Allen County, Ohio - Chapter 12: Schools of Allen County, 1885

IN the following notice of county schools a reference is merely made to the establishment of pioneer schools and to the present school statistics. In the history of the townships, a more extended notice is given of each school. In 1834 John Cunningham opened a school in the pioneer court house, over which he presided until 1838. Samuel Black, Miss McCoy and Miss Page were his cotemporaries. In 1856 Dr. W. W. Littlefield presided over the Union School, held in the basement of the Methodist Church of Lima until 1858-59, when the Union Schoolhouse was erected. In 1871 the East Side school building was erected at a cost of $46,000. This house together with other buildings devoted to education at Lima are now valued at over $110,000. The enrollment has increased from 16 or 20 in 1834 to 1,859 in 1884.

A school was established in Bichland Township, at a very early date by William Bedding, who presided over a class within Peter Hilty's cabin.

A log schoolhouse was erected shortly after on Little Bilej Greek, where Franklin Smith presided. To-day there are ten buildings deyoted to education; fourteen teachers and 940 pnpils.

In 1888 William Ramsey opened a school in Sugar Creek Township. A half century later, seven schoolhouses, fifteen teachers and 843 pupils mark the progress of the settlement.

The first school in Monroe Township was opened in 1888 by N. G. Eidd, and the schoolhouse on Section 14, built in 1884. round logs being used in its constaruction. There are now nine school buildings, 1,866 pupils and fourteen teachers.

In 1883 David Bidenour opened the pioneer school in German Township. The following winter a log-house was erected on the Thomas Cochran farm, in which Asa Wright conducted a schooL John Summersett, it is thought, was engaged in teaching here about 1884-35. In 1884 there were seven school buildings and 281 pupik.

A school was opened by Daniel Bradegan in a cabin on Section 8» Bath Township, about 1881. He was succeeded by Ezra Coomb, and he in 1882 by Stafford Scranton. In 1885, William Teny taught school in the Daniels' log-house. In 1884 there were ten school buildings, twenty teachers and 404 pupils.

In the winter of 1884-85, Miss Maria Hover inaugurated a school in Shawnee Township, within the cabin where Chief Pht lived and died. In 1887, a building was erected on Section 11, where Constant Southworth taught school. To-day there are nine buildings devoted to school purposes, fourteen teachers and 478 pupils.

In 1835 Leonard Skilling opened a school in Perry Township. The same year a house was built on Section 8, and in 1844 another house on Section 25, where John Terry conducted school. There are eight school buildings in the township employing fifteen teachers. The enrollment is

A school was opened in Auglaize Township in 1884, by John Shookey, the session being held in a cabin on Section 26. To-day there are 11 school buildings, twenty teachers and 404 pupils.

In 1838 a schoolhouse was erected on Section 21, Jackson Township in which Thomas Hall taught. In 1884 there were eleven school buildings here. The enrollment was 444.

A few years prior to the organization of the county one Benham, and William Enittle presided over schools in Amanda Township. In 1829 Archelaos Martin opened a subscription school. To-day there are nine buildings devoted to school purposes, 1,022 pupils, and thirteen teachers.

The pioneer schools were all conducted on the old principle of subscription. The amount stipulated being commensurate with the position of the parents or guardians of the pupils. About 1836, however, the people began to take action in the matter of organizing common school districts, and before the year 1840 had passed away, the system of subscription schools was abolished, and that of the. common school instituted throughout the county.

The following summary of school statistics for 1884 points out veiy clearly the advance of the present system within the last half century. Total receipts for the year ending August 81, 1884, including $88,942.82 balance, were $117,754.49. Amount paid teachers, $46,718.86. Total expenditures $79,798.06 ; balance on hand Sepi 1, 1884, $87,061.43. The number of schoolhouses, 120; number of school-rooms, 177. Total value of school property, $266,000. Number of teachers necessary, 172. Bate of local tax 5.6 mills. Number of pupils enrolled, 8,207.

The act of Congress providing for the admission of Ohio into the Union, offered certain educational propositions to the people. These were, first, that Section 16 in each township, or, in lieu thereof, other contiguous or equivalent lands, should be granted for the use of schools; second, that thirty-eight sections of land, where salt springs had been found, should be granted to the State, never, however, to be sold or leased for a longer term than ten years ; and third, that one-twentieth of the proceeds from the sale of the public lands in the State should be applied toward the construction of roads from the Atlantic to and through Ohia These propositions Were offered on the condition that the public lands sold by the United States after the 80th of June, 1802, should be exempt from State taxation for five years after sale. The ordinance of 1787 has already provided for the appropriation of Section 16, to the support of schools in every township sold by the United States ; this, therefore, oonld not, in 1802, be properly made the subject of a new bargain between the United States and Ohio ; and, by many, it was thought that the salt reservations and one-twentieth of the proceeds of the sale of public lands, were equivalent for the proposed surrender of a right to tax for five years. The oonvention, however, accepted the propositions of Congress, on their being so modified and enlarged as to vest in the State, for the use of schools, Section 16, in each township sold by the United States, and three other tracts of land, equal in quantity respectively to one thirty-sixth of the Virginia Military Reservation of the United States Military tract and of the Connecticut Western Reserve ; and to give 8 per cent of the proceeds of the public lands sold within the State to the construction of roads in Ohio, under the direction of the Legislature. Congress agreed to the proposed modifications, and, in March, 1807, offered to the State, in lieu of the one thirty-sixth part of the Virginia Military Reservation, eighteen quarter townships and three sections of land lying between the United States Military tract and the Connecticut Reserve- On the 14th of January, 1808, the State accepted these lands, and released all right and title to the school lands in the Virginia Military district

It may be asked: To what cause is due the delay in establishing the common school system in this portion of Ohio? To what chain of circumstances were the subscription schools continued beyond the pioneer period? It appears that on February 5, 1825, the first general school law was passed. At that time Allen County was a wilderness - indeed up to 1881-32 it was the home of the Indians, very few white people being then resident here. In 1827, the bill requiring every householder to pay at least $1 tax, or give two days' labor, toward the building or repairing of schoolhouses, was passed. Two years later another bill, providing for the general education of white children, became law. This act further provided, that where the district tax was not sufficient to pay teachers, the parents or guardians of children who attended school, should contribute the amount required to make up such salary. In 1830, still another bill was introduced to regulate education in the State. This bill passed, but failed to effect an improvement in the school system.

Ftmd, and the State guaranteed a stated interest on all such moneys lodged in the State Treasary. On this interest, the auditors of counties were authorized to draw and distribute the amount so drawn among the districts entitled to share in the interest on school moneys, whether derivable from lands in the districts, from donations, or from bequests. This distribution did not begin until after January, 1835, when moneys were funded and yielded an interest Then the first Interest Fund was divided according to the number of white male inhabitants over twenty-one years of age. In March, 1837 the office of State Superintendent of Schools was established, and abolished in 1840, when the office was made a part of the State Secretary's Department. In 1838 a school fund of $200,000 was provided* to be distributed among districts according to the number of youths between four and twenty-one years of aga In 1842, the State Common School Fund was reduced to $150,000, and in 1851 increased to $300,- 000. Under the revised Constitution of 1853, a State School Commissioner was to be elected; the County Auditor was created County Superintendent of Schools, and the Township Clerk, Superintendent of Schools in his district The appointment of three school examiners, to be appointed by the Judge of Common Pleas Court, for each county, were also authorized. Up to January 1, 1832, the law did not recognize female school teachers. In December, 1831, an act was passed providing that, on petition of the inhabitants of a district, and when the School Examiners had granted such petition, the School Directors should appoint a female to teach spelling, reading and writing only. In 1848 separate schools were authorized for colored children, to be supported by the direct tax on the property of the colored residents. In 1853 colored schools were placed on the same ba^is as common schools. Under the laws of 1864 all disabilities were removed.