MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA HISTORY

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The Schools of Wilton Township

By Gale McClean

Transcribed by Elizabeth Casillas, February 4, 2016

     When the first white settlers came to our country they soon found that there was a need for schools. They began by starting a subscription for money to pay teachers and opened their homes as schools. They carried on like this for about three years.

     We learn that the first school in this area was just east of Moscow in 1839 with Miss May Comstock as teacher. During this period there were undoubtedly other “subscription” schools of which we know little or nothing.

     In 1837-1839 the U.S. government began the first land survey providing the means of locating farms, homes, schools, villages, etc,. in an orderly manner. The government in 1841 passed a law entitling each new state to 500,000 acres of land for internal improvements (schools). In 1846 when we became a state, Muscatine county’s share of this acreage was 357.33 acres. This tract was located on the south of section 2 just west of Durant.

     In 1848 Congress passed another law whereby every Section numbered 16 in a township was to be set aside for school purposes. As these sections were sold, the money obtained was placed in a school fund for each township’s use. The directors of each school in a township could levy against this fund and thus our school buildings not already built could be and were built during the early 60’s. Each cost about $350.00.

     In Wilton township the first school was kept in Wilton in 1856 and taught by Miss Rebecca McClennan. A comment by Mr. Rider, author of History of Wilton, was “She had but few scholars but was a kind lady and a successful teacher.” In the same reference it states that “During the winter of 1856-57 Gideon Pierce taught in the first. . .

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Picture – Rainbow Wilton Twp. No. 5, 1910 – Courtesy of Gale McClean
Front row, left to right: Herman Baer, Alba Brescher, Fred Andreas, George Baer, Lindsay Gray, Edward Doerfer, Faye Derby, Emma Harper, ?, Flora McGillivary, Mabel Deweese.
Back row: Henry Doerfer, Charles Anderson, Laura Nash, teacher, Hattie Doerfer, Carrie Andreas, Mary Gray. Gale McClean, a student, took the picture.

. . . school located in a small frame house opposite Mr. Beutley’s residence.” Again quoting from the same source, “In the winter of 1857-58 the public school, a two story frame house, was taught by Dr. J.B. Ware as principal and Miss Mary Washburn as assistant.

     While Wilton was establishing its first school in the township as Wilton #1, it appears that the country surround it was getting the rural schools built and established in their respective sub-districts as follows: Yankee Hollow, No. 2; Prospect Hill, No. 3; Sunnyside, No. 4; Rainbow, No. 5; Osage, No. 6; Laurel Hill, No. 7; Gopher Tail, No. 8.

     On March 3, 1865, at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Wilton township, a motion was made and carried to finish #2 schoolhouse and also #3 and # 4. This would indicate that #2 (Yankee Hollow) was our first rural school and in it were held many of the community meetings of that day.

     On March 9, 1867 upon a motion by W. A. Bagley, a tax of 10 mills was voted to pay off the debt on #2 school.

     At the meeting of March 9, 1867, on the motion of Mr. Pingree, a tax of 10 mills was voted to erect a schoolhouse in sub-district #3 (Prospect Hill). Accordingly a school was built on the southeast part of section number 2 near Durant and remains there today. “The Playcasters” are using the building in which to practice their productions. They are making improvements and are maintaining the building in creditable manner.

     Sunnyside, #4, was first located in Fulton township, but it seems that it was moved to a location in Wilton township in Section 11. That school building is today on the southeast corner of Section 14.

     We need verification of the school being moved as there is mention in the records of the school board.

     The first knowledge we have of Rainbow, #5, is the record of its. . .

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. . . removal to a new location in 1865. A group went to court in Muscatine to get an injunction against the removal and while they were gone the people got out their teams of horses and dragged the building off its foundation and onto the road so that when the opposing persons got back with their injunction it would not be valid because the school was on the roadway and not where it was described in the injunction. So Rainbow got moved to its present location. The school was located on the southeast corner of Section 28 and, since there were no fences, the road made a short cut back of the building forming a natural rainbow curve thus giving the name of the school “Rainbow,” With the coming of the interurban its station was named Rainbow as was the country store, the elevator and stockyards, and two homes. These made quite a nice little village and trading center which lasted until the interurban was dismantled in 1942. This corner is still called Rainbow today.

     Osage, No. 6, evidently was one of the township schools early in the 60’s because Mr. VanDyke at the board meeting of March 14, 1865, moved that a tax of one-half mill be levied for fencing of the #6 school. The school was located in Section # 1 quite close to the railroad running south from Wilton to Muscatine. Many of its teachers walked to this school from Wilton and back on the “old Plug tracks.”

     Laurel Hill, #7, was located on the west side of Section 20 on what is now known as the Wilton blacktop.

     Mr. Charles McMurphy, director of Gopher Tail, #8, was authorized to build a school house in 1867. The Iowa State atlas of 1875 shows a school building ½ mile east of the Melpine church corner on the south side of the road in Section 36, at that time in our township, but it was later annexed to Sweetland township. Miss Margaret Twoomy taught there for a period of years.

     (Editor’s note: Two items in the Wilton Exponent of 1874 refer to the No. 8 school. “The Wilton township school board offers a reward of $50 for the detection and conviction of the persons who set fire to the school house No. 8 (Gopher Tail). . . which was burned on the 26th of August.” Wilton Exponent, Oct. 2, 1874, “Gopher Tail school house in Wilton township, which was destroyed by fire some time ago, has been rebuilt. It was commenced on Monday and finished Saturday noon of last week. The building is 20x16.” The Wilton Exponent, Nov. 20, 1874.

     During the 1920’s our township decided to start an improvement program for our schools. Basements with furnaces replaced the old “pot bellied” stove. Slate blackboards instead of the black painted wall space, new windows and doors with locks, cased wells in the school yards replaced the every morning trip to a neighbor’s well. This was sometimes as much as a quarter of a mile away with an open topped bucket. Fast driving automobiles were a menace to the boys and girls trudging along the side of the road with their buckets of water. In all cases better lighting was provided, electric lights in some schools, lots of new equipment. All of our teachers had first grade certificates and an added incentive by our increase in salaries resulted in most of our teachers staying 4 years or more at each school. When the state passed the Standard School law we were ready. Every school became the proud holder of the “Standard School” plaque. We tried to consolidate a number of our schools, . . .

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Picture – Railroad Street, Wilton, 1900 – Courtesy of Walt Hanssen

. . . losing by 2 or 3 votes. Finally we were absorbed by a redistricting around Wilton. All Wilton township schools are now a part of the Wilton Community School.