 74, but for the rest of the 1800's until 1895 the number of pupils averaged between 50 and 60. In 1896 the enrollment, for some unexplained reason, rose to 90 according to the town clerk's report to the county superintendent. Shortly thereafter the attendance again dropped down to average about 70 pupils yearly. Since 1900 the attendance has decreased yearly until by 1948 the enrollment was down to 26 pupils. School sessions during the early history of the school were for six month periods. Records show that Schleswig No. 6 was among the first schools of the county to have eight month terms beginning in 1874. E. S. Mueller, former county superintendent of schools who taught in this school for eight terms in the 1900's, states that English and German sessions, were held even at that late date. The records in the superintendent's office do not indicate that winter and summer terms were held, but the longer terms held as early as 1874 seem to indicate one and two months of Grman school. The teaching of German school was discontinued in 1920 when a nine month term was voted. Yankee and Irish teachers seemed to be preferred in this German community for the winter terms if the following list of teachers is an indication. The complete list of teachers is not available because some of the county superintendents prior to 1900 did not keep records of teachers and school board members. Those names on file are: Dan O'Connor 1872; Simon Sieker 1873; Sophie Bredemeyer 1874; Dan O'Connor 1876; J. P. Donohue 1877-8; Maggie Peppard 1879-80; G. J. Danforth 1892-96; Geo. Pritchard 1897; Aug. Luedke 1898; Geo. O. Stoehr 1904; and Albert Wagenknecht 1905. Jos. Guidinger is also recorded in the district clerk's book as having taught this school. The salaries of the teachers in this district were always above the county average as the officers usually engaged the best teacher possible. In 1872 the salary of the teacher was $42 per month while the county average was about $30. Records indicate that Schleswig No. 6 retained its school board members for long periods. Peter Kaiser, a clerk, served from 1877 to about 1904. Ferdinand Zastrow also was elected again and again for various offices on the board. Other school patrons serving as officers were H. Latin 1872, Jacob Maurer 1873, Henry Sommers 1896, Christ Maurer and Henry Vietmeyer 1897, and Harry Dexheimer 1904-05. Those serving from 1906 to the present time are listed in the county school annuals. Schleswig Jt. 6 has always taken an active interest in school affairs. At school fairs, town and county achievement contests, the school was always up among the leaders. The county school annuals contain many pictures of their contest winners and of honor students graduating from their eighth grade. The high standards set for teachers who want to teach this school have proved beneficial to the community. E. S. Mueller, former county superintendent of schools and a graduate of this school, was one of the first from this area to attend a high school, a teacher's college, and become a teacher and leader in educational circles. The hundreds of graduates of the last 40 years have kept breast of the times and have become substantial leaders in their chosen work. Millhome, a small village in the district, has the usual businesses common to rural hamlets. Its scenic location on the Sheboygan river makes it a favored place for picnics, fishing, and recreation in general. For years Millhome. boasted of a post office at which residents near and far got their mail, but that ceased to exist after the establishment of the R F. D. 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/schleswi237gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 7.6 Kb