West Branch Times, West Branch, Iowa, Thursday, May 25, 1933 page 1
Transcribed by Lynn McCleary, July 24, 2017

History of Springdale Seminary
By Lawrie Tatum, 1897

The original settlers of Springdale neighborhood were principally Friends the first of whom located there in 1844. In a few years a church organization was effected, and some years later district schools were organized. A school of higher grade was demanded, and in about 1860 Friends erected a brick school house, in which a school was commenced in 1861. It was controlled by Friends, but open also for non-members. Two hindrances to the school were son encountered. While it was a benefit to those who attended, it was an injury to No. 1 District in Springdale township, and No. 6 Dist. In Iowa township in reducing the size of those schools by withdrawing from them the more advanced and energetic students. It was also a heavy expense on the patrons to financially sustain that school in addition to the legal tax for the support of the district schools. To obviate the injurious effect on the two district schools and to have a school of as high a grade, and more general in its character, it was decided by the Friends and two districts for the Friends school to be discontinued and combine the small districts in No. 6 in Iowa township with Springdale District No. 1 and enlarge the boundary to about three miles square, including territory in Springdale, Iowa and Gower townships, and organize an “Independent School district,” and have a school of high grade. The records of the district state, “At a meeting of legal voters of the proposed Independent School District of Springdale held 10th month, 1866 nineteen votes were polled for the organization of said District and three against it.” In a matter of so much importance it is reasonable to suppose that every voter would wish to cast a ballot on that occasion. If that was the fact and there were but twenty-two voters in the district, it certainly showed a great deal of energy for so few to shoulder so important an enterprise.

“The Independent School District of Springdale” was organized Oct. 19th, 1866, by electing the following named officers. For president, Dr. H. C. Gill; vice president, Elwood Macy; secretary Emmor Rood; treasurer, Peter Thomas; directors, Elisha Negus for three years. John T. Carson for two years and Townsend Thomas for one year. In December, 1866, a lot was purchased containing 3 ½ acres for $25 upon which to build a house, which was 46 x 38 feet, two stories high, with two school rooms on each floor. The partition between the rooms on the second floor was made to raise so as to throw the two rooms together when needed. The house also contained ample halls and cloak rooms.

D. B. Morrison, who lied in the district was employed to build the house which cost $8,054.09, including stoves, double desks and well. The following spring shade and ornamental trees were planted on the lot by volunteer help.

The writer was elected president of the Board at the second election, and re-elected for several years. The school board took the position that the course of study should be such as to qualify a student to enter the Freshman class in State University or any of the Colleges in the state. As no catalogs have been found for the first eleven years and to be positive that the remembrance of the writer is correct, “The memory of the old inhabitants” has been appealed to in order to ascertain what they recollected of the high standard of the school in its early days. Cyrus Lindley, the first principal who taught the winter term of 1867-68 writes from ‘Whittier, Calif., “Yes it was the intention to prepare pupils for the Freshman year.” Hon. Elwood Macy writes, “If my memory serves me right, when Cyrus Lindley was principal an effort was made to prepare a course of study, the completion of which would admit a student into the University, or any of the colleges.” So high was the literary aspiration of some of the pupils, that the elective branches of German and Greek were taught. Several studied German. Wm. Worrell writes that Kinsey Wilson and he studied Greek under E. U. Cook. Other elective branches were Geology, Logic, Political Economy and Book-keeping. Elwood Tatum went through the course except Botany, and wishing to enter the State University in 1870, took a catalog to the president who looked over the course and told him that if he had gone through it he could enter the Freshman Class, which he did without examination, and made up the Botany. After attending the University a term, he went to Penn College, from which he graduated. His entering the University as he did conslusively shows that the course of study was up to the point that the directors intended to have it ie. To prepare the students to enter the Freshman year of the University or Colleges of Iowa. He was probably the first student admitted to the University without examination on the merits of going through the course of study of any public school in the State of Iowa. The school that prepared him was Springdale Seminary.

During the time that H. H. Hiatt was principal which was from 1875 to 1878, the school board wrote to the president of the State University, and to the presidents of Penn, Cornell and Iowa colleges to procure their assistance in preparing the course of study for Springdale Seminary, so that a student completing its course could enter the Freshman year without examination, with the intention of discontinuing the teaching of some of the sciences which were unnecessary for entering college, and add some if thought best. The assistance asked for was kindly rendered, and there were drapped out of the course Trigonometry, English Literature, Surveying, Moral Philosophy and Evidence of Christianity. There were added Roman History, Civil Government, School Government and Descriptive Astronomy. Previous to the change it is state in the catalog, “Care has been taken to arrange a course of study that will meet the wants of those who wish to prepare for college; and also those who do not desire more than Academical course.” Changes have been made to meet the requirements of the time in which we are living.

At this time there is an English course of study as well as a Latin course of study. The former is designed to prepare students for general business and for teaching public schools.

Hon. Elwood Macy of Mt. Vernon, who for many years was an officer of Springdale Seminary, writes that in 1878 while he was a member of the Legislature from Cedar county, “I was told by President Schaffer (the then acting president of the State University) that the Springdale school was the first to prepare its course so that its graduates would be admitted into the State University without examination; and there was only one other school outside of the colleges in the state that their graduates would be so treated.

In the building the State of Iowa, it seems that the small unincorporated village of Springdale, with the farming district near three miles square, had the first public school in the state that prepared its students for entering college. At that time there were cities in the state whose children of school age (5 to 21 years old) numbered some thousands, while the “Independent School District of Springdale” had about 120. At this writing, 1897, the school is unique in being the only District School in Iowa outside of a town or city corporation that qualifies its students for entering college.

To pay for the school house, funds were borrowed at 10 per cent interest. A classical scholar was employed as principal, to whom a good salary was paid. Three other teachers were employed. To meet the expenses there was a school house tax levied of ten mills on the dollar. For teachers’ fund five mills, and a small contingent fund. These aggregated a much heavier tax for school purposes than the citizens had been accustomed to paying. Several who were living on the border of the district petitioned to be set off to other districts where the school houses were nearer. Under such circumstances it requires much patriotism to wish to help financially to build up and sustain the important enterprise of a superior school. The petitions were not granted. At various times since then there have been petitions to be set off to other districts. At one time several united in such a petition, and as it was not granted, the petitioning parties appealed to the county superintendent of schools, and from him to the state superintendent of Public Instruction, before whom the case was fully presented by both parties, and he rendered a decision in favor of the district, which is final.

In1891 a hot air furnace was put in the building which has given good satisfaction to waring the rooms and economy of fuel. In 1893 the double desks were removed from the school rooms, and they were seated with single ones. The principles (except one who was employed for a short time to fill a vacancy) and nearly all of the subordinate teachers have been professing christians.

Forty-four per cent of the graduates have attended college or the State University. Wm. B. Worrall was the first graduate in 1876. He has since been employed by the Chicago Rocks Island & Pacific R. r. Co. as civil engineer in surveying and constructing new railroad lines through Northern Kansas and through Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) into Texas. All the school instructions in surveying he obtained in the Springdale Seminary.

Students attend from other districts and sometimes from other counties. This school year, 1896-7 there are thirty scholars who ride to the village and put their teams in stables during the day. Whole number of students who have attended the school during the year, 158. Number attending the winter term, 150. Number in the graduating class, English course, nine women, three men. Latin course, two women and no men. Whole number 14.

After the legislature abolished the preparatory department in the University the attention of its authorities was turned toward affiliation with schools prepared to give proper fitting to enter the University. A list of schools was prepared after examining the course of study, and in the catalogs of 1880 announcement was made of the schools from which students would be received without examinations. The schools thus accepted were Springdale Seminary, Algona Academy, Wilton Academy, Denmark Academy, Washington Academy, Iowa City Academy, Hulls Academy, Decorah Institute, Burlington Collegiate Institute, Griswold College, Hopkinson Collegiate Institute, Calhoun College. High Schools – Iowa City, Davenport, Burlington, Marshalltown, Clinton, Oskaloosa, Marengo, Independence, East Waterloo, West Waterloo, Des Moines, Tipton, Muscatine, Cedar Falls, Tama City, Mason City, Onawa, Hampton and Greene.

A few years ago the above list was abandoned and a new list made of schools making application according to the regulations stated in catalogs. In catalogs for 1895-6 said regulation is found on page 18, and list of accepted schools on page 20. It is the purpose of the University to make a canvass of the high schools at its own expense, and any school with which the Collegiate faculty is satisfied as to its (a) course of study, (b) methods of teaching, (c) faculties for instruction, will be on the accepted list. Springdale Seminary, Tipton High School and several others that were on the original list are not on the list in the University catalogs for 1895-6, probably for the reason that the school authorities have not complied with the requirements of the University.

The law provides that the “State Board of Examiners” shall issue certificates to applicants who have been competent and efficient as teachers at least three years and diplomas to applicants who have been successful teachers for at least eight years. In both cases applicants must comply with certain regulations on page 51 to 59 in “Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Iowa. Nov. 1st, 1895 Henry Sabin, Supt. of Public Instruction.”

The following is a list of the principles who have taught and superintended Springdale Seminary:

Cyrus Lindley	1867-68
G. L. Pinkham	1868-69
Carrie Pinkham	1869
Wm. P. Clark	1869-70
Sarah J. Pearson	1870
E. U. Cook	1870-75
H. H. Hiatt	1876-78
E. W. Craven	1878-79
J. S. Enlow	1872-82
W. W. Welch	1882-83
H. A. Holliter	1883-86
Morris Evans	1890-92
D. W. Evans	1886-90
Louis T. Hill	1892-95
J. M. Davis	1895-96
S. B. Stonerook	1896-1900
F. W. Hicks	1900-04
C. E. Burton	1904-05
Supt. Colver	1905-06
F. J. Miller	1906-07
C. W. Bangs	1907-08
A. T. Peterson	1908-11
Supt. Morgan	1911-12
F. Messner	1912-14
J. Clyde	1914-15
Supt. Garrett-Carlstrom	1915-16
Miss Boone	1916-17
Miss Standing	1917-18
Mrs. Don B. Russell	1918-19
J. F. Johnson	1919-1921
Supt. Templeton	1921-23
R. A. Holy	1923-25
F. B. Curran	1925-