Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Early History of County Schools

Following is a partial history of early Jefferson County schools, as of 1972; several early schools in the county were researched by the Retired Teachers Association.

"The Fairfield, Ia. Ledger"
Monday, October 23, 1972
Page 11, Columns 3 through 8

Retired Teachers Assn. Project--

Packwood School History Recalled
The Jefferson County Retired Teachers Association is continuing its project of School Histories of Jefferson County as its major program for 1972-1973. This report on Packwood Schools was written by Mrs. Florence Clark.

In 1883 the town of Packwood, named in honor of "Uncle" Sam Packwood, had a population of about 100 people. In 1894 the population had increased to about 250 and the town was incorporated in that year. Most of the early settlers came from the eastern and southern states.

The first school in Polk Township was taught by Peter McReynolds in 1846. It was probably a subscription school held in the homes of the people who had children to be taught and was located in the neighborhood of Abingdon.

The school that served the children of Packwood was the Maple Grove or Subscription District Number Nine school situated one mile south of town. Just who was the first teacher at Maple Grove is not known for the school records were not kept but the one I have always heard of through my father who attended that school was Clum McPherson. Another was George Harwood, who was remembered as the teacher who "spit tobacco juice all the time."

The first teachers in this two room school were Miss Anna Mahon who taught the upper room at a salary of fifty dollars per month, and an assistant in the primary department who was paid thirty dollars per month. The enrollment at this time was ninety-four and the term was extended to nine months.

I enrolled in this school in 1905 and recall that arithmetic, reading, spelling and writing were the subjects given the greatest attention. In the Seventh and Eighth Grades there were additional subjects such as geography, physiology, history and language taught but reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic were still kept in the foreground.

During the years of 1916, 1917 and 1918, it became evident that some new arrangement would have to be made to meet the educational demands of the time. A Twelfth Grade was demanded and there was no more room in the existing building. Other schools in the county had gymnasiums and tuition pupils threatened to go elsewhere if one was not provided.

Some suggested the formation of a town independent district and the erection of a school to take care of four years of High School. Others were watching the consolidation proceedings at Pleasant Plain and believed that to be the best plan. When the consolidated schoolhouse at Pleasant Plain was completed, it was decided to wait a year or two to see how it worked out.

By 1919 many people in the community were convinced of the advisability of consolidation and the project was put before the voters. At the first election the plan was defeated but at the second election the plan was adopted.

Immediately after the vote of approval the Packwood Consolidated District was organized. The proposed schoolhouse was estimated to cost $95,000 and bonds in this amount were voted in 1919.

In the meantime the school board employed teachers, purchased horse-drawn busses (sic) and school was held in churches, in the old schoolhouse and in some of the old closed rural schoolhouses which has been moved to the old school ground for that purpose.

The new building was completed in 1921 and classes began there in the Fall of that year with an enrollment of 153 pupils in the elementary grades and 53 in High School. The horsedrawn busses were later replaced by motor busses.

In 1961, the Echo, the school yearbook, was dedicated to the Packwood High School. This was the last year that the Packwood High School was used as a High School, for reorganization had been voted on favorably and a new High School was built at Pekin. The reorganization included Farson, Packwood, Martinsburg and Ollie. Later Richland chose to go in with the Pekin District.

The new building site was purchased from the government and previously had been a landing field used by the Navy. Cement runways had already been built so these were used for driveways and parking areas. Plans were made, bonds were sold, contracts were let, and the ups and downs of construction were successfully concluded.

The Packood School is used as a Junior High Center and is called the Middle School. The school at Farson has been closed. Richland and Ollie schools are used for Grade Schools to which the children are transported by motor busses from their homes which are several miles away in some instances.

At Pekin a high school is in operation with the fundamentals of a good background in many of the special fields, an excellent science department, mathematics department, library, office, etc.

The first edition of the year book at the Pekin School was dedicated to the school board, as representatives of the taxpayers of the community, and was called the "1962 Peek' in Review".