Dedication Exercises Held in New Standard School House in Dist. 11; State Superintendent is Speaker
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Attendance So Large That Many Persons Stand Outside During Program
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One of the best and most modern one-room schools in the county, a new building meeting in every detail the state’s requirements for a standard rural school, was dedicated by the people of District 11, four miles southwest of Platte Center, last night.
Several hundred persons, visitors as well as residents of the district, attended the exercises which were held in the new school house last evening and at which Carl Reins, director, presided. So large was the attendance that many were unable to get into the building while the program was being given.
Addresses by State Superintendent Charles R. Taylor and County Superintendent Fred S. Lecron, a reading of the history of Dist. No. 11 by Mr. Reins, and music by Miller Brothers orchestra of Columbus were among the features of the program. The entertainment also included the following interesting program by the pupils under the direction of their teacher, Mae Hanson: Song, “Our School Will Shine Tonight,” by all the pupils; recitations, “Like Me,” Helen Buzynski; “Growing,” Clare Foley; “Time Flies,” Louise Ziems; song, “Dawn of Tomorrow,” group of girls; recitations, “Guests,” Madalyn Foley; “Three Little Maids from Holland,” Elizabeth Reins; dialogue in two acts, “Mr. Dash Goes Shopping,” three girls and one boy; recitations, “As Regular as a Clock,” Clifford Hageman; “The Popcorn Wagon,” Phyllis Wetjgen; song, Dew Dew Dewy Day,” Elizabeth Reins and Clare Foley; recitations, “Pretending Things,” Clara Buzynski; “When It Storms,” Leland Drum; dialogue” in two acts, “Over the Telephone,” three girls and one boy; recitations, “The Elocutionist,” Mila Schoen; “The Wise Parrot,” Marvin Hageman; song, “Battle Cry of Freedom,” by the school.
After the program, a delicious plate luncheon was served by the ladies of the district in the community room in the basement of the new building. Description of Building
The new building faces south and is of frame construction, with full basement of concrete blocks and brick. The outside dimensions are 24 by 36 feet, and the community room in the basement is 22 feet, 6 inches, by 26 feet, 9 inches, with an eight-foot ceiling. Fuel bins, furnace and entry hall take up the remainder of the space in the basement.
The main floor contains the school room, 23 by 27 feet, with a 10-foot ceiling. The room will comfortably seat 35 pupils. The lighting system is of the latest approved unilateral type with one-fifth of the floor area in glass at the west wall and only two high transom windows in the east wall to provide cross ventilation.
The main floor also contains the entry hall with the steps inside the building; the library or book room; ventilated wardrobes, one for the boys and one for the girls, and also separate toilet rooms with the first installation of chemical indoor toilets in any rural school building in the county.
Interior trim is of yellow pine and the roof of asbestos shingles. The furnace is designed so that all heat can be discharged into the main school room or to the community room in the basement, as desired. The general contract was handled by Johansen & Elliott of Columbus; the heating plant, by Carl Roelle, of Columbus, and the plans and specifications by George Grabe, of Columbus. The building complete costs a little more than $4,000.
Members of the building committee were the school board — Carl Reins, director; Fred Westmeyer, moderator; Wm. Schoen, treasurer — and two other men of the district — Tom Pinson and George Haeman. History of the District
The history of Dist. 11 as read by Mrs. Reins last evening was as follows:
“Little or no records can be found of the early history of Dist. No. 11, and the material that we do have has been collected largely through the kindness of those who attended the old school.
“On Jan. 12 of the present year the following persons: Chas. Kelly, Thos. Shaffer, Mrs. Thos. Shaffer, Thomas Pinson and Wm. Arndt, all of whom learned their A B C’s in this district assembled at the office of the county superintendent for the purpose of recalling such facts that still remained within their memories and it is from these pioneers of Dist. No. 11, that we have much, if not all, of the early history.
“Some of the very early pupils of the district were: John Early, Tom Shaffer, John Lantz, Tom Pinson, Chas. Shaffer, Nene (Mary) Shaffer, John, E, Jim and Note Kinsey and Ed, John, and Tom Maher, whose father, Michael Maher, frequently brought a treat to the children of the school at Christmas time.
“At various times these pupils were taught by a Miss Wise, John Rousten, Mr. Cole, Milton Reider, Mary Wiley, Geo. Camp, sr., Geo. Camp, jr., Alice Kelly, Tom Hall, Geo. Ward, Rene Sloss, Fred Jewell, Mary Shaffer, Anna Hammer, Emma Early, Anna Luth, Mattie O’Connor, Clara Martin (now Mrs. Naumann) Ed Moncrief who became county superintendent and Charles Mageon who later became Governor General in the Philippines.
“At a little later date the families of the following became residents of the district: A.E. Campbell, Pat Foley, John Schilz, Geo. Scheidle, Frank Strikey, Wm. Arndt, John Sweeney, Tom Milet, Ernest Meyer, Ed Higgins, and Ed Williams. A colored family also lived in the district having a son by the name of Robinson Burton.
Venison in Dinner Pails “The dinner pails of these early students in Dist. No. 11 were not filled with fruit and balanced rations as we find today, but each fall the parents of these children made large quantities of plum butter, pumpkin butter and chokeberry jam, which made in the lunches of that time a real delicacy, and occasionally a piece of venison found its way into their dinner pails. Frequently lunches were carried by tying the four corners of a cloth together. Overshoes and under-clothing had not yet come into vogue. One of the treats of those days was while passing the John Early home, Mrs. Early frequently gave the children a biscuit or some other early day delicacy.
“Books were few and purchased by their parents, who taught their children to carefully care for their books, and passed them from the older children to the younger children of the family. One list of books were purchased from the government Indian school at Genoa.
“The pranks of the children were much the same as today. Wm. Arndt carries a scar on his forehead from a scuffle in this old school house between himself, Tom Shaffer and Anna Kelly. Mr. Arndt received a severe gash in his head which necessitated the first aid treatment of those early days, and prevented him from attending school for several days. Chas. Kelly and Tom Pinson were lively pupils of the school. Water was carried from the Robert Pinson home.
Saved From Blizzard “During the blizzard of Jan. 12, 1888, about 12 of the pupils remained with their teacher, George Ward, over night. They ate what was left from their noon lunches and the only light was from the open door of the stove.
“Many of the children of those days recall the surveyors and construction of the railroad which now passes through this district. A free excursion was given over this line between Columbus and Norfolk, which accommodated the crowd with flat cars with a railing around to prevent people from falling.
“Services were frequently held by different denominations and some of the early ministers that gave spiritual advice in this community were Rev. Galley, Rev. Hudson, and Rev. Frese. Sunday school was held every Sunday. One of the early superintendents was a Mr. Miller of the neighborhood.
“Young people frequently gathered at the school, and dances were quite common. Some of the musicians who played for these dances were: Geo. Savage, Gus Schroeder and Lief Koup. Literaries and spelling schools were also common.
“The old records found in the court house are not definite as to the organization of Dist. No. 11, but from the fact that Dist. No. 10 was organized in September, 1869, it is quite reasonable for us to conclude that Dist. No. 11 was originated either late in the year of 1869 or early in the year of 1870. An old map of the district gives proof that its boundaries extended from the Loup river to the Madison county line, which included over three townships or about 126 square miles. The school house was first located about 40 rods north and one-half mile west of the present site, on the Ed Early farm. The present school house site must have been selected about 1880.
Polling Place For 40 or more years the polling place of Lost creek township was in this district and many of the older men of the community cast their first vote in the old school house.
“The following are some of the early school officers:
1870: J. W. Early, director, M. Maher, moderator.
1871: J.W. Early, director, James Sheets, treasurer, M. Maher, moderator.
1872: J.W. Early, director, Wm. Routson, treasurer, Robert Pinson, moderator.
1873: J.W. Early, director, Robert Pinson, moderator.
1874: No record.
1875: P.N. Kelly, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, Daniel Kinsey, moderator.
1876: P.N. Kelly, director, Robert Pinson, moderator, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer.
1877: M. Kelly, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer
1878-1879: No record.
1880: Michael Maher, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, Walter Jewell, moderator.
1881: Michael Maher, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, Walter Jewell, moderator.
1882: Michael Maher, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, Robert Pinson, moderator.
1883: Michael Maher, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, Robert Pinson, moderator.
1884: Michael Maher, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, Robert Pinson, moderator.
1885-87, G.W. Harmon was teacher, and Ed Higgens, director, Geo. Scheidel, treasurer, and Robert Pinson, moderator.
1887-88, Clara Martin, was teacher, with Ed Higgens, director, P.H. Kelly, treasurer and Robert Pinson moderator.
1888-89, Geo. T. Ward taught, with Thos. P. Mylet, director, P.H. Kelly, treasurer and Robert Pinson, moderator.
1889-90, Geo. Ward and Mary Mylet were the teachers with the same school officers as the term of 1888-89.
1890-91, Geo. A. Camp, sr., was teacher, with Thos. P. Mylet, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, and Robert Pinson, moderator.
1891-92, Alice Lawless taught with Thos. P. Mylet, director, Geo. W. Shaffer, treasurer, and P.N. Kelly moderator.
1892-93, Blake Maher was teacher, with Thos. P. Mylet, director, Wm. Pinson, treasurer and Ed Higgins, moderator.
1893-95, Anna Mylet teacher with the same school board as 1892, except a change in director in 1894, who was R.S. Hilliard, succeeding Thos. P. Mylet.
1895-96, Mattie O’Connor, teacher, R.S. Hilliard, director, Wm. Pinson, treasurer, and Ed Higgins, moderator.
1896-97, Agnes Carrig, teacher, R.S. Hilliard, director, Peter Schiltz, treasurer, and Ed Higgins, moderator.
1897-98, A.G. Connor, was teacher with the same school board as the term of 1896-97.
1898-99, Anna Mylet was teacher, with L.N. Nitchcock, moderator, Will Mylet, director, and Patrick Foley, treasurer.
1899-1900, Ada Bloedorn, teacher with the same school board as the previous year.
1900-01, John Foley, teacher, with Albert Russell, moderator, Will Mylet, director, and Pat Foley, treasurer.
1901-04, A.E. Hoare was teacher, with Albert Russell, moderator, Will Mylet director and Ernest Meyer treasurer for the terms of 1901 and 1902 and Henry Hobbensiefken, moderator, L.N. Hitchcock, director, and Ed Higgins, treasurer, for the term of 1903-04.
1904-06, Maggie Dineen was teacher with the same school board as 1903-04, for the term of 1904-05 and Nick Schilz as moderator in 1905-06.
1906-07, Alice Considene was teacher, with Wm. Pinson moderator, Henry Hobbensiefken, director, and L.N. Hitchcock, treasurer.
1907-09, Erma Nicholason was teacher with the same school board a 1906 for the term of 1907-08 and Wm. Pinson, moderator, Henry Hobbensiefken director, and T.W. Shaffer, treasurer in the year of 1908-09.
1909-12, Anna burns was teacher; 1912-18 Geo. Camp was teacher with the same school board for these nine years.
1918-19, Loretta Higgins was teacher, with Henry Hobbensiefken, director, T.J.E. Pinson, treasurer and Carl W. Gertsch, moderator.
1919-20, George Camp was teacher, 1920-21, Sara Carrig was teacher, with the same school board.
1921-22, Clarie Gossman taught and Carl Reins was elected director.
1922-23, Loretta Schilz taught, and the school board remained the same as the previous year. She also taught the term of 1923-24.
1924-25, Violinda Liebig taught, with Carl Reins, director, T.J.E. Pinson, treasurer and Fred Westmeyer, moderator.
1925-26, Anna Christensen was teacher with the same school board except Wm. J. Schoen was elected treasurer.
1926-27, Milda Berlin taught, and 1927-28, we have Mae Hanson.
“We owe much to the hardy pioneers of this locality who, along with their many hardships, saw the necessity of establishing the first school of this district. During each of the 58 years of its existence it has been a source of knowledge, and an inspiration to those who have trod its threshold for higher and better things.”[The Columbus Journal, January, 1928]