Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Educational Interests and First Schools

In the winter of 1839-40, the population of Fairfield was represented by about fifteen adults. Some of these were heads of families, with children. Dr. Waugh, a representative pioneer, had several children old enough and big enough to "go to school." There was no school money, but Dr. Waugh determined to have a school, cost what it might. He had an unfinished room in his not very large family residence, which he set apart as a schoolroom, and employed Miss Clarissa Sawyer, a young lady of Denmark, Lee County, as teacher. W. B. Culbertson, Cranmore Gage and William Stone were admitted as pupils at a stipulated tuition fee per head. These lads and Dr. Waugh's children made up the school.

Miss Sawyer, after her "school was out," returned to Lee County and was married to George W. Burkholder. Subsequently, she and her husband removed to Fairfield, where they resided for a number of years. Mr. Burkholder died at Cairo (during the war) in 1863. His widow returned to Lee County, where she died in the same fall (1863).

"Bent" Culbertson, grew to manhood and became a successful lawyer in Fairfield. Cranmore Gage amassed wealth as a farmer, and added largely to his fortune by making an extensive addition to the town.

The next school was taught in 1840, by James Chambers. It was a subscription school, the tuition fee being $1 per scholar for the term of three months.

Miss Polly Loomis was the next teacher in the summer of 1843. This school was a subscription school, also, and much larger than either of those which preceded it. The number of resident families had considerably increased and, of course, there was a corresponding increase of school-children. Polly Loomis' school was the "biggest school" in the county.

In 1859, the school population had so increased that there was a demand for increased facilities and a better system of education. At a meeting of the City Council, held on the 3d of March, in that year, a petition was presented asking that the city of Fairfield and the territory immediately adjacent thereto be organized as a separate district for school purposes, as provided by law, etc. The petition was granted, and the Recorder was directed to give notice for an election of officers for the new organization to be held in the April following, from which time dates the history of the School District of the city of Fairfield as a separate and independent school organization. [The boundaries of the District are now identical with the city limits of the city of Fairfield.] The first officers elected were Dr. C. S. Clarke, President; Robert McElhinny, Vice President; William Long, Secretary, and E. C. Hampton, Treasurer. The three Directors chosen were, John T. Huey, C. W. Slagle and J. F. Wilson.

Four teachers were employed under the new dispensation; two male teachers, who were to receive respectively $40 and $35 per month, and two lady teachers, who were to be paid $25 per month each. Rev. John Williams was employed as Principal, taking direct charge of the Fourth, or highest, grade classes of the school. Thomas Parkinson had the Third grade, while Miss Juliet Wells was assigned to No. 2, and Miss Annie Perry was made mistress of No. 1. Miss Wells had taught a separate private school, and the room which she had occupied up to this time was secured for one of the public schools.

The schools flourished in this manner for about two months, when it became obvious that the school accommodations were not extensive enough, and that the formation of another grade was advisable. Accordingly, on the 23d day of the ensuing May, a fifth department -- a primary school -- was established, and the pupils of this grade assembled in one of the rooms of Mungo Ramsey's house, which the School Board leased for school purposes. School opened here on the 5th of May, with Mrs. Jane Parkinson installed as teacher, at a salary of $20 per month.

A diversity of opinion arose between these teachers and the School Board as to the time when their contract should expire. The teachers contended that by the terms of their several contracts, they were only to hold their positions until the 5th of the following August, while the Board held that the terms of their contracts bound them to continue their term until the 16th of that month. The pedagogues, however, were "game," and dismissed their schools for the term on the 5th of August. They were ordered by the Board to re-open, which they peremptorily refused to do, and an agreed case was submitted to the District Court at its next session, to determine the right construction of the terms of the contract. The decision of the court was averse to the teachers, and they were paid in accordance therewith. To show the ideas of economy entertained by the School Board of that day, when school again opened, which was on the 3d of January, 1860, resolutions were passed requiring that teachers should kindle fires and keep the schoolhonses (sic) clean at their own expense.

It was almost four years after the organization of Fairfield School District before plans were set on foot for the erection of a building better suited to the purposes of education than the uncomfortable, inconvenient, contracted quarters previously occupied by the schools.

On the 3d of March, 1863, at the regular meeting of the School District Board, Mr. C. W. Slagle, who had always stood ready to advance, by every means in his power, the educational interests of the people of his community, moved to levy a tax of two mills on the taxable property of the District, for the purpose of procuring a site for a Union Schoolhouse and to aid in building the same. The motion carried, and a committee was appointed to select a site for the building. The spot chosen was a plot of vacant ground, known as the Wallace property, lying immediately south of the railroad between Washington and Jefferson streets, now First East and First West streets. A committee was immediately appointed to negotiate for its purchase, the names of the gentlemen composing that committee being D. P. Stubbs, W. H. Jordan and S. Light, who purchased the property for $900, and in the spring of 1864, it was fenced and planted with trees.

The Board decided to erect upon these lots a building, the cost of which should not exceed $20,000, and plans for the building were invited. At the annual meeting, held March 13, 1865, the action of the Board was ratified by the people.

A contract was eventually made with Mr. McLean, for 200,000 brick at $6.50 per thousand, and a plan of the building prepared by Mr. Daniel Young, was adopted. It had been decided that the dimensions of the building should be 84 feet long by 50 feed in width, three stories high, with a basement 7 feet in height; the walls to be 2 feet thick above the ground wall, which was to be 3 feet in thickness, with inside walls of 2 feet. The building, which is a structure of real magnificence, was completed in the year 1868, at a cost of about $18,000. George Craine was the contractor and builder.

At an election held May 4, of the same year, the School Directors were authorized to issue bonds to the amount of $20,000. And be it said to the credit of the District of Fairfield, these bonds have at this date (1878) all been redeemed, and this fine building, dedicated to the cause of learning, left entirely free from debt.

The following comprises the present corps of teachers: Rev. W. M. Sparr, Superintendent and Principal of High School; Ann S. Averill, Assistant. Teachers in Intermediate Department -- Mrs. Jennie Bonar, Miss Anna Farmer, Miss Mattie Shaffer, Mrs. C. H. Fowler and Miss Grace Temple. Primary Department -- Miss Phemia Ramsey, Miss Clara Musselman, Mrs. E. Hochuly, Mrs. P. H. Brown and Mrs. J. H. Stever.