Gospel Ridge School No. 3, Garden Grove Twp.

WINTERS, MCBROOM, GARTON, METIER, MCVAY, GHLKE, PETTIS, TRYSLER, LANDAU, CURRY, ROE, EVANS ROSENGRANT, VAIL, ANDERSON, WOODARD, BRONSON, DUFFIELD, TALBOT, MITCHELL, NISH, GETTINGER, BUNCH, OVERHOLTZER, SMITH, WOOLMAN, CRITCHFIELD, ROBERTSON, BARBER

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 7/6/2015 at 07:22:51

The Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
1975 or 1976

GOSPEL RIDGE
Public District No. 3, Garden Grove Township

By Zana Curry McKibben

In 1847, a Missionary Baptist Minister from Ohio, Daniel Winters, settled four miles northwest of Garden Grove, his calling gave the location the name of Gospel Ridge. Soon a need for a school arose, and the first school house was a rough log cabin located one-half mile east of the west Garden Grove twonship on the south side of the Popcorn road.

Because of the way the area was settled this school soon was off to one side. The Rev. Winters gave one acre of his land for a new school. This located the new building one mile east of the township line and three-fourths mile north of the Popcorn Road on top of a big hill, east side of the road, and there were two large cottonwood trees in the yard.

In 1859, the school was again moved north to the bottom of the big hill on the north side of Weldon Creek and the west side of the road to make it nearer the center of the district and was called Gospel Ridge Public School No. 3, Garden Grove Township.

Rev. Winter's son, Daniel Jr., taught the school for 15 years. Jim McBroom, the first white boy born to the settlers in 1852, attended this school. His only bootk was a spelling book and it was used for reading and writing, too.

[portion of article clipped off] . . . area.

The school house was moved to LeRoy in 1920 as a class room along side of the two story building to make room for the pupils when the area was consolidated.

The school had a large enrollment often in the 40's for the winter term. Surnames of some of the students -- Garton, Metier, McVay, McBroom, Ghlke, Pettis, Trysler, Landau, Curry, Roe, Evans, Rosengrant.

Teachers who taught at this school -- Daniel Winters, Jr., in the late 1800s; Kate Vail in 1901; Ed Anderson, 1902; Marion Woodard, 1905; Ella Bronson, '06; John Duffield, '08; Coral Talbot, '10; Carrie Rosengrant (Mitchell), '19. She was the last teacher and then it went into the LeRoy Consolidated District. Other teachers but not knowing dates - Jessie Nish, Grace Gettinger, Ethel Bunch, Ina Overholtzer, Coy Smith, Iona Woolman (Smith), ___ Critchfield.

Audrey Rosengrant Robertson and Clell McBroom are second generation that attended Gospel Ridge and still live in the same location.

Article submitted by Decatur County Historical Museum, Leon IA

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, July of 2015

Decatur Documents maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen