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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER XVIII -- EDUCATIONEARLIEST SCHOOL HOUSES IN SHELBY COUNTY.A reference to the public land records in the office of the recorder reveals the fact that on May 16, 1859, A. Rubendall, of Cuppy’s Grove, conveyed to the district township of Rounds, for school purposes, a tract of one-half acre of land lying forty rods (editor’s note: one rod is approximately 16. 499 feet) north of the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 7, in what is now Monroe township. This land lay on the south side of Cuppy’s Grove. Tradition records that, at a very early date, probably immediately following this deed, a brick school house was erected on the Rubendall land in the south part of the grove. It was known as the Rubendall school house. It stood perhaps about forty rods north of where the present Danish Baptist church stands. So far as the records show, this was the earliest conveyance in Shelby county for the purpose of furnishing a school house site. It was not until many years later that the north side of Cuppy’s Grove had a school house. On September 12, 1865, however, Adam Cuppy leased to W. J. Johnston, sub-director of district No. 1, for twenty years or as long as used for school purposes, eighty square rods of land in the northeast corner of section 7, in what was then Fairview township, but is now Monroe. The first school house built on this site was of brick, but was followed by a frame school house, which yet stands on the site north of the old Johnston home, now occupied by Mrs. Jesse Scott, formerly Mrs. L. N. Rogers. The next earliest conveyance of this character was a deed by James M. Long, conveying to the district township of Rounds, November 21, 1859, lots 5 and 6 in block 44 of Long’s First Addition to Harlan, Iowa. This location was on the south side of what is now Market street, on the corner opposite the creamery building, and was where the house of Jacob Broderson now stands. On this site, probably shortly following the date of the above conveyance, there was erected a brick school house, which served its purpose until the fall of 1872, when a new frame school building was erected on lots 1 to 5 in block 43 in Long’s Addition to Harlan. This conveyance was dated October 21, 1872. These lots lay not quite a block east of the first school house site on Market street and on the north side of the street north of the site occupied by the first Methodist Episcopal church in Harlan, which stood where Chris Michaelson now resides. The school house was in the same block with the Methodist church and almost due north. The settlement at Bowman’s Grove had two school houses, one the south side of the grove and one on the north side, neither of which now remains. On April 27, 1861, James H. Adams leased to the district township of Jackson, for a period of twenty years, a tract of land containing eight-one square rods, lying in the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 6, township 79, range 37, lying twenty-eight rods due east of the southwest corner of this forty. The lease provided that Mr. Adams should be paid at the end of the twenty-year period an annual rent of fifty cents for the term of the lease. This school house stood on land almost opposite the present residence of William Barkman and across the public highway, the land to the east of it being now owned by George Walters, and earlier by Eliab Myers. The other school house was erected during the summer of 1863 on land leased to the district township of Jackson by P. H. Longcor. Mr. Longcor resided on the premises subsequently known as the Caldwell farm, near the farm first owned by Bowman and later by David Barkman. The description of the land is somewhat indefinite, the tract of one-half acre lying “forty rods north of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 7 in Jackson township.” It would appear from this description that the school house was not far from the public highway, and probably somewhat south of the edge of the timber, although this author does not know just how far the timber extended at that date. The lease provided for a yearly rent on one cent, payable at the expiration of twenty years, the term covered by the lease. On May 5, 1860, Henry Custer and Elizabeth Custer, his wife, conveyed to the district township of Rounds, for school purposes, one acre of land lying forty-five and seventy-eight one hundredths chains (editor’s note: one chain is approximately 66 feet) west of the east quarter post of section 3, in what is now Fairview township. On this site was erected one of the earliest school houses of the county. This was in the vicinity of the former home of B. C. Custer, and not far from the residence of J. W. McKeig. Two very early school houses were erected in what is now Center township, one at Simoda, and another on the hill immediately south of the old home of L. D. Sunderland. The author has been told that both of these school houses were of brick. By deed dated May 14, 1860, Milton Heath and wife conveyed to the district township of Rounds lot 3 in block 32 of Simoda, for school purposes. The author has been told by one of the pioneers that this school building stood east of the old residence of H. Baughn, and slightly north in what is now a part of the public highway at turn running east. The old Latter-Day Saints’ log church at Galland’s Grove was undoubtedly the first building used for school purposes in Shelby county, since it was erected about 1855, and was at once used, not only for church services, but as a school house. One of the earliest schools in the county was located on lot 7 of block 6 in the village of Manteno, in Grove township, the site having been conveyed to the district township of Galland’s Grove by William W. Reed on January 5, 1861. Very early school houses in Fairview township were built on land conveyed to the district township of Fairview by Joseph A. Bunnell, December 19, 1883, and on land conveyed by B. and T. J. Tague to the same township October 25, 1865. Another early Grove township school was erected on the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 28 in this township, the site therefor being conveyed by Willson Keairnes November 10, 1865.
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