Tipton County, Indiana - Chapter 11: Education, 1914

Chapter 11: Education

The first educational work done in the present city of Tipton was begun shortly after the completion of the old log court house. This occurred in the winter of 1846-7, and the first teacher was probably William F. Brady. The next was Joseph M. Askren. School was next held in the cabin of Jack Reed, which stood on Main street, about two squares north of Jefferson. Until 1852 the school term covered a period of two or three months out of the year. Teachers were paid by subscription, and were very poorly paid, too, some of them "boarding around" at the homes of the different pupils in an endeavor to make both ends meet. The people were not rich, consequently there was small chance of a teacher getting rich.

In 1852 a new frame school house, twenty-four feet by sixty, was erect¬ ed where the West Street Christian church now stands, but the house was very poor in convenience and capacity. Seats were built to accommodate five pupils each, instead of one.

Among the men who took a prominent part in the education in these early days were George Kane, Asher B. Goodrich, Newton J. Jackson, Dr. Isaac Parker, Rev. John Dale, John E. Rumsey, Marion P. Evans and Joseph Wilson.

Joseph M. Askren was the first teacher to occupy the new school house, which was occasionally used for religious purposes. Then followed John E. Rumsey, who was there the greater part of the time between 1853 and 1869, assisted by Martha Dale, Hattie Marsh, Marion Lindsay, Maggie Kane, Rebecca Bickel, Aurelia Kane, Izora Wilson and others. The terms not taught in this period by Mr. Rumsey were under the charge of Albert Bar¬ nett, M. V. B. Newcomer and a Mr. Lockwood. Rumsey was a teacher who did not favor the application of the "hickory" to induce study; he conformed to modern principles of education to a remarkable degree, considering the early day in which he worked. He created an interest in the various subjects for the children and thus led them to take a personal pride and enthusiasm in their work. Other pedagogues of the period would lambast a pupil with a floor puncheon, and if this did not have the required effect, would follow it with a sound flogging. The terrors of the "cat" were no greater than the threatening instrument of punishment in the hands of the teacher.

These teachers were missionaries, in a sense, working for the progress and uplift of humanity, and they did this on a salary of eight and ten dollars a month, with free will and whole-souled motives. Barnett was an eccentric teacher, little caring from which direction the wind blew. His English was not very choice, nor did he refrain from using any word which might come to his mind. He cared less whether the pupils wore their hats in school or not. He was, nevertheless, a successful teacher, and was accounted one of the best mathematicians of the day.

The school laws from 1850 to i860 were mere apologies for laws in some particulars. For instance, the statutes made it obligatory to have a county examiner, whose duty was to grant licenses to teachers if their grade proved a good knowledge of the six branches, and yet under the same statutes the patrons of any school distgct could elect a rejected applicant for license to teach in the district. This ruling led to much trouble and malice. Parents in those days had no idea of high education, nor adequate training, and if a certain Hiram or Sarah did not know the first principles of education, nor could not pass a primary examination, and yet wanted to teach, these parents were solicited, and if Hiram or Sarah were pretty well liked, they were chosen to guide the destinies of some fifteen or twenty youngsters.

As Tipton increased in population, the need of larger school quarters became imperative. Accordingly, in 1867, the erection of a building on West Teflferson street was begun. It was finished sufficiently in 1869 to allow school to be held in it. It was shortly completed, at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. The building itself was a two-storv one. with slate roof. There were six rooms in addition to the library rooms. An eight-room school building was erected on North Oak street in 1890. which was afterward struck bv lightning and destroyed by fire. Tt was rebuilt and is one of the modern school build¬ ings in the country. It is used as a ward building and is equipped for voca¬ tional as well as domestic science. In 1910 a new high school building was erected on North Main street that is a model of completeness. There was a bitter opposition to the construction of this building, but at a special election every ward in the city voted a majority in favor of it. When the new high school building was completed, the old high school building on West Jeffer¬ son street was abandoned. The vocational department is fully equipped.

The first school in Madison township was taught in the year 1840 in a little cabin which stood in section 32, near the southeast corner of the town¬ ship. 1 his house was built by the neighbors, for school purposes, on ground donated by Janies Beeson. Frank Shortridge was one of the early teachers in this school, teaching in the winter of 1840-1. The building was about six¬ teen feet square, with the typical interior of a log cabin. It was in use but a short time when it was replaced by a larger log structure, which came to be known as the Darrow school house. The latter house had glass windows and a heating stove, the height of excellence in those days.

The first teacher who presided in this backwoods school was Cole Birch, an eccentric character. Intellectually, he was of high quality and, in truth, in many other ways was he superior. He was the handy man of the neighbor¬ hood, and no log-rolling, corn-husking, house-raising or gathering of any kind was complete without his presence. A universal favorite, his company was always in demand. Were any of the settlers sick, he was the first to at¬ tend them and would spend his last cent to aid others in distress. If a musician was wanted for a backwoods dance, Birch and his violin filled the want. At the shooting matches, his score was- invariably the highest. He boasted that he could kill more deer, market more coon skins, tell more yarns, sing louder at a camp meeting and stand up under more vile whisky than any other man in the entire country.

The first building at New Lancaster stood a short distance north of the village in the corner of section 19, and was typical of the early school houses. The early teachers at this place were Mr. Birch, Philip Ballard, Reuben Haney, Samuel Pavne, Samuel Harbit, Martha Starkey, David Tranberger and others. The cabin stood for a number of years, but was finally aban¬ doned and a frame erected in its place. This was the first frame school house in the township and stood until not many years ago.

Another early building was located in section 23, a short distance west of Lancaster village. It stood on the farm of Absalom Hobbs and was first used in the year 1844 by Levi T. Hobbs. Other early teachers at the same place were Philip Ballard, Cole Birch, Samuel Payne. Samuel Hobbs, Charles Miller, Doctor Clark, John Barnett, David Lilly and R. W. Wright. The building burned sometime prior to i860, and was replaced by what was

A log school house was constructed on the land of Edward Sharpe in an early day and was first used by Washington Newlin. Moses Smock and Stephen Brownson taught at the same place a few years later. The Rhodes school house was erected in the northern part of the township in the year 1854, on the farm of George Rhodes. It was a good building, made of hewed logs, and served its purpose well for a number of years. Mr. Rice, Peter Lock and Jehu Van Buskirk were among the first pedagogues in that part of the country. Another house was built the same year near the northern border of the township, on land belonging to James Ressler. The early schools were all supported by subscription in this township, and generally lasted about three months in the year. In 1854 the question of taxing the citizens of the township for school purposes was submitted to an election, and was defeated by a small majority. Public schools were supplied that year, however, and education immediately became more prosperous.

Madison township schools have continued to grow since this time, and today present an appearance of thrift and progress unsurpassed in the county. The school buildings are sanitary and well equipped and constructed in ac¬ cordance to the newest and best principles of building. The superior gravel roads and lines of intercourse have aided in making the acquiring of an edu¬ cation by the country child as easy as that of the city scholar, and, to the credit of the community, it must be said that the schools are well attended and an interest taken in the work. The teachers are first class, educated and well able to train the youth of the township.

The first school in what is now Cicero township was established at West Kinderhook and was due to the efforts of Dr. Silas Blount. The following quotation is from a paper prepared by Prof. B. M. Blount, a son of the former: "In the autumn of 1842, having donated a lot for the purpose, Doctor Blount, with a few of his enterprising neighbors, erected upon it a hewed-log school house. This, so far as known to the writer, was the be¬ ginning of educational efforts in what now composes Tipton county. In this house schools were taught at intervals, as teachers could be found who would teach for such compensation as the poor pioneers were able to give them from their scant earnings. As a specimen of the meager compensation of those times, I may state that David Lilly, a brother of one of our county commis-

The first teacher engaged at the Kinderhook school was George Howard, a man of forty years and a native of Ohio. He continued for several terms and gave eminent satisfaction. Professor Blount himself was also one of the earliest teachers, when he was a boy of seventeen years of age. Jehu Van Buskirk was another early teacher in this school.

All of the first school houses were built of logs, by private funds and labor, and all of the teachers were paid by subscription. Light was admitted through a window cut in the side of the building, generally about ten by two feet in size. An old fashioned fireplace supplied the necessary heat, this fire¬ place being of sufficient size to hold logs five and eight feet long. Getting the back log in position supplied exercise for the teacher and the whole school combined. The seats were made of slabs, capable of accommodating a dozen urchins, and frequently so high that the toes of the seaters thereon would miss the floor by some inches. At recess the children would scatter in all di¬ rections and, the period over, the teacher would ring his bell, or having none, would rap loudly with his ferule and call, "Come to books." Having become quiet in their allotted places, the children were said to have "taken up books."

Hung in a conspicuous place, and penned by the redoubtable teacher, would be a written list of the rules of the school, and woe be to the erring pupil who should disobey them. The beech switch then came into action, and the culprit sent out to cut one, or another, if the first one wore out before I justice was avenged.

Reading, writing and arithmetic, the three "Rs", constituted the ordinary curriculum of the day, while in some schools a pupil would undertake a little grammar and geography, but this latter was optional. Evidently the young minds were not regarded as very apt. Geography, when taught, was learned bv the singing method, in which the school as a whole would join in grand chorus. Spelling was another favorite study, and the pupils were graded in classes according to the number of syllables in the words they could spell.

Spelling Schools

These spelling matches were by no means confined to the children. A night would be appointed for a general spelling school, and a place of meeting selected, generally a school house or church, and then the people of the coun- tryside would drive and walk in, in order to see the fun and perhaps partici¬ pate. When the moment of the contest arrived, the two best spellers, who were looked on with envy, chose up sides. Having completed this difficult task, the two opposing teams would line up on opposite sides of the room, and the conflict was on. Words were given out in order from the head to the foot. When a speller missed a word he sat down, and the word was passed to the other side. The last to stand were always the best, of course, and these at times were forced to quit on account of sheer exhaustion.

Other Diversions

Friday afternoon of each week was devoted to declamations and recita¬ tions. The time not taken up with spelling and singing the capitals of the states was devoted to the oratorical pastime. A certain number of pupils re¬ sponded usually with verses and paragraphs from well-known orations. On Christmas and New Year's day it was the custom for the teacher to treat his children with candy or other delicacies. Early in the morning of the day, the boys would congregate in the school house and barricade the doors, await¬ ing the arrival of the teacher. If he appeared without the sweetmeats, he was forced to explain, and if he could not do so, or would not return to get the candy, he was either rolled in the snow or ducked in a nearby pond. The lat¬ ter extreme was infrequent, for the pedagogue generally compromised to save himself.

Public Schools

Beginning with the year 1852, public schools, for which teachers were employed at thirty-five or forty dollars per month, began to make their ap¬ pearance for three months in the year. In 1880 the number of school houses outside of Tipton was twenty, eleven of brick and nine of frame.

In the year 1914 the public schools system of Cicero township is well regulated 'and conforms to the best that is practiced in the modern schools of the state. Consolidation is coming to be the newest and best method of the country, and in this township as elsewhere there is a steady effort in that direction. By grouping the children together in larger buildings educational advantages are obtained which the scattering small schools of ten years ago could not procure. The Tipton schools need no introduction other than re¬ cited elsewhere in this volume, but it is the outside schools which will bear the attention of the people. It is here that the great work is being done, and conditions are fast becoming so that the farmer's child may have an ele¬ mentary education worthy of any child in the larger communities.

James Forsythe probably taught the first school in Jefferson township in 1842. He taught his first term in a cabin a short distance south of Goldsmith, and is remembered as a very good instructor, although he was not a strictly honest man. At one time he was arrested by the sheriff of Hamilton county for larcency. His son, Peter Forsythe, taught in the same locality two years later. In 1843 Perry, afterward Doctor Evans, taught a three months' term in the building which Forsythe had occupied.

An early school house was built in the southern part of the township, near the old town of Jericho, and about the same time a log building was erected on the Montgomery land, not far from the present site of Normanda. This latter house was first used by Harvey Epperson, who taught about the year 1843. The next teacher of the same place was J. H. Montgomery, who also stayed an additional year. Other early teachers in the northern part of the township were Putnam Evans, Edgar Rumsey, Joseph McKenzie, J. S, Abies, J. H. King, Ann Jackson, J. C. Driver, Mr. McCarty, M. Frazier, Moses Harmon, Samuel Epperson and Mrs. Campbell. A school was organ¬ ized at Tetersburg in an early day with Jason Overman as teacher.

In the year 1914 Jefferson township schools are equal in efficiency to any in the county of Tipton, or, in broader terms, to any in middle Indiana. The development over the county has been uniform and to describe one sec¬ tion would be telling of another as well. In the several small towns in this township good high school and grade buildings have been constructed, giving much credit to the enterprise of the people. Good roads and the railroad have all aided in the progress of the community as a whole, and consequently the schools have grown in harmony with the business and religious life.

The date of the opening of the first school in Prairie township was prob¬ ably in 1845. It was taught by Oren Williams, in a cabin which stood in the northwest corner of the township, and, like all of the pioneer schools, was supported by subscription, the teacher receiving one dollar and a quarter per scholar for a term of three months. The cabin was constructed by the neigh¬ bors living in the vicinity and was a very primitive affair, measuring sixteen feet by sixteen feet, and furnished with puncheon floors, a 'large fireplace and a small window. There were about twelve pupils in the class.

The second house erected for school purposes stood about two miles west of Mount Zion church. It was a hewed-log structure, but served for many years. Another early school was taught by Cyrus Maxwell, at the residence of Alfred Lee, in the western part of the township, but the exact date of the term cannot be learned.

The good public school houses constructed in the fifties served their pur¬ pose well, new ones were added, and were good buildings for the time. Of recent years, however, a revolution has changed the educational idea in re¬ gard to location of schools. Increased transportation facilities have enabled the scholar from a distance to attend the larger town schools, and consolida¬ tion has come to be a feature. Prairie township has no town, but plans are now under way for the building of a magnificent school building, a high school, in the center of the township, at Nash's chapel. With this building constructed. Prairie township will rank well with her sister townships in the county.

The first school in Sharpsville was taught in a small log school house by Martha Ann Grishaw in 1852. The next school was taught by Lizzie Smith in a little frame house south of the square in the village. Miss Smith taught two or three terms, the last in 1855. John Vaughn taught a school in the winter of 1853, and John W. Grishaw one in the summer of 1854. These were all subscription schools. Sharpsville can truly boast of a school building that would be a credit to any city. It was constructed under the supervision of the state board of health and in its construction architectural beauty was kept in view. It has the best vocational equipped school in the county, not excepting the county seat schools.

In the Richardson neighborhood the first school house was a small round-log building just in the edge of the township. It had one window and a fireplace. It is not known who was the first teacher here. The second school was taught by L. Adams, who received two dollars per scholar for a three months' term in the winter. The second school house in the vicinity was con¬ structed in 1849 or 1850. Matthew Hawthorn was one of the early peda¬ gogues here. At this time each school district had three trustees Thomas

The law for the establishment of public schools was passed in 1852. A new school house, known as the Cole school house, was soon after built. L. Adams was the first teacher, and he was followed by John Ballinger, Doctor Chew and John King.

The first school in Nevada was taught by James H. Martin. He had fifteen or sixteen scholars and held classes in a small log building. Other teachers were John C. Riley, J. Hyatt and George Wise. The first free school was taught by Jesse Morgan and the second by Lizzie Morgan.

Liberty township schools have kept pace during the last twenty years with the best in the state. In the quality of work done and the efficiency developed, the township has a splendid record. In Sharpsville there is to be found one of the most excellent high school buildings in the state. A con¬ siderable amount of money has been expended recently for the introduction of vocational training into this school, a feature which has come to be realized as having maximum value in the training of the child. The increased meth¬ ods of transportation have enabled the country child to attend the larger schools, and everything, including the new consolidation system, points to a great future for the schools of Liberty township.

Before the law authorizing a system of public schools was in force, the pioneers of Wildcat township took steps toward the education of their chil¬ dren in the primary branches.

In a rude little log cabin near Mud creek, in the northern part of the township in 1848, the first school was taught in Wildcat township. This building was constructed by the neighbors in the vicinity, and served the pur¬ pose of a school for about three years, at the end of which time it was abandoned. The first teacher in this school was David Decker, and he was a very competent man.

The second house erected for school purposes in this township was at the village of Windfall, and was built by voluntary contribution. Among the early teachers here were Mr. Jackson, Benjamin Legg and Arthur Legg.

The first frame school house was constructed in the northeast corner of the township, in what was then known as the Pierce settlement. The date of the erection of this school cannot be ascertained. An early school house, known as the Couch school, was built prior to 1855 and stood two and a half miles east of Windfall. It was a log structure and in use for several years.

In 1855 an election was called to decide whether the township school land should be sold, but as no one came out to vote for or against the meas¬ ure, a petition was drawn up in favor of the project, by John Nutter, to which the names of all citizens, except one, were attached. As soon as the section was disposed of, measures were taken to erect public school houses at regular intervals, and an enumeration of children taken. This enumeration showed that forty children between the ages of six and twenty-one were then residing in the township.

Wildcat township schools are now well equipped and are systematically following the code of rules which is recognized to be the best and most ef¬ ficient in the educational world. Consolidation and vocational training are finding their place in the schools of this township as in other parts of the county. The teachers employed today are the best to be had; in fact, the re¬ quirements of the state now make it imperative that the teacher shall be educated and of proven ability to instruct scholars. Today in Wildcat town¬ ship the country boy or girl has educational advantages equal to the child within touch of the metropolitan school.

Some Early Statistics

In the years 1848 and 1849 the county was called upon to vote on the question of free schools. In 1848 the result of this vote in favor of free schools was as follows: Cicero, 86; Jefferson, 95; Prairie, 39; Wildcat. 6; Madison, 47; total, 273. And the vote against free schools was: Cicero, 11; Jefferson, 8; Prairie, 35; Wildcat, 6; Madison, 33; total, 93. The vote of 1849-was also in favor of free public schools, the vote standing 201 to 189.

In i860 there were 2,977 children between five and twenty-one years in the county, 47 districts, 2,123' children attending schools, and 50 teachers.

In 1853 there were only eight school houses in the county of Tipton. In 1878 there were sixty, and in 1883 there were about ninety. In 1878 there were 5,180 children of school age in* the county, six of them being colored. The average daily attendance was then 2,529. There were seventy-eight dis¬ tricts where school was taught, and the average number of school days in the year was one hundred and twenty. Eighty-six public teachers were paid for their services, the average wages being males, $2.06; females, $1.86, in the country, and in town, males, $2.99; females, $1.98. Thirty-two township institutes were held in 1878. The apportionment of common school revenue was $14,132.32, amount of congressional fund, $26,008.4 2.

In the city of Tipton alone there are 1,125 pupils in all branches. Two school buildings are in use, the principal one being the beautiful new high school, which was erected in 1907 at a cost of $100,000. Twenty-three teachers are employed, also eight in the parochial schools. Thirty-five thou¬ sand dollars is the approximate amount spent in the year 1913 for the main¬ tenance of the Tipton schools.

In the whole county there is a school enrollment of 3,701, of which number 1,889 are males and 1,812 females. There are sixty-five school houses in the county, all of brick but three, which are frame. Five com¬ missioned high schools are located respectively at Tipton, Sharpsville, Wind¬ fall, Kempton and Goldsmith. There are 218 teachers in the county, fiftythree men and sixty-five women. Fifty-seven thousand five hundred and sixty-three dollars and fifty-five cents was paid to this force of teachers in 1913, making an average wage of $3.19 per day.

It is interesting to compare the above figures with the ones issued in August, 1889. In this year there were 3,259 male and 2,965 female children, making a total of 6,225. There were forty-four brick and forty frame school houses in the county, making a total of eighty-four. There were eighty-one male and nineteen female teachers, with an average pay of a trifle over $2 per day.