Madison County, Illinois - Chapter 30: Schools of Madison County, 1912

At the very dawn of the nineteenth century, the pioneer settlers of Madison county began establishing schools for the purpose of teach¬ ing their children the meagre essentials of reading, writing, spelling, and "ciphering" to the "rule of three." The ordinance of 1787 gave great impetus to early education in Illi¬ nois by declaring that "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good govern¬ ment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." This ordinance appropriated the sixteenth section in each township to school purposes. This applied to the entire Northwest territory, including the present state of Illinois.

The enabling act of 1818 passed by con¬ gress to permit Illinois to take the necessary steps toward admission into the Union pro¬ vided further that section sixteen be granted to the state for school purposes. It also stipulated that three per cent of the net pro¬ ceeds of all congressional land sales after January 1, 1819, should be appropriated by the legislature for the "encouragement of learning;'' one-sixth of which was to be used toward the establishing and support of a state college or university. Thus the foundation of our present magnificent State University was begun.

The first general law of Illinois providing for state and local tax for school purposes was enacted in 1825. This law proved un¬ popular and was soon rendered inoperative by hurtful amendments; but in 1855 a more effective school tax law was enacted, provid¬ ing for a state tax, an unrestrained district tax for the support of a six-months' school in every school district. To this law there was much active opposition, and it was not until the constitution of 1870 gave genuine recogni¬ tion to the free school system of Illinois that the public schools became popular and effective.

Madison county's only college, Shurtleff, was first established by Rev. John Mason Peck, a Connecticut immigrant, as "Rock Spring Seminary" and was located in St. Clair county in 1827. In 1832 it was removed to Upper Alton, Madison county, and called Alton Seminary, the name soon thereafter being changed to Shurtleff College. Other higher institutions of learning in the county outside of the public system, are Monticello Seminary, at Godfrey, the first institution for the education of young ladies established west of the Alleghanies ; the Ursuline Academy at Alton, a flourishing Catholic institution and

Quoting Hon. Norman G. Flagg, in his "Notes on Madison County History" recently published in the Madison County School Journal: "The first public free school in Madison County and indeed in the state, was established in or near Alton in 1821, accord¬ ing to Ninian Edwards' 'History of Illinois.' At that time a town was laid out near what is now Upper Alton. The proprietors gave fifty lots for school purposes, and by an act of 1821 certain trustees were vested with the title to those lots and were empowered to levy a tax of no't to exceed 75 cents a year on each lot. They were required to establish and maintain a free school for all children of school age in the town (see Laws, 1821, p. 39). But it was not until 1855 that the people of Madison county, as well as of Illi¬ nois in general, could boast of a free school plan in general, and it was not until the con¬ stitution of 1870 that the people of this great state could truly say 'we have a successful system of free public education.

While the first free school was not estab¬ lished in Madison county until three years after Illinois became a state (1821) it must be borne in mind that many public pay schools were established from time to time in differ¬ ent parts of the county. According to the reports of Hon. W. P. Eaton, a former school commissioner of Madison county, the first public (pay) institution was opened at Cas¬ terline's school in 1804, in township 3-8 not far from the present city of Collinsville. This school was taught by James Bradsburry. Elisha Alexander taught a school in the dooryard of Mr. Judy's home in 1812, and a log school-house was built at the foot of the bluff midway between the homes of Mr. Judy and

Wm. B. Whitesides in 1814. In the block¬ house which stood on the farm of James Gillham on the Sand Ridge, in section 1, town¬ ship 4-9, Vache Clark conducted a school dur¬ ing the year 1813, the school being continued several years under various instructors. In 1809-10 a school two and one half miles south of Edwardsville was frequently broken up by bands of hostile Indians. James Renfro, in 1810 or 1811, conducted a school on the farm of Mr. Moore near the south line of the county.

In Jarvis township (3-7) the first school was taught by Jesse Renfro in 1824 at the old Gilead church. His salary was sixteen dollars per month. The first school in Alton township, so far as can be exactly known, was opened in November, 1831, by Mr. H. Davis on Second street, between Market and Alby. David Smeltzer conducted the first school in St. Jacob township, (3-6), 1812, in the old Chilton Fort. In 1817 a log schoolhouse was built near the Parkinson home, and later another cabin school was erected where the Augusta church now stands. In 1828 a better building was erected near Uzzell Spring, the teacher being Alexander Trousdale. In Marine township (4-6), Arthur Travis conducted a school in Major Isaac Ferguson's smokehouse in the year 1814. As early as 1805 Edward Humphrey taught a school near the "six-mile house" jn Nameoki township (3-9). During the twenties. George and James Ramsey taught school in Helve¬ tia township (3-5). In Hamel township (5-7) in 1825, Joseph Thompson and a Mr. Carver had charge of a school in a rude pole structure on the farm of Robert Aldrich. The earliest school in Pin Oak township (4-7) was taught by Joshua Atwater, 1809, in a primitive cabin. William Davenport was the first teacher in Alhambra township (5-6), his school being in the Hoxsey neighborhood; in

1832 a building was erected on section 19. In New Douglas township (6-5) Daniel Funderburk was the first settler and first teacher. In Fort Russel, Rev. Wm. Jones taught the first school in old Jones block¬ house. In Saline township (4-5) John Bar¬ ber, Jr., conducted a school in 1825.

Again quoting from "Notes on Madison County History" in which the writer gives credit to the late Michael Brown of Briehton: "The first schoolhouse (in Alton) was a little log cabin, I suppose about fourteen feet square; the floor was made of split lumber, rough-hewed, and laid down in a very rough manner, but it was not used long. It was in the south part of town. A better house was built near the road running to Milton. This house, though built of logs, was comfortable and was used several years. The seats were not so comfortable. They were made of slabs, hauled from the saw-mill at Milton. The small scholars had to sit on these miserable benches without backs, and be very quiet, though some of them could not reach the floor with their feet."

From this primitive beginning, and under the benign influence of the state constitution of 1870 and subsequent legislative enactments, the public free school system in Madison has made almost miraculous progress. From a few scattering pay schools of pioneer days, public education has grown to be a mighty force in the affairs of the county. There are twenty-four school townships, the officers of which are three school trustees and a town¬ ship school treasurer. These officers have charge of all school property and monies which are held in trust for the several schools of the respective townships. Each township is divided into a number of school districts, in each of which is located one or more school buildings. The schools of districts sand are directed by three school directors elected by the people; while in districts hav¬ ing one thousand or more people, the school affairs are in charge of a board of education elected by the people. Boards of education consist of six members and a president. In the city of Alton, in accordance with a special charter, the board of education consists of fourteen members and a president, appointed by the mayor and city council.

There are in all, 458 members of school boards, 72 school trustees, and 26 school treasurers, making a total of 556 school offi¬ cers. In general charge over all of these is the county superintendent of schools and his assistant. The following list of facts taken from the county superintendent's annual re¬ port June 30, 1911, gives the best idea of the growth of the public school system in Madi¬ son County:

Among the teachers of Madison county are numbered graduates from some of the best institutions of the nation. We have 150 nor¬ mal, academy, college, or university graduates, and 250 who are graduates of high schools, or have equivalent preparation for their work.

The progress and importance of the public school system of the county can be especially noted in the increased number and improved architectural style of the school buildings. The greater number of the rural schoolhouses are well constructed and are ventilated, lighted and heated in accord with the best methods, many of them being supplied with furnaces. The villages and cities have build¬ ings second to none in the state. Especial mention should be made of the magnificent buildings of Highland, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Alton, Granite City, Venice, Madison, Wood River, Marine, New Douglas, Troy, East Alton, Bethalto and other places. The new township high school building at Collins¬ ville is one of the best of its kind in Illinois and is the only township high school in the county.

Prior to the constitution of 1870, school affairs of the county were presided over by a school commissioner; since then by a county superintendent of schools. Following is the list of county superintendents who have served the schools of this county since the adoption of the constitution of 1870:

A factor in developing the splendid system of schools in Madison has been the Madison County Teachers' Association. This organi¬ zation includes all active public school teach¬ ers in the county and is presided over by a president and five members of the executive committee. It has, for years, been the prac¬ tice of the association to honor the county superintendent by selecting him president. The association holds quarterly one-day ses¬ sions at which interesting programs are ren¬ dered. Many noted men and women have appeared before this organization.

The records show that there was a county association of teachers in Madison county as early as 1856, when the membership did not exceed seventy-five. The organization now has four hundred sixty members.