Tar School Public School was built in 1906, opened in 1907 and no longer stands. At the time it was built and attended, the township was named Armstrong but was more recently changed to Mountain. Tar Dam School took it's name from the road it was built along. The old Tar Dam, built in 1887 for logging and destroyed by flooding in 1906, was where McCauslin Brook emptied into the North Branch of the Oconto River and the road, originally an old logging road, took it's name from that structure. The school was closed in 1952 and is now the site of the township recycling center. 

Tar Dam School was also known as Grimmer School because the land it was built on had belonged to the Grimmer Family, whose children attended. Students came from an area around the school known as Pine Stump, another logging reminent. The following souvenir was given to the students a the end of the 1908 - 1909 school term by their teacher Daisy R. Hudson and since it was a printed item, probably designed and paid for by her as well. A true gift for one on a very small salary.  Teachers often had only one school term at a given school and the grades 1 through 12  at Tar Dam School saw many teachers, some of them had been students at Tar Dam School.

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This is the 29th in a series of articles sponsored by the Oconto County Teachers Association 
to promote better public relations in the schools of our county. 

Article contributed by:
Larry Grady

"The earliest records we have been able to locate are those of 1912. At this time there were six schools in the Armstrong' school district. They were as follows: Kingston, Richard Kingston, teacher; South Dakota, (no teacher listed); Crooked Lake, Fanny Statler; Mountain, Mr. Ben Rohan, Principal, Miss Edgerton, Lila McNutt, and Miss Grace Hannon (Grade teachers); Statler, Miss Martha Saffran; Grimmer (now known as Tar Dam). Miss Clara Baldwin. Children of Herman Miller, Adolph Markuson and Paul Nast were being transported to the Mountain School by Paul Nast. The transportation charges were paid by the school district.

In September 1952, the Tar Dam School, Town of Riverview consolidated with the Mountain School, while the Valley View School, Town of  Doty, transported its pupils to the Mountain school, paying their tuition. The following September 1953, they consolidated also."

From
Mountain Memories
Page 54

Owned by Mrs. Clifford Missall whose father Thomas Wright was a student who had just completed the fifth grade.

Tar Dam Public School Sub-District No. 1 Armstrong, Oconto County, Wisconsin 1908 - 1909 Compliments oof DAISY R. HUDSON, Teacher Pupils Nellie Wright Myrtle Way Stella Church Tillie Krzyaniak Harry Church Macy Krzyaniak Ethel Warner Olaf Nelson Harold Warner Ada Way Geroge Wright Lucille Grimmer Helen Krzyaniak Clara Wright Clara Krzyaniak Irene Wright Anna Krzyaniak Arnold Church Thomas Wright Christiene Nelson Eldon Church School Board Harry Baldwin, Clerk                               Len Knutson, President                                              Merinus Jenson, Treasurer