FIRST MINBURN SCHOOL

The first public school session in Minburn was taught by Dan Morrision in the hall over Warford's Store. Then a little later, a farmer's wife from Dallas Center, Mrs.
Wm. Snell, taught a total of two in a building on Walnut Street - near the Ullery store.

In 1874, Hannah Yard taught in the new school house on a corner of Walnut Street.

She wrote what served as a blackboard in the early days, "Order is Heaven's First Law."

Some of the other early teachers were: Emma Larimer (Mrs. M.W. Gibbons), Lizzie Sprague, Lizzie Lyon, Hattie Silvers, Emma Moore (Mrs. E.R. Aiken), Alzina Hiatt, Jennie Hill - for many, many years D.F. Rogers, Samuel H Lauder and A.T. Whitmer. Wages ran from $20 to $35 a month. Country districts paid $27 to $40 a month.

A second building was added for the Primary department. It stood north of the main school house. The winter term begain Oct. 20, 1879, with 23 scholars. By January some more came from the country and there were 75 pupils. Some of them were: Laura Record, Maggie Oakland, Mattie Warford (Mrs. Ed Bryant), Jennie Hill, Flora Gillam, Fred Anders, Iva Anders, Julia Rogers, Andy Record, Eddie Hill, Lewis Rogers and Carrie Warford.

This old MINBURN SCHOOL was located just west of the present school building.

EARLY SCHOOLS

 The first office for County Superintendent of Schools was established in April, 1858, at Penoach, an Indian word meaning in the English language "Far Away". That settlement is now the present site of Adel. James O. Reed served as Superintendent from April, 1858 to June 1859.

Statistics show during the year of 1858 that $2089.16 were drawn from the school funds of which Sugar Grove Township received it portion.

We have been unable to procure any records pertaining to the time of organization of a school board. However, we do find a record of a usual meeting that was held for this district, March, 1875, at Center School House, near Minburn. The following officers were elected: Samuel Edmondson and William Minnis each to serve as a director for a term of three years; J.O. Warrington and W.P. McClure for a term of two years; Thos. Stevens and Samuel Hose for a term of one year. W.P. McClure was appointed as president; A.J. Lyons as treasurer and S. Kenworthy for secretary. The school Board then voted to hold seven months of school each year; three months during the summer and four months during the winter.

The Township Board of Directors was made up of a director from each school.

June 5, 1875, the school board voted to fence the school yard and to arrange for the planting of trees. Sept. 30, 1887, the school board purchased from Thomas hill a strip of land five rods wide and nine rods long for the sum of $7.00. This land was acquired for the purpose of increasing the size of the school yard to one acre.

March 21, 1887, the school board voted to permit William Wicks to have an addition of 10 x 20 feet made to the school house. This addition was completed on December 10, 1892, at a cost of $199.27. John O'Brian was the teacher.

During November, 1910, a box supper was held and entertainment given in the school house to raise funs for the construction of a belfry on the building. Stella Smithers Miller was the teacher.

August 22, 1927, the school house was moved to the southwest, away from the main road. The door at the east was closed and an opening made for a door at the south. Helen Nissly was the teacher.

In June 1929, this school house was sold to E.O. Miller and moved from the school grounds.

Vallie Bryant is the name on the certificate, Nov 25, 1899.

Pictured above is the third graduating class from Minburn School, ninth grade in 1896. The three ladies are, from left: PEARL BARGER, VALLIE BRYANT, and GRACE MUCK. the men are: WILL SHIRLEY, SAM EMMERT, and TOM SHRLEY.

FIRST SCHOOL IN SUGAR GROVE TOWNSHIP

The following history of the first school in Sugar Grove Township was written by Mrs. Pearl Birdsall. Luther Slaughter took her all around the country, hunting up early settlers and search records.

"The records have been searched and we find after careful investigation that the first school house in Sugar Grove Township was built during the year 1854, and known as the Fremont School House.

"The last surviving scholars who attended this school were Susan Bell Kimmery, Eraline Bray Landis, Louise Cartwright Campbell, and Mary Cartwright Temple.

"Mark Newby, a true illustrious church-going bachelor, who settled here in 1852, donated one corner of his claim for this school house. It was a crude structure about 16 feet long built of logs, and had a sod and stick chimney which stood on one side of the building. The fireplace occupied nearly one end of the entire house. Its windows or light holes were made by cutting an opening on each side of the room about two or three feet in size. A rustic latch-string door hung on wooden hinges fronted the south. A row of wooden pins was placed in the logs around the insides in each chimney corner on which to hang the scholars' slat sunbonnets and head shawls. The construction of this building was supervised by Joshua Wilson and the labor contributed by the settlers.

Its antique desks were made of rough boards hewn from logs and supported by wooden pins which extended from the logs. These desks stood at the sides and north of the room and next to the wall.

The school house was completed during the month of August, 1854. School was opened the following month and Harriet Sutton employed as teacher. She was paid $20.00 by subscription for her services, for a term of three months. Her board was provided by the patrons of the school.

The teacher occupied a rugged desk near the center of the room. From here she laid down the rigid law of the rod, and when he could not be prevailed upon to obey, a peculiar method was applied by the teacher. She would tie a rope about his waist and suspend him from the rafters. Here he was left to be ridiculed by the more obedient boy or girl.

When the hour came for study, the children reluctantly occupied the seats without backs. At his desk the scholar struggled over reading, writing and spelling, which was the extent of the learning at that time.

One McGuffy's reader and one elementary speller sufficed for a dozen children. Thumb-papers, a small folded piece of paper was held under the thumb to protect the book while reading. A small rough board made black, hung on the wall from a wooden peg. On this board the teacher made her copies for the scholars to copy on their slates. Later, ink and pen were used. The ink was made and donated by Sarah Cartwright, who settled here in 1850. It was made by boiling bark from the hickory tree and made black by mixing the liquid from copperas. Pen points were tied to sticks or feathers which answered the purpose of penholders.

The drinking water was carried from a pond a short distance from the schoolhouse in a cedar pail, and passed to the children in a dipper made from a gourd, by cutting out the side and using the stem for a handle. The scholars' dinners consisted of luscious corn bread spread with sorghum. As a delicacy they added plum butter. This they carried in homemade baskets woven from willows.

Wood for the great fireplace was hauled from the dense forests and donated by the settler. When the irksome task would be neglected by the careless parent, school would be closed for several days.

Often during the long cold winters the weird cries of wild animals would be heard as they prowled about the schoolhouse seeking shelter from the storm. Then, too, sometimes at night, the old log school house would become a place of gay activity where the young folks gathered and held their spelling matches and singing school. They spelled and sang by the dim light of a grease lamp. This lamp was made by using an iron plate to hold the grease that soaked a twisted rag which extended from the side of the plate.

This place was also the scene of many a spirited political feud. Here the barefoot settlers would sit for hours and discuss the topics of the day, occasionally displaying their plugs of homegrown tobacco. Later these became anxious meetings. Bitter words spoken in moments of political heat were forgotten and they all formed in one great cause when the Civil War broke out. Many were the heartaches and tears when the boys from school went forth and bravely answered their country's call.

On Sundays the fathers and mothers with their children all dressed in home-made suits made from wool and flax occupied the seats for Sunday School and to listen to Peter Russell, a half-breed Indian, expound the gospel.

With the passing years came Stafford Campbell, Clayborne Wright, William Yeager and Lydia Perkins who taught in the log schoolhouse. Finally the boys of the district school met and decided that it was time to dispense with the old dilapidated schoolhouse. So one dark night they carried coals of fire and as one boy set fire to the building, the others guarded. Soon the old school house passed into oblivion.

Two years elapsed. During this period school was held in a vacant house which had been occupied by Mark Newby and his sister. This house was located in the edge of the timber, about 50 rods southwest of the log school house. John Paddock was employed as teacher.

About the year 1870, a frame school house was erected on the present site, which is 60 rods northwest of the log schoolhouse. This land was owned and donated by Thos. Bill whose honest dealings and frank genial manner made him a great favorite among the settlement. Samuel Gitzy was the first teacher in this school house.

MINBURN SCHOOL 1916

MINBURN SCHOOL 1925