Sugar Creek School is Closed

TIMOTHEA, TRENKAMP, ROLING, BROWNS STATION, BERNARDINE, BANOWETZ, FRETT, FIER, BRONSON, SKOFF, WATTERS, HERWATH, STERK, TIMMER, STARK, THIESSEN, SUGAR CREEK

Posted By: N.L. (email)
Date: 10/14/2003 at 10:41:54

By Mary Lou Hinrichsen
Herald Correspondent
SUGAR CREEK - In an era when one-fifth of the American people change their address every year, a visit to peaceful, rural Sugar Creek is like a journey into a time machine where the past, the present and the future all exist at the same moment. But for at least one tradition here, there will be no future.
Here in St. Joseph's Catholic parish the great-grandchildren of the earliest settlers today utilize the same spirit their ancestors had for meeting new problems.
In the 1860's the need was for education and religious training, so the early settlers established the Sugar Creek school. Over the years the school had to be moved or enlarged three times.
Now, in 1967, the school has been officially closed by the Davenport Catholic diocese because today's needs are greater than a small faculty can offer. The general shortage of teachers and ever-rising costs are additional problems.
So Sugar Creek pupils will enroll in Northeast Community or Preston Schools next fall.
Meanwhile, the people of the parish recognize that a new need has come into their rural community. They intend to convert their former school into a teen center and parish community hall.
Three rooms of the 65-year-old, two-story stucco structure have been cleared to provide room for recreational activities for youth and adults of the area. Plans call for a ping pong table to be among the first items of equipment to be installed. A kitchen on the second floor, may, eventually be moved downstairs.
Already scheduled in the new facility are the Trenkamp family reunion July 3 and the annual parish summer social six days later.

St. Joseph's church, school and rectory are officially listed as "Brown's Station, Iowa," but neither Brown's Station nor the later New Brown's Station has existed for many years. The church's highway signs use the area's nickname, Sugar Creek, to identify its location.
The two early railroad stations were located about a mile from St. Joseph's church and the parish has remained a truly rural community throughout it's existence.
The 40 acres of land on which the parish buildings stand was donated in 1855 by Henry Nurre, who now rests beneath the sod at the entrance to the spacious cemetery behind the church he helped establish.
St. Joseph's church is mentioned as a mission in Catholic annals for the year 1856. The first structure was a small frame building costing $1500.
No one can determine the construction date of the first school, but it is written in the church history that "God had blessed the pioneers with many children and this first very small building was soon too small to house them all."
The second school to serve the area had already been built when it was decided, in 1892, to build a rectory for a full-time pastor. This second school was then moved across the road so the the rectory might stand beside the church.
Lay teachers were employed in the early years of the school, but during 1888-1889 the service of the first full-time pastor, Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque were obtained as teachers.
In 1902 the present edifice was erected at at cost of $6,000 and eventually an addition was made to serve as the sisters' home.
One native son of the parish, Leo S. Roling, became a priest and nine women of the area have become nuns. Rev. Roling died in 1939.
The earliest school records found by the last principal of St. Joseph's, Sister M. Timothea, as she prepared to close the school, were for the "winter term, Nov. 5, 1894, to March 22, 1895." Sister M. Bernardine was the teacher. She had 40 pupils with ages ranging from 9 to 15.
Sister M. Bernadine also had 35 pupils for the "summer term, April 29, 1895 to Nov. 1, 1895."
On a page dated 1899 the family names of Timmer, Stark, Skoff and Thiessen are added. An honor roll at the back of the register for 1899-1904 lists "John Herwath, 10; Bern. Sterk, 9 and John Frett, 9"
Members of the last eighth grade graduating class from St. Joseph's school were Gerald Banowetz, Larry Frett, Mary Jo Fier, Steven Bronson, Elaine Trenkamp, Victoria Skoff and Mary C. Watters.
As recently as five years ago only a few Sugar Creek pupils went on to high school. All of this year's class is expected to continue.
About 100 classroom desks have been given by the school to the Head Start program in Clinton. Another 54 have been stored for use in future summer bible school sessions.
Largest enrollment in the school is believed to have been about 75, but when new desks were purchased the old ones were stored in the attic.
Enrollment at the Sugar Creek school during its last year of existence was 54.