| LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA |  |
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| LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA | |
Page 199
Transcribed by Sharon Elijah, November 23, 2019
Map of Wapello Township
| 1. Bethel |
| 2. Fairview |
| 3. Maple Grove |
| 4. Newport No. 11 |
| 5. Oak Grove |
| 6. Oakwood Hall |
| 7. Pine Grove |
| 8. Pleasant Prairie |
| 9. Sweet Home |
| 10. Victory No. 8 |
This is an irregular township, lying along the Iowa River. It was named in honor of the Indian Chief Wapello. It was one of the first settled in the county, and centrally located within its boundaries is Wapello, the county seat of Louisa County.
Wapello township is surrounded by eight townships. Elm Grove, Union and Oakland are the only townships not touching.
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Bethel school is located on the west side of Highway 61 about 1 ¼ miles north of Newport. It was built of stone in about 1855 or 1856.
Students at Bethel School: Frank and Earl Walker; George, David, Clifford, Maurice Houtz; Cliff, Mildred, Terry Anderson; Bert, Mary Timmerman; Olive, Myrtle, Mary, Charlie Gaskell; Edna, Gertrude, Francis, Laura, Gladys Lambert; Fred Earnest; Hortense Jamison; Lloyd Edgar; and Martha and Robert Wilson.
I taught at Bethel in the years 1919 and 1920. The rural schools were graded, and the teachers were required to follow a planned curriculum. Any grade in the rural school carried the same studies as the town school. When rural pupils finished the eighth grade, they were required to go to Wapello and, under the supervision of the county superintendent, write state tests.
I had about twenty pupils. Some of the families were: Houtz, Hamilton, Deam, Springsteen, Jones and Cummings. I never had any discipline problems. They were all a good bunch of youngsters, and they were especially attentive on the day the county superintendent, Myrtle Jamison, visited. Of course, we never knew when she was coming until she opened the door and walked in. Since she drove a horse and buggy, we didn’t hear her.
Picture: BETHEL.
Little school constructed of stone still standing on the west side of Highway 61 five and one half miles south of Wapello, and one and one half miles north of Newport.
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There was not much social life in the schools at that time. We always had a Christmas program. We had an exchange of gifts, with a Santa Claus, and the pupils spoke recitations, took part in skits and sang songs. I can’t imagine how I could ever teach music, because I can’t carry a tune in a bag, but we had an organ that I could play. We also had a curtain, and I wonder what happened to those yards of 36-inch calico or gingham that stretched clear across the room on a wire. There was a picnic on the last day of school in the afternoon, with the parents attending. The teacher furnished the ice cream: I wonder how she did that on $55 a month! At our last picnic, it was really touching, because they knew it was the final last day of school.
The district was divided then; the south part went into the Newport district and the north part into Wapello.
The building was quite modern-air-conditioned—the air came in the windows on the south side and out on the north side. There was a hole in the door, about the size of a baseball, where there had been a hook, but it had been moved down lower, and the hole left.
We had a heating stove in the center of the room, and many times the pupils all sat on the recitation benches, placed around near the stove, it would be too severely cold to remain in their seats away from the fire.
I always had a janitor, one of the older boys either 7th or 8th graders, to keep the coal bucket full, and the ashes emptied, and to start the fire on Monday mornings. For this labor he was paid fifty cents a week.
We had running water, one of the older boys would run out to the pump, which stood at the corner of the school building, near the coal shed, and bring in a bucket of water and place it on the bench. We had hot and cold water, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I instigated a new ruling my first year there, each child must have his own individual drinking cup, before that, it had been a common dipper, but this was all an improvement over the few years before that, when my mother had attended school there.
I assume this was in the ‘70s that I have heard her tell about, how they carried the water from the neighbor’s farm. At that time there was a fence across the front of the schoolyard, with no gate, but a “stile.” One day the boys had brought back a bucket of cold water, and the youngster were playing around the “stile.” They set the bucket down, and it wasn’t too long until there was a water “fight.” My mother who was always very conservative, jumped up and said, ”you’re not going to waste that water that way” She started across the “stile,” caught her toe, fell and lost the whole bucket of water.
Another improvement we had was a little building in the two back corners of the schoolyard, one for the boys and one for the girls. She said they didn’t have any. I said, “You didn’t? What did you do?” She replied they just went back into the timber or bush behind the schoolhouse. Well, in the meantime the bush had been cleared away, so the buildings were added.
We also had a little home economics, I guess, maybe because I wanted something hot myself. I got a 2-burner oil stove some place, and brought a few staples from home. I remember we had some rice, and some beans we were planning to cook, but when we came on Monday morning, the building had been occupied, our rice, beans and everything we had had been used. That ended the project, we didn’t care to feed another bunch of Gypsies!
The school closed the fall of 1920.
Picture: BETHEL
Group of students with teacher.
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Fairview school was originally located one mile north of the Fairview Church on land deeded by W. F. Dickinson. In 1880 it was moved another three-fourths of a mile north. It was located straight north of Martin Hoeg’s house.
Pictures: FAIRVIEW . Erma E. Shew’s class.
Front row, left to right: Jacob Eveans, Emma Eveans, Myrtle Herrick, Rex Miller, Kenneth Graham, Raymond Schaper, Marie Herrick, Chester Schaper.
Back row: Marion Callahan, Marie Callahan, Mildred Callahan, Lillian Schaper Small
FAIRVIEW. Miss Erma Shew’s souvenir, 1913.
District No. 7 Wapello Twp., Louisa County, Iowa ERMA E. SHREW, Teacher PUPILS
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Pictures: MAPLE GROVE.
Maple Grove is south of Wapello on Highway 61. The land was deeded by David McNichoel in 1858. Florence Potter taught here in 1915-16. She remembers driving a horse and buggy to school.
MAPLE GROVE.
Front row, left to right: ?, Paul Myerholtz, Sammy Havenhill, Rex Havenhill, Nelson Graham.
Middle row: Harriet Williams, ?, Lela Graham, Jennie Havenhill, Carlton Schmeiser, ?”,?.
Back row: Merle Wilton (black pony), John Myerholtz, ?, Camille Graham, Myrtle Fitzsimmons- teacher, Marion Small, Albert Finley (spotted pony).
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Newport school was located on Highway 61 just south of the little village of Newport. At that time in the village there was a garage, gas station, store, and five or six houses.
In the spring of 1936 the weekend before Easter, Kenny, the eighth grade boy, and Buddy, the first grader (and pet of the school) were along the railroad right-of-way where Kenny was chopping weeds. They found a nest of baby rabbits. Monday morning Buddy brought his little rabbit to school in a nest of dry grass in a box. We put it in the corner behind the heating stove.
At recess time Bussy, the seventh grader, asked permission to go up to the store, I warned him he would have to run in order to be back in time. He was back shortly before time for the bell to ring and asked to go into the building.
When recess was over and we went into the school house, Buddy ran over behind the stove to look at his baby rabbit. “Oh, oh, oh!” he yelled, “my rabbit’s laid eggs.” Bussy had bought some jelly beans and put them in the box.
Needless to say there wasn’t much school for a little while.
Picture: NEWPORT.
Front row, left to right: Patsy Hamilton, Donald Kremer, Judith Deams (with doll), David Wilson, William Burner, Merle Kerr.
Middle row: George Datson, Lois Kerr, Betty Bruner, Norma Kerr, Milton Kerr, Robert Jonws.
Back row: Donna Hemphill, Helen Kerr, Marjorie Kerr, Betty Kerr, Jerry Hemphill.
From 1923-42, Miss Kathryn Courtney taught at rural schools in Louisa and Henry County.
I remember the wiener roasts we had in Dotson’s pasture, and of course, almost every Friday afternoon we went from Newport to Victory for a ballgame. I took the smaller children in my car, the older ones walked the two miles. (We always won the game!) Each morning at Newport when I arrived I would go on the outside of the school and pick up things that were left from the night before, like gloves, bats, etc.
One day one of the girls scratched her ear with one of those big erasers you put on the end of a pencil. The eraser got stuck in her ear. I left Donna and Mabel Dotson in charge, and took the other girl to the doctor in Morning Sun. When I returned, classes had been done as well as if I had been there.
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The schoolhouse built in 1902 just south of the cross roads of 78 and 61 opened for the Fall term on September 1902 with 14 pupils. Enrolled at that time were Lee, Harry, Bird (Dave) and Iva Dotson; Beny Swartz; Elsie, Maudie and George Walker; Ina Strickler; Johnny Seitz; Dorothy Baird; Ita Robb; Walter and Lois Dotson. The teacher was Bertha Hartman from Wapello. The school was closed when it was consolidated with Mediapolis and the building was vacant until it was sold and torn down in January 1955.
Picture: NEWPORT.
Front row, left to right: Jerry Hemphill, George Dotson, Jr., Ron Campbell, Junior Hemphill, Buddy Hemphill.
Middle row: Betty Bruner, Vera Springsteen, Donna Dotson, Marge Kerr, Wilma Hesler, Mary Ellen Eubanks, Donna Hemphill.
Back row: Harriet Dotson, Mabel Ellen Dotson, Marge Hemphill, Edna Durrett, Mary Archibald-teacher, Rodney Hesler.
| Year | Teacher | Months | Salary Per Month |
| 1921-22 | Claudia Hamilton | 9 | $85 |
| 1922-23 | |||
| 1923-24 | Linda Ecklund | 9 | $80 |
| 1924-25 | Florence Charles | 9 | $85 |
| 1925-26 | Florence Charles | 9 | $85 |
| 1926-27 | Florence Charles | 9 | $85 |
| 1927-28 | Mary Eubanks | 9 | $80 |
| 1928-29 | Mary Eubanks | 9 | $85 |
| 1929-30 | Myrtle Baird | 9 | $75 |
| 1930-31 | Vera Klindt | $80 | |
| 1931-32 | Vera Klindt | 9 | $85 |
| 1932-33 | Vera Klindt | 9 | $85 |
| 1933-34 | Vera Klindt | 9 | $85 |
| 1934-35 | Mary Archibald | ||
| 1935-36 | Mary Archibald | ||
| 1936-37 | |||
| 1937-38 | Kathryn Courtney | ||
| 1938-39 | Kathryn Courtney | ||
| 1939-40 | |||
| 1940-41 | |||
| 1941-42 | Kathryn Courtney | ||
| 1942-43 | Verna Nelson | ||
| 1943-44 | Verna Nelson | 9 | $125 |
| 1944-45 | Donna Dotson | 9 | $125 |
| 1945-46 | Mae Peck | 9 | $112.50 |
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Oak Grove was northwest of Wapello on land deeded by Geo Twigg in the year 1869. The school building was moved across the road and is the now residence of Mr. and Mrs. Merle Ball.
Picture: OAK GROVE, April 29, 1910.
Andrew Odle taught all grades from kindergarten to eighth.
Front row, left to right: Agnes Aloway (beside school house), Grace Odle, Ben Odle, Fred Brown, Bertha Brown, Frances Alloway.
Middle row: Andrew Odle, Nellie Odle, Alma Brown (niece of Nellie), Elmer Alloway, Louis Brown.
Back row: Clarance Alloway, Mable Odle, Lee Brown, Russell Odle, Raymond Moley, Mable Moley (Raymond’s mother), Rachel Brown (holding baby Lola), Mary Bowmen.
Oakwood Hall was located four miles north of Morning Sun in Wapello Township, also known as old Cuckleburr. The land was deeded by Thomas Bell in 1859. The school was also used as a meeting place for Sunday church services, prayer meetings and school parties. The leader of the church services was a farmer, John Grim, father of Orville and Cecil Grim. Teachers at Oakwood Hall included Mildred Dowell, Arthur Griffith, Naomi Fent, Jessie Cameron, and Florence Thomas.
Picture: OAKWOOD HALL.
Front row, left to right: Wendell Stewart, Kenneth Stewart, Verne Wilson, Raymond and Joh Hetherington.
Middle row: Fred Siverly, Vernon Hetherington, Marie Kerr, Harold Wilson, Marguerite Wyerman, Pauline Siverly, Ruth Siverly, Mary Wilson McKeever, Ralph Hetherington, Verlee Hamilton.
Back row: Mrs. Arthur Wilson, Ralph (Bill) Wilson, Mrs. William Hamilton, Mrs. George Wyerman, Roxy Wilson Wheeler, Gladys Wyerman Kerr, Angie Kerr, Hazel Siverly, Bernice Wyerman Brown, Miss Thomas-teacher, Jessie Wyerman Stuart, Rachel Siverly.
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Picture: OAKWOOD HALL Souvenir, 1903
Wapello Twp. , Louisa Co., Iowa November 10, 1904 – February 26, 1904 Presented by SADIE PATTERSON Teacher John Grim, Director PUPILS
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I started to country school in 1907 at Pine Grove about three miles southwest of Wapello. As far as I know the building now sets about 1/8 of a mile north of the road on private property. It probably is being used for a machine shed. I remember the place as the Harry Limbocker farm. The school house was on the north side of the road. We lived just west of the school on the same side of the road. When we moved to Winfield in 1909 a Guy Wiley family from Winfield moved onto the farm. I think perhaps there are one or two remaining buildings; the house is gone.
My teacher was Edna Shipman who lived west of Wapello on the Wapello-Winfield road. I remember she usually wore a brown dress, had a slight limp and drove a horse named “Prince.” She would leave the home, drive west to the first road leading south, then east, stop and pick up my sister Nellie and I and give us a ride to the schoolhouse. When she was a little late it was always “Get up Prince. Get up Prince.” She was a kind and considerate old lady of twenty years. To a boy of age seven she did seem old.
I tried to jolt my memory as to who some of the pupils were. I know that some have departed from this world many years ago. As I write this I can see stored in my memory bank some of the faces of the girls dressed in gingham with colorful ribbons in their hair and boys wearing knee pants and long stockings, button shoes, shirts and wearing one of Dad’s home-style hair cuts. I’m reminded of the poem, “Turn backward, turn backward, oh time in thy flight, and make me a boy just for tonight.”
I can see in the little one-room schoolhouse the faces of Gene Rogers, Mabel Ball, Arthur and Esther Kremer, Joe Torbert, Viola and Ethel Inghram, Lela and Beulah Gunnels, Beulah Downs, my sister, Nellie and Elizabeth and Alice and Murray Limbocker. I think there was a girl by the name of Swank and I think there was a McGinnis family of boys or girls.
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Each fall some of the mothers came to wash windows, clean the desks and scrub the wooden floors and blackboards. The men came with big mowers and cut the season’s growth of high weeds and grass. Some pupils arrived early the first day of school and put their books in a desk of their own choice, only to have the teacher change them to her liking.
A round heating stove was in the center of the room. Teacher allowed us pupils to sit on benches around the stove to thaw our feet after a long, cold walk in the snow. Needless to say, we sat at the stove long after our toes were toasted. The bare floors were always cold in the winter time. The two “outhouses”, each at the far end of the school yard, were a long walk in the deep snow.
During opening exercises the teacher read a chapter from a book and all sang a song. A favorite game at recess and noon was to pour water down a small hole, hoping it was the home of a ground squirrel; when the hole was full of water a little ground squirrel appeared. There was a five minute bell and when weather permitted, at the second bell pupils lined up and marched to their seats.
At Christmas a real tree was in the room with paper decorations made at school—wallpaper sample books were plentiful for making decorations and for valentines in February.
Box suppers were a lot of fun. At one occasion, my box sold for the highest price, $2.50. I received a box of chocolates as a prize. My parents sent the box back to school with me the next morning to share with the class; I got one piece and was lucky. There were three kerosene lamps with reflectors on each side of the room, making it possible to have activities at night. The lamps weren’t lit on dark, dreary days when they were needed. In the front of the room on the wall were pictures of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington in black frames.
Picture: PINE GROVE.
The building was moved to Marvin Hardy’s farm.
There was a music teacher who came to the school occasionally to give music lessons. His name was Hugh Newsome. One day when he came, my father had gone to Wapello with a team of horses hitched to a high wagon. On the return trip, just east of the school, Mr. Newsome passed my father with his one-horse buggy. The rustle of the weeds frightened the team of horses and caused them to run away. The wagon wheel caught on a telephone pole—whereby the sudden impact ejected my father from the seat, and he landed on his shoulder. Two doctors were summoned, Dr. Chittum and Dr. Grimes. They put his shoulder back in place. My father fully recovered from the incident and passed away in 1949 at the age of 83 years.
Yes, I do have fond recollections of the little one-room school. How excited we all were to prepare for the Christmas programs, and the inbetween activities when the neighbors gathered for fun and frolic. When school was out in the spring the door was not large enough to accommodate us all as we were eager to get a breath of fresh air, visit the creek and wade in the mud with our bare feet—but look out for those crawdads!
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Land surrounding Pleasant Prairie school was fenced on three sides, being open on the side next to the road leading into Wapello. The land was sandy, flat and often wet as this was low ground. There was a large front porch with several steps to the door. The main part of building was square. There was a belfry and bell with a rope used to call pupils to class. There was an entry way with a swinging door into the main room. In the entry way there were hooks for wraps and shelves for lunch buckets. There was a small homemade table for a water bucket and dipper. The water came from well on the school grounds. Also the school had a clock on the wall.
Pictures: PLEASANT PRAIRIE, 1912.
Front row, left to right: Frank Pontzious, Johnny Ashley, Mable Schmeiser Burnes, Agnes Schmeiser, Audrey Pontzious, Celia Gardner Lichtenberg, Martin Schmeiser, Edith Blanchard, Irene Christinger, Nellie Blanchard, Helen Jones Mohlier, Vera Schmieser Nelson.
Back row: Myrtle Fitzsimmons Gifford-teacher, Nellie Olighant, Forrest Pontzious, Lela Eversmeyer, Glenn Persinger, Albert Pontzious, ?, Le Roy Boyne, ?, Nellie Jones
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, 1919.
Front row, left to right: Edwin Blanchard, Alice Schmeiser, Josephine Schmeiser, Harold Jones, Dale Schultz, Charles Stone, Earl Schultz.
Second row: Frances Cummings, Mary Schmeiser, Lelia Longshore, Nellie Blanchard, Hazel Pefier-teacher, Paul Longshore, Wesleyan Shipman, Marion Blanchard, Orval Schmeiser, Dean Longshore.
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Sweet Home was located west of Wapello. Go three and one-half miles on the Five Mile Lane to the crossroads, turn north and travel approximately two miles. The school house was located on the east side of the road. I started to Sweet Home in 1901 and completed the eight grades. My first teacher was Miss Meyerholtz. Other teachers I remember are: Andy Odle, Nancy Downs, Jessie Shipman, Edna Shipman, Pearl Kramer, and Nellie Kramer.
Some pupils I remember are Lena, Wehelmina, Minnie and John Otto; Henry, Bill, Ernie and Carrie Winter; Relvie, Grover, Jessie and Goldy Storey; Edith, Verna and Tessie Volmer; Velda, Walter and Jessie Zimmerman; and Pearl Weber. My father, Henry, attended this school in the 1870s.
Why didn’t I get one of the neighborhood girls? I had four older sisters!
Picture: SWEET HOME, 1921.
Front row, left to right: Raymond Gerth, Doris Mohlie, Phyllis Heins, ?, ?, Clifford Gerth.
Back row: Inez Eversmeyer- teacher, Dole Clay, Margaret Garth, Helen Jones, Josephine Garden, Gladys Ball, Charlotte Gerth, Helen Heins
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Victory school was built in 1880 across the road east of the Fairview Church and cemetery. Alexander Hamilton petitioned for this school to be built so his children wouldn’t have so far to walk. School was held for two three-month terms, with a three month vacation inbetween.
Some of the pupils attending in the late 1800’s were: Geda, Addie (Syrpit), Bertha (Campbell), George, Frank, Charlie, and Tommy Hamilton; and Ruth Melvin Phillips.
Some pupils attending later were: Charlie Syrpit; Hazel and John Hamilton; Gale and Glen Melinger; Earl and Frances Moyer; Oleta Peck; Vera Bishop; Ruth and Ralph Whitaker; Clarence Lundvall; Dwight, Ree, and Anni McIntyre; Elmira Bishop; Benny Lambert; Joanne Graham; and Larry, Jerry, Tommy, and Benny Courtney.
Hazel Eubanks taught at Victory and Hazel Plumb was the teacher closing the school in 1947.
Pictures: VICTORY.
The school was two miles east of Newport, across the road from Fairview Church and Cemetery.
VICTORY. Souvenir of Miss Lena Matthews to her pupils in 1911.
May 5, 1911 Miss Lena Matthews, Teacher. PUPILS
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Picture: VICTORY, 1919.
Front row, left to right: Rethal Berry, Lena Beard, Oleta Peck, Elmira Bishop, Sadie Peck.
Back row: Vera Campbell, Frances Moyers, Myrtle Beard, Charles Syphrit, Orton Beard, Walter Peck.
Victory was a one-room country school for grades one through eight. No child had to walk more than two miles to school.
Victory school got its name by a vote of the people. The first school was located one mile north of the present site. People on the north side of the road east of Newport wanted the school left there. The people on the south side of the road wanted it where it is now. They brought it to a vote of the neighborhood, and the south side won the election so “Fairview” was moved to its present site, but with a new name of Victory.
School took up a 9:00 a.m. and was out at 4:00 p.m. Reading, writing and arithmetic were the main subjects as well as hygiene, history, spelling and geography. The fifteen-minute recess morning and afternoon was looked forward to by all students. The noon meal was a lunch brought from home in a dinner pail or sack. School generally started the first of September and was out around May 15. It always ended with a picnic. Hazel Hemphill attended school as a pupil at Victory for eight years. Later she was a teacher for four years.
Victory school was located across the road from the Fairview Church on K road east of Newport. The year I was at Victory we had a little instrumental combo—a piano keyboard, accordion, guitar, jew’s harp and piano, all played by ear. The brothers who had the accordion and guitar lived too far from school to carry their instruments so Monday mornings I would drive by their home and pick them and their instruments up. On Fridays I would leave immediately after school and take them home, or if I had to stay longer, they would put the instruments in the car and I would drop them off on my way home.
The entire school enjoyed listening to our little band and having sing-alongs. Then it came time for our Christmas program. We tried and tried to find some Christmas song that they could play. Finally in exasperation one of the boys said, “Darn it Miss Archibald, if it was only ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ we could play it.” After a little though I answered, “There is no law that says we can’t sing Christmas words to ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’. Everyone get out your paper and pencil and we’ll start putting our ideas together for words.”
Well, after considerable work and trying over and over we put together words with a Christmas message that fit the tune. The night of the program it was the hit of the evening.
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| Year | Teacher | Months | Salary Per Month |
| 1921-22 | Nola Dotson | 9 | $85 |
| 1922-3 | Nola Dotson | 9 | $85 |
| 1923-24 | Nola Dotson | 9 | $85 |
| 1924-25 | Hazel Hamilton | 9 | $85 |
| 1925-26 | Hazel Hamilton | 6 | $85 |
| Kathryn Courtney | 3 | $85 | |
| 1926-27 | Kathryn Courtney | 9 | $65 |
| 1927-28 | Fay Eubank | 9 | $80 |
| 1928-29 | Fay Eubank Asby | 9 | $85 |
| 1929-30 | Maxine Watson | $75 | |
| 1930-31 | Alice Hutcheson | $75 | |
| 1931-32 | Bernice Herrick | 9 | $85 |
| 1932-33 | Bernice Herrick | 9 | $85 |
| 1933-34 | Bernice Herrick | 9 | $51 |
| 1934-35 | Alice Caldwell | ||
| 1935-36 | Alice Caldwell | ||
| 1936-37 | Blanche Stuart | ||
| 1937-38 | Blanche Stuart | ||
| 1938-39 | Mary Archibald | ||
| 1939-40 | |||
| 1940-41 | |||
| 1941-42 | Nellie Wilson | ||
| 1942-43 | Josephine Havenhill | ||
| 1943-44 | Martha Nelson | 9 | $125 |
| 1944-45 | Hazel Eubanks | 9 | $125 |
| 1945-46 | Hazel Eubanks | 9 | $125 |
| 1946-47 | Hazel Eubanks | 9 | $160 |
| 1947-48 | Hazel Eubanks | 9 | $180 |
| 1948-49 | Hazel Eubanks | 9 | $225 |
| 1949-50 | Hazel Eubanks | 9 | $225 |
| 1950-51 | Hazel Eubanks | 9.5 | $184 |
| 1951-52 | Hazel Plumb | 9.5 | $280 |
| 1952-53 | Hazel Plumb | 9.5 | $300 |