ends with Mayme Cook in her home in Nevada. She also named me.
Mr. McCready also taught in the Finvay or Sowers School, before he taught in the Galilee school. Finvay was in District No. 8 and was the outstanding school in its early day on account of many people settling thereabouts and again because it was a place of worship for a number of years. They came from as far south as the Furnases and in between. Our folks often drove to church in the summer. Ruth tells us that they had better teachers in the Finvay school district, because the patrons paid an extra wage, above that stated by law and were therefore able to secure the best. This is where the Sanders, Sowers, Baumgardners, Griffiths and many other families attended school. Some of the earlier teachers were John Smith, Etta Pond, Bert Welty, Sophronia Kent, Hugh Smith, Luke Wheatley, Mary Avis Scott, Jennie Arrasmith, now Mrs. Bert Baumgardner, and my brother, James Peck.
District No. 3 was known as the John Holm school and was one of the very earliest of schools. Among the first teachers, was my mother's brother, Ed. Heaton. In fact, it was an earlier school than the one a mile west. Because at one time, there were only the four; John Holm, Finvay, Galilee and a school on the south-west corner of the Henry Schauper farm where the Quakers held meetings. This district was all prairie at this time.
Later, at District No 2, Mrs. Tom O. Johnson, Christy Egenes, and her brother, John taught. It was known as the Ruxton school. Fletcher Briggs also taught in this same school.
District No. 7 was known as the Menzel school. It was first built on the east side of the road and that is where it was located when Mrs. Anna Menzel came as a girl nine years of age and went to school. As it grew older, a new one was built on the west side of the road. A couple of her older teachers were Carl Tichenour of Colo and Lydia Stuart. My brother, Eddie, taught his first term of school there in the year of 1893, and I attended school there in that period. At that time, Sarah and Frankie Menzel were in school, and also Albert and Gustave Ludwig, some Nelson girls and Robert Giroux. My brother, James, also taught his first term of school in 1893 at what was called the Bales school, District No. 1.
Eventually there were so many children in the town of McCallsburg that they felt as if they must have a schoolhouse in town instead of going east or west as had been the custom. After a great deal of debating, it was decided to move the building that stood one mile west of town into town. This caused so much hard feelings that bids were let and a party from Roland was hired to put up a new building west of town. My brother James taught there in 1899. The Malmins, Chris Thompsons, Grimsleys and others were in school then. Later on the building was moved to the John Holm farm in District No. 3 to replace the worn out one. Still later, it was, sold and moved to what is now the Clarence Woster farm and is being used as a farm building.
Country school wages were small in the early days, $27 a month for spring and fall and $32 a month for the three winter months. For several years, they had
DURING CHRISTMAS vacation in 1906, during the tenure of Mr. Butler as superintendent, this frame school house, built in McCallsburg, was destroyed by fire. The fire was discovered by Mrs. Achsah Thomas who lived nearby and who saw smoke coming from the windows. She sent her son, Herman, to investigate. He came running back and said the schoolhouse was on fire.