some) which was subdistrict “Number 2”. This school was located in the southwest corner of Sec four-- two miles east of Pleasant Grove. This little notice implies that the brick school at Pleasant Grove had not been constructed at that time. (And this was the case as the brick structure was not constructed until 1884 or `85.)
This information (of three schools) is a little surprising as the second or third school district founded in Story County was in the area immediately northwest of Nevada. This included some of the territory that was to be Milford Township but this occurred before Milford Township was formed in 1858. No size is given for this district, but it, in itself, included perhaps 16 or 25 square miles. When this district was changed is unknown.
By 1873 there were eight of the nine schools in place with School Number eight put in place about this time. By 1875 all nine schools were in existence.
The mention in the paper of school districts would, in the near future, actually come to mean subdistricts as Milford Township Consolidated School was actually an independent school district of itself and the nine one room schools were the subdistricts. Four of these nine schools were conveniently located one mile in from each corner of the 6 mile by 6 mile square township. Then there was a school half way between each of these four schools with one (Center, or Curtiss, or Smith School) in the center of the township.
There exists a record by J.W. Sowers, whose father was one of the earlier settlers in the area southeast of Story City, (and J.W. was a big landowner in northwest Milford Twp) in which J.W. states that the Pleasant Grove School was located a mile south of where the present Pleasant Grove Church is; “in the SE of the SE of the SE of Sec 7”. He's very distinct in this assertion. He also states that Milford School (No4) is in the northwest corner of Sec 20 while the subdistrict No4 school of post Civil War times was in the southeast of Sec 18. If he's correct in these locations, and there is no evidence to the contrary, the question arises as to when Pleasant Grove School was relocated to the NE of Sec 7. An assumption might be that this occurred in 1862 when legislation was passed establishing a pattern for the location of the subdistricts.
From the 19 Oct. 1871 Nevada Paper-- Concerning the action of the Story County Board of Supervisors---
Also the following preamble and resolution was adopted by the Board; (of Supervisors)
“Whereas, a petition has been presented by the tax payers of Milford Township asking appropriation to enlarge the school house in subdistrict No. 7 and.
Whereas, the State law fails to make provision for the education of pauper children, therefore be it Resolved, that the sum of one hundred dollars be appropriated out of the Poor Farm Fund for the purpose of building an addition of 12 X 20 feet on said school house, said sub-district paying balance of expenses for said improvement, and provided further, that the county paupers have the full benefit of said school, and that said amount be place in the hands of T. Kindlespire for expenditure, he is to report at January session”
Subdistrict School Number 7 was the one room school furthest to the southeast in Milford Township, closest to Nevada. This is the school that was later known as the Tarman School as Mr Tarman owned the ground south across the road. (Mr Tarman lived where the Neasham family lived in the `40's and `50's) This also is the one room school that was the closest to the Story County Farm which, at the time was called the “Poor Farm”. Story County Poor Farm was located in the northern half of Sec 35 and the school was in the very southwestern corner of Sec 25, roughly 1/2 mile apart.
On Saturday, 9 June 1917, those who graduated from the three Schools in the west portion of Milford Twp were Ida Jacobs from District Three; LeVeta Auld and Laress E. Day from District Four; and Frank Warren and Severene Tegland form District Nine.
District Three is Pleasant Grove School and Ida Jacobs later married Rhiner Honderd and they were the parents of Rhoda, `50, and Norman, `57, Honderd.
During the spring rains of 1909, the `thoroughfare' west of School No 1 washed out and hindered traffic. That was the paper's word `thoroughfare'. This is the road along the north side of Sec 11.