Hendricks County, Indiana - Chapter 22: Education, 1914

Chapter 22: Education

The growth of education in Hendricks county has been very rapid. From the very lieginning of the county until the present day the thought of education has been a predominate one. The first settler thought of the learning which should be imparted to his child and until the day of school houses, or the teacher who "boarded around," the child drew his letters at his mother's knee. Of the early schools and school houses there are many interesting things which have been written. The sturdy beech trees for the most part supplied the material from which the first school houses were constructed. The walls were built of the trunks, the puncheon floors, log seats and desks arranged around the wall were likewise split from the trunk of forest trees. Heat was forthcoming from a huge fireplace at one end of the cabin ; windows were opened by sawing out sections of logs and placing in the opening a rude sash, with oiled paper in place of glass.

The course of study provided by the stern pedagogue was nearly as crude as the house in which he taught. Geography, reading, .-pelling and arithmetic and writing were the standard subjects and whenever a pupil exhibited a dislike to them he was often helped over the difficulty by the beech rod, which reposed on two pegs above the master's desk. It is told that many of the early masters were possessed of very little more knowledge of their subjects than the pupils. Many a bright youngster came to grief because he took exceptions to assertions of his teacher.

In the summer of 1823 two school houses had been built, one of them in Liberty township, half a mile south of Cartersburg, and the other on Thomas Lockhart's land in Guilford township. William Hinton and Abijah Pinson were engaged as teachers. In 1824 a school was taught in Danville by Wesley McKinley. The first school in Eel River township was taught about 1829 in a house a half mile southeast of North Salem, by William Dewitt. It was said this man had fled from New Orleans for some crime, joined a pirate vessel, and with it sailed more than once amund the world, finallv leaving the vessel to seek a new life in the North. He was a man of intelligence and one of the best of the pioneer instructors. He died in North Salem, it is said, at the unusual age of one hundred and fifteen rears. The first school in Franklin township was taught in 183 1 by Judiah White, one mile south of Stilesville. The district consisted of two townshijis. Thomas Barker was successor to White in this school. He was a good teacher, but somewhat fond of "red-eye." Often, at noon recess, he would go to the village and return in an intoxicated condition and then would devote the afternoon to amusing the scholars by his antics. In 1831 Eli Lee taught the first school in Stilesville, in connection with his trade of shoemaker. Alfred Lineberry taught the first school in Middle township in 1835 t)n Samuel Hill's farm, for ten dollars per month.

Beginning Of A New Era

Much progress had been made in the schools of the county at the beginning of the seventies. Then was the beginning of definite organization. The log school house had long disappeared from the county. By the year 1884 there was even a vaster improvement. At this date there were 108 school buildings. 54 of these were brick and the rest of frame. There were 4,000 pupils in attendance at the brick schools, out of 7,082 in the county. There were 147 teachers, 85 of them male. The total school enrollment of this year was but 5,836. The total expenditures for school purposes in 1884 amounted to $94,303.86.

The Common Schools

The common schools were first provided for by the constitution of 1816. The Legislature of 1837 provided that land sold for taxes and escheated estates should be used for public school purposes. The law provided that any public school district might draw fifty dollars from such fund for the erection of a school house. This was for the encouragement of the common schools. In 1848 the people of a district could vote for or against a tax to maintain schools from three to six months. In 1850 a special tax was authorized. The greatest impetus given the common schools came from the constitution of 1851. "Knowledge and learning generally diffused throughout a community, being essential to the preservation of a free government, it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to encourage, by all equitable means, moral intellectual, scientific and agricultural improvement, and to provide, by law, for a general and uniform system of common schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge and equally open to all." Section 2 of article 8 provides for the conmion school fund, the principal of which can never be reduced.

In 1855 free schools were authorized in cities and towns. The grade schools and the high schools have grown up since 1873. The academies were converted into public schools and high schools in most cases.

The county institute was established in the year 1865. In 1901 the act of 1865 was amended so that if twenty-five teachers were in attendance, thirty-five dollars could be drawn from the county treasury; if forty were in attendance, fifty dollars; if seventy-five, one hundred dollars. In 1907 the auditor was given power by the Legislature to draw his warrant upon the treasurer for one hundred dollars for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the county institute regardless of the number of teachers in attendance.

In some instances the efficiency of the township institute has been impaired through the indifference of a few teachers. For the purpose of eliminating this handicap it has become necessary to create conditions unfavorable to the development of this indifference, so that the responsibility may be fixed and co-operation attained. To this end a monthly report has to be made to the county superintendent by each institute. This report will show the enrollment, explain the cause of tardiness, absence and other irregularities, and will show in per cent, the chairman's estimate of each teacher's preparation for the day. If each teacher makes careful preparation of all the Reading Circle work and any special topic that may be required individually, the chairman reports the work well done.

The county agriculture agent will soon be at the service of the teachers in township institute work. Joint sessions will be arranged for his convenience, so that all teachers may have the opportunity of gaining practical information which he will impart in the interest of vocational education.

In the first survey of western lands, congress set apart a section of land in every township, generally the sixteenth, for school purposes, the disposition of the land to be in the hands of the residents of the respective townships. In 1829 the township was provided with three trustees elected for one year at the September election. These members appointed a clerk. The duties of the trustees were to divide their township school lands into convenient sizes for sale and set a minimum price, not less than a dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. It was the duty of the school commissioner to sell the lands thus divided to the highest bidder.

The law of 1838 provided that a civil township should have three township trustees, selected for a term of three years, one elected each year. These appointed a clerk and a treasurer. These officers were to build roads and care for them and divide the township into school districts. There were in each school district three district trustees whose duty it was to examine and employ teachers. In 1849 °^^ district trustee was provided for each school district in place of three. His duties were practically those of the three. He was paid seventy-five cents per day, as were also the township trustees.

In 1859 the "civil townshi]5 was declared a school township," and "the trustee for such a township shall be trustee, treasurer and clerk."' It was this law which created the present township trustee, though subsequent legislation has added much to his list of duties and largely increased his power.

In 1865 the voters of a school district met the first Saturday in October and elected one director. The duties of this official were to call meetings of the district voters and preside. The meeting could appoint the teacher for the district; determine the branches to be taught in addition to the common branches provided by law, and could set the term of school under two limitations. The power of employing and paying teachers belonged to the township trustee.

In 1873 the district meeting with the director lost the power of appointing the teacher. The duty fell into the hands of the township trustee. From this time to the present the office of director has gradually fallen into disuse.

In 1883 the Legislature placed some limitations upon the trustee's power in employing teachers which were removed by the act of 1901. Under this act, although the advisory board since 1899 has limited his power in two directions, viz., tax levies and the number of days he may be employed as trustee, the trustee is in complete control of the schools of his township. He has the authority to ask patrons, while taking the enumeration, what their preferences are, if any, and thus has a guide in selecting his teachers for the next year. This custom has grown out of the directors' meetings and taken their place. (II)

The trustees of Hendricks county in 1914 are: Brown township, C. F. Pennington; Center, J. W. Whyte; Clay, William Hunt; Eel River, S. D. Noland; Franklin, T. R. Ruark; Guilford, B. W. Anderson; Liberty, C. E. Shields; Lincoln, B. A. White; Marion, Obed Underwood; Middle, R. L. Dillon; Union, J. T. Hocker, and Washington, C. M. Roark.

The county superintendent was given large duties by the text book law of 1889. He makes the requisition for all books used in the county; he is the bookkeeper for each of the school book contractors ; and he collects from each corporation handling the books as well as from the various dealers. A recent act of the Legislature, however, relieves the superintendent of all these duties except the matter of making requisitions.

The county superintendent has the general superintendence of the schools of his county. He must attend each township institute at least once in each school year and as often thereafter as possible, and preside over and conduct its exercises. He shall visit schools while they are in session for the purpose of increasing their usefulness and elevating, as far as practicable, the poor schools to the standard of the best. He must conduct teachers' institutes and encourage other like associations and shall labor, in every way, to elevate the standard of teaching and to improve the education of the schools of the county. In all controversies of a general nature arising under the school law, the decision of a county superintendent must first be obtained. It is his duty at all times to carry. out the orders and instructions of the state board of education and the state superintendent of public instruction. The same Legislature which enumerated the above duties of the county superintendent also relieved him of the supervision of cities and towns with superintendents.

High School Statistics

There are high schools at present in Hendricks county at the following towns : Amo, Clay township ; North Salem, Eel River township ; Stilesville, Franklin township; Plainfield, Guilford township; Clayton, Liberty township; Brownsburg, Lincoln township; New Winchester, Marion township; Pittsboro, Middle township; Lizton, Union township, and Danville, Center township. All of these high schools are commissioned by the state board of education with the exception of those at New Winchester and Lizton. The latter is to be commissioned this year. The total enrollment in 1913 was six hundred and forty-eight, with thirt}--one teachers. The high schools are well regulated in the county and a course is divided into semesters of a half year, sixteen weeks each. Thirty-two credits are required for graduation, with music and drawing in addition. A system of uniform high school text books was adopted by the state board of school book commissioners on July 24, 1913, for a period of five years. This regulation does not restrict the work of the schools, for the books allowed are many and excellent texts. The high schools in the county are in excellent condition, all attention being turned towards modeling them after the most modern laws promulgated by the leading minds in the educational and legislative world. Athletics are being featured and meets are held annually, beginning with 19 14, in which all the high schools of the county join. This has a tendency, and a strong one, of drawing the students closer together and promoting a healthier and better spirit. The county, as compared with the others in the state, ranks among the first six in educational excellence. Nearly all of the high schools are housed in new buildings, built according to the most scientific and hygienic rules of school house construction. New structures are going up at present at Hazle wood, Avon and Amo, the latter to cost twenty-nine thousand dollars. Consolidation is the ultimate aim of every township,, and this is being largely effected. In Brown township, as there is no town, an effort will be made to establish a community center.

The total enrollment for the year 1912-13 by townships is as follows: Brown, 170; Center, 236; Clay, 428; Eel River, 427; Franklin. 231 ; Guilford, 563; Liberty, 528; Lincoln, 425; Marion, 227; MiddJe, 304; Union, 243; Washington, 222, making a total of 4,004. Danville had enrolled 448 pupils, which raises the grand total to 4,452. This number includes the pupils in grade schools and the high schools together.

In the county there were 425 pupils enrolled in commissioned high schools; in certified high schools, 202; in non-certified high schools, 17: in private or parochial schools giving primary or secondary instruction, 74.

There are seventy-eight school houses in the county, seventy of them being brick and eight frame. The estimated value of all this school property is $395,500.

The enumeration of the pupils in school attendance in the county issued in May, 1914, places the number at 5,309, showing a net loss of 74 over last year.

Central Normal College

The chief educational feature of Hendricks county is the Central Normal College, located at the county seat, Danville. The college is a normal school for prospective teachers and supplies a need in the educational world which, not so many years ago, was an unsatisfied one.

The school had its origin back in the year 1876, at Ladoga, Montgomery county, Indiana. Prof. W. F. Harper and Prof. J. W. Dar.t were the founders of the school and the first term under their management saw but forty-eight students enrolled. The outlook at that time was far from encouraging and the existence of the school continued solely on account of the far-sightedness and courage of the two founders. They worked unceasingly for the good of their school and their efforts were crowned with success. At the end of the first year twelve students, having completed the course prescribed by the institution, received the degree of Batchelor of Science. Near the close of the year, Professor Darst having resigned, Frank P. Adams, of Kentucky, came and assisted Professor Harper and was afterward president of the college.

The second year of the school's existence opened in an encouraging manner. Many students came and it became evident that larger accommodations would have to be secured in order to care for the increased attendance. Efforts were made to raise enough money to build a school house adequate for the need and many people interested themselves to the extent of giving cash. However, there were others who refused to aid. This lost the school to Ladoga. On May 10, 1878, arrangements having been made, vehicles supplied by the people of Danville went over to Ladoga and hauled the teachers, their himdred and seventy-five students, and their personal belongings, including the school apparatus, over to Danville. The old Seminary IjuiUling was remodeled for the use of the school. This building had been the home of the Methodist Academy. The procession through the country and the reception given in Danville were events of great importance. The good people of Danville opened their homes to the teachers and student::, and school was not interrupted. Classes were resumed in the new location as if nothing had ever hap]jened. By popular sulxscription the citizens of Dan\'ille purchased the .\cademy building and the Aletliodist Episcopal church

The institution was the property of Professor Adams and before his death he requested his wife, Mrs. Ora Adams, to assume the presidency, with Prof. John A. Steele as vice-president. Every friend of the college rallied to the support of the new officials, so that there was no check in its educational or financial progress. The college building was improved, a large boarding house erected and a handsome residence constructed for Mrs. Adams.

But misfortune was again to come. In 1884 Professor Steele became ill with tuberculosis and in May, 1885, passed to his death. During the illness of Professor Steele his work gradually passed into the hands of Charles A. Hargrave, who, since April, 1883, had been his assistant in class and office. He was known as the secretary and treasurer of the college and through him the plans of the college were executed.

On July 10, 1889, President Adams was married to James A. Joseph. Desiring to be relieved of public duties, she promoted Professor Hargrave to the presidency. Miss A. Kate Huron was made vice-president and Professor Joseph, secretary and treasurer. At the close of the school year in 1890 Professor Joseph assumed the presidency. He had already begun tlie erection of a large additional building, now known as Chapel Hall, just across the street west of the original building. The attendance increased and additional instructors were employed. The enrollment the spring term of 1891 was seven hundred and seventy-one students.

In August, 1900, a stock company of eighty citizens of Danville bought the college of Professor and Mrs. Joseph. From that time on it has been managed by a board of trustees. The first board consisted of the following members: Thomas J. Cofer, president; G. L. Spillman, secretary; Town='='nd Cope, I. N. Estop, H. S. Dickey, Jonathan Rigdon, C. A. Hargrave. College officials were elected as follows : Jonathan Rigdon, president ; G. L. Spillman, vice-president; C. A. Hargrave, secretary and treasurer. In 1903 both Professor Rigdon and Spillman resigned. Their successors were A. J. Kinnaman and G. W. Dunlavy. Doctor Kinnaman resigned in 1906 and Professor Dunlavy was made his successor, and John W. Laird was elected vice-president. Professor Dunlavy's health failed in two years anrl he retired to take up farm life. Professor Laird was elected president and still holds this position. Prof. H. M. Whisler was made vice-president.

In 191 1 the college was reincorporated, under a new Indiana law, without capital stock, the stockholders donating their stock. It is controlled by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, serving without compensation. The board is as follows: Otis E. Gulley, president; George T. Pattison, secretary; W. C. Osborne, J. D. Hogate, Mord Carter, Dr. W. T. Lawson and C. A. Hargrave.

The institution stands high with the educational public and receives a large patronage. The attendance for the summer term of 19 12 was seven hundred and four students. Up to this time the college has been self-supporting. It has never had any help to pay operating expenses. It has been entirely independent of church, state or endowment. Former students now fill Indiana state offices as follows : S. M. Ralston, governor ; Charles A. Greathouse, superintendent of public instruction; Philip Zoercher, reporter of supreme court; Edward Barrett, state geologist; E. W. McDaniels, as.^stant reporter of supreme court; John W. Spencer, judge of supreme court; Edward W. Felt, judge of appellate court; James L. Clark, Thomas R. Duncan, members of state utilities commission; Thomas C. McReynolds, member of Panama exposition commission.

Central Normal College Library

This library had its beginning in the private library of a few scarce volumes of the first president of the college in 1876. For many years it contained numerous good books loaned by the professors of the college. Additions were made from year to year by purchase and donations until the number of volumes reached into the thousands, exclusive of statistical reports that are still kept, but not given shelf room.

The books have been carefully selected, the needs of the students and the college alone being considered. The general public have always been invited to use the library, but not many have accepted on account of the special character of the books. That the selections have been wisely made is known from the use of the library by the students. Those taking literary courses may be found there everv day. The library is located in Chapel Hall.

Belleville Academy

In the thirties a log house was erected in the southeast part of Belleville, and was later supplanted by a frame structure. In 1852 Dr. L. H. Kennedy, John Miles, Thomas Irons, James Hadley, Dr. R. C. Moore formed a stock company with a capital of five thousand dollars for the erection of an imposing and commodious brick structure for the housing of an academy. The articles of association were written by a Danville lawyer named for Witherow. Early in 1853 the new building was begun and on July 23, 1853, was dedicated by Governor James A. Wright. Shortly before the dedication L. M. Campbell, a Kentuckian, opened a school in the old frame building. He continued until November, when he joined hands with Prof. J. R. Woodfill, of Ripley county and the two moved into the new brick and began the first term of school in the academy. This academy is now out of existence.