$230 Ran Rural School for a Year in 1870’s [How Public Schools Developed in S.W. Part of County Traced By Miss Christine Petersen, County Superintendent, in Talk at Westfield Community School Dedication, May 2, 1958] On an occasion such as this, the dedication of a new school building, it is only fitting that we should reminisce a bit, and reflect on the origin and early history of our present school district. Instead of saving that like Topsy, the district just grew; let us turn to authentic information to such available sources as county school records. On tab in the County Superintendent’s office, Court House, LeMars, Iowa, we find the 1873 report of Mr. J. L. Innis, then Superintendent of Plymouth county, Iowa, schools. Although this records was compiled 85 years ago, and is incomplete, brittle and yellowed with age, it contains some interesting facts concerning the early schools in Hancock, Sioux and Westfield Township. There areas now constitute the greater portion of the Westfield Community School District. FIVE SCHOOLS IN 1873 In 1873 there were five ungraded schools which held school for 6 months in Sioux Township. The 1878 record states that there were 90 pupils enrolled in these five ungraded schools. From 1873 to 1878, the term lengthened from 6 months to 8 4/5 months. A more personal glimpse into the early history of the Sioux township schools is given to us by Mr. Dale Hunter in an article he wrote in March, 1954. Mr. Dale Hunter, who was born on May 19, 1867, in Sioux Township, Plymouth County, Iowa, is still living on his farm in Section 32, Sioux Township, where he has resided all of his life. I herewith quote excerpts from that March 1954 article: “The Independent School District of Sioux Township was organized December 17, 1867, by the direction of three school directors. The first school board was composed of the following men: Joseph LaBerge, president; B. B. Sutton and William H. Pinckney. Among their first acts was to authorize the building of two schoolhouses in the township, one near the mouth of Rock Creek and the other not far from the mouth of the Broken Kettle Creek. At a meeting held a short time later, the act to build a house near the mouth of the Broken Kettle Creek was rescinded and the school board rented a room from B. B. Sutton at the rate of $1 per month to hold school in for three months.” SCHOOL COST $120 “In 1868 Isaac Horsington was given a contract to build a log schoolhouse near the mouth of Rock Creek for the sum of $120. The house was to be 18 feet long and 16 feet in width. This was the first schoolhouse built in western Plymouth County. The seats were homemade benches with foot-wide seat and 16 inches high, with a high desk in from for books and slates. Boys sat on one side of the house with girls on the other. Twenty-six pupils attended this school. Where public roads seldom followed section lines, it was hard to build houses where the children could all get to them. The majority of the school board members lived along the river; people farther back from the river thought sometimes they were not getting justice. This, and the selection of teachers made the election of school directors, which by law came on the first Monday in March, the most important election of the year. This keen interest continued through all of the early years until about 1893, when better roads had been established and things became more settled.” $230 Ran School for Year From 1868 on for many years, six months school would be as much as one district would have for one year. The average teacher’s wage was $30 per month for six months. Fuel was wood, at $5 per cord and amounted to about $30 per year. The total expense for each country school would run about $230 per year. Among those who were most active in Sioux township school affairs during early years were D. M. Mills, Dr. J. M. Jenkins, William Hunter, B. B. Sutton, and Joseph LaBerge. Later school records give the names of Alfred Fry, C. C. Pike, D. Hunter, Pat Gant, F. H. Weber, Arch Lilly, G. A. and C. L. Knapp, F. H. and Thomas Nason, J. F. Banks, W. H. and O. L. Weber, and George Milner. Among teachers’ names frequently listed were Lavilla Kimball, Elizabeth Dennison, Dolly Hunter, Gertrude Pike, Bernice Walsh and Gladys Fry. SUNNYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL When children completed the elementary schools in Sioux township, many of them pursued High School work in the Sunnyside High School, located in Section 32, Sioux Township. Florence Main Knapp, Evelyn Lilly Banks, Cloyce Hasbrook Knapp, and Pearl McKellar Fry were among the teachers who taught in the Sunnyside High School. 1883 marks the entry of Hancock township schools on the county records. Twenty pupils were enrolled in the two buildings which were valued at $500 and the apparatus at $50. By 1885 the number of schools in Hancock township had increased to four with an enrollment of 49 pupils. The school year had lengthened to six months, according to the county record. Living in the Hancock township community is a man who held various school offices in Hancock township for 50 years. He also served on the Plymouth County Board of Education for 15 years, 1933-1948. He still maintains a very active interest in the educational affairs in the Westfield Community School District. I refer to Mr. T. A. Ross, who still resides on his farm in Section 11, Hancock Township. I now quote from a report written by him in 1954: A. T. ROSS RECALLS “I was born December 12, 1871, in Union County, South Dakota. I was six years old in December 1877, when I started to school in Hancock township. Our home was four miles by the road to the school. Our district was then known as Hancock District No. 2. In 1885, the township board set up subdistrict No. 3. That took in a lot of territory, but as there were not 30 children, two new districts could not be organized. Nearly all of the schoolhouses built about that time were 16 feet by 20 feet with three windows on each side. There was a provision in the Iowa School Law at that time providing that the school board could make any provision for a place to hold the school that would not cost more than $300. It was not necessary to advertise for bids. The schoolhouse in District No. 3 was built in about 1885. The schoolhouse in District No. 4 was built in the summer of 1888, going through the same procedure as erecting the building in District No. 3. Later these old buildings were replaced by more modern structures. People in Hancock township took a very active interest in their schools and in later years reported a successful P.T.A. organization in their community. At one time, all four of the Hancock township schools were rated standard schools by the State Department of Public Instruction. The school in District No. 2 was selected as a superior school by Miss Jessie Parker, State Rural School Supervisor. Miss Parker, who later became State Superintendent of Public Instruction, was present to award the superior rating to Hancock District No. 2 school.” HANCOCK TWP. NAMES Names frequently appearing on the Hancock township school records are: C. H. Nourse, Louis LeBarge, William Chapman, Thomas Willett, Jessie and G. I. Washburn, W. A. Comstock, John Kimball, Thomas Walsh, Cyrus Knapp, John Pike, William Nason, Mary Harrington, and many others. Among the teachers who served in Hancock Township for many years were Gertrude Tracy, Lucille and Grace Briggs, and Violet Fry. The county superintendent’s record for 1879 states that there were three ungraded schools in Westfield township that year with 35 pupils enrolled during an average term of 3 2/3 months. Male teachers received $35 and female teachers, $30 per month. By 1900, Westfield township had seven ungraded schools. The total enrollment was 206 pupils and the term was 8 months. The 1903 record lists a new school in Westfield in addition to the seven district schools. The new school, during 1904, had one ungraded room and two graded rooms. It employed one male at $45 per month and two females at $37 per month. ATTENDANCE IRREGULAR The length of the school year was nine months and there were 86 children enrolled; however, the average daily attendance was only 41, which indicates a very irregular school attendance. Let us pause here to read a paragraph from County Superintendent Guernsey’s report for 1879. This interesting information no doubt pertained to all the rural schools in Plymouth county in operation at that time. I quote: IN 1879 “The general condition of schools is the same as last year. There has been a gradual increase in the number of schools in the county, but owing to the poor crops and hard times, the length of the term has been shortened and the wages of the teachers lessened. The rural institute, although not as well attended as that of last year, was nevertheless a very successful and instructive one to both teachers and instructors. On account of a surplus of funds, we were able to continue it for three weeks, instead of two as formerly. The salary of school secretaries is too variable—granting $25 to $72 per annum. This should not be so.” County Superintendent Carrie A. Byrne, in her annual report for 1885 summarizes thus: “One hundred of the schoolhouses are very good, forty-five are fair, and eight are poor. All have suitable out buildings for each sex.” Swinton’s Readers, Reed and Kellog’s English Book, and Specerian Copy Books were what the children learned from. 1907: WESTFIELD GETS 12th GRADE 1907 marked the beginning of the twelfth grade in the Westfield town school. The records show a high school enrollment of 32 pupils, with a total enrollment of 92 pupils. Miss Nina McFarlan served as the principal of the Westfield school from 1907-1913. She was succeeded by Elizabeth Glass, C. J. Odegard, Carl LaGrace and others. In 1915 the Westfield Consolidated school was organized. It included twelve sections in Westfield township and eight sections in Sioux township. The school had an enrollment of 93 pupils. Twenty years later, the enrollment had increased to 157 pupils, 24 of whom were non-resident. BURNED IN 1938 In 1938, the Westfield Consolidated school building was destroyed by fire. A new brick building was erected at a cost of $144,028 and later a stucco shop building was erected at a cost of $1440. The area of Westfield Consolidated School district remained the same until July 1, 1956. However, the enrollment had increased to 185 elementary pupils and 61 high school pupils. Of this number, 153 were non-resident, or tuition pupils. Among the names listed for school board members in Westfield are William Chapman, J. J. Martin, A. L. Mills, Thomas Hanes, M. P., E.H. and D.W. Spaulding, George Main, and D. Cassel. Grace Gosting, Clara Chapman, and Gertrude Tracy taught for many years in the Westfield area. On January 1, 1956, the Westfield Community School District was organized under the provisions of the reorganization law enacted by the 1953 Iowa General Assembly. On July 1, 1956, the district became effective. It consisted of 88.8 sections. This area is comprised of 20 sections formerly in the Westfield Consolidated School District and 68.8 of contiguous territory formerly a part of Hancock, Johnson, Liberty, Perry, Sioux and Westfield townships. The total assessed valuation, including monies and credits, for the Westfield Community School District was $2,585,7838. During the 1957-58 school year there were 299 pupils enrolled in the Westfield Community School. As we now meet together on the evening of May 2, 1958, to dedicate this new $180,000 addition to your school building, I congratulate you and pay tribute to every individual who has helped attain this achievement. Much credit goes to that group of men who have given many hours of time and leadership in promoting a bond issue, planning a new building, and guiding the building program with its related problems. I refer to the member of the Westfield Community School Board, who are Mr. Roland Swanson, Mr. Wallace Lilly, Mrs. George Easton, Mr. Cyrus A. Knapp, Mr. Roy Postlewait, Mr. Dike W. Spaulding, Treasurer, and the Secretary, Mrs. Arlene Morehead. I also commend Supt. Carl Luse and his faculty of 14 teachers, the school custodians, bus drivers, and school lunch cooks. Deserving, too, a word of approbation are the taxpayers who have, and will continue to have an important part in the Westfield Community School district. The dedication of this new building—another step forward. It must come to life through a functional education program, with the realization that the strength of America lies in its human resources. Source: Speech presented by Keynote Speaker, Miss Christine Petersen, Westfield Community School Dedication, May 2, 1958~~as reprinted in the LeMars Sentinel, May 15, 1988.
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