Door County, Wisconsin - Chapter 16: Door County Schools, 1917

Chapter 16: Door County Schools

In the summer of 1856 the first organized school in Sturgeon Bay was taught by Mrs. James McIntosh, for a term of three months, that time then being necessary under the statutes to draw public money. 'This was not, however, the first school, for several of the early settlers in the then wilderness of Door County, appreciating the benefits of even such meager educational advantages as could be obtained for their children, had sustained private schools from time to time; now compensating a hired hand for extra time spent in teaching a class of youngsters, and again hiring a lady teacher at their own expense to do regular school work in a room set aside in their own houses as the "school room." Those who sustained the principal part, if not the entire expense of these schools were Messrs. Robert and Perry Graham, Joseph Harris, Sr., and the Moravians of Ephraim. The first of these private schools was taught by Miss Pauline Larson in Ephraim in 1854.

As the milling resources developed, Sturgeon Bay grew and with it the schools, until the first school room over the old Graham store building on Main Street would no longer fill the requirements, and other quarters were found.

About this time, or to be more exact, in 1862, public notice was given that in accordance with the public laws of 1861, chapter 179, section 8, the office of county superintendent was created. On the 25th of January, 1862, Milton E. Lyman went into office, with headquarters in the old county building. The allowed salary of the county superintendent was $350. In accordance with the duties of his office, he divided Door County into seven inspection districts, as follows, viz.:

Each of the districts was to be visited by the county superintendent for the purpose of inspecting the teachers, who were examined in: orthography, writing, reading, arithmetic, geography and grammar.

In the same year some important laws regarding the schools of Wisconsin were passed, concerning applicants for situations as teachers in the common schools. Every applicant was to be examined by the county superintendent, and after passing the examinations was to be given a certificate, first, second or third grade, according to his merits. These examinations were to be given semi-annually. There were in the county at this time about twenty-nine schools, for the most part unprosperous and inefficient.

"Since my last annual report to you I have held eight public examinations and seven special examinations. I have granted thirty certificates; have rejected seven applications and have made thirtyseven visits to schools. My county is about one hundred miles long by sixteen to twenty wide and not one mile of public conveyance in the county. I have traveled 1,142 miles, 1,022 on foot for school purposes the past year. There are twenty-nine districts in the county, an increase of four districts the past year. Our county, in common with all new counties, has suffered from delinquent taxes, rendering it almost impossible to hire teachers, or to pay them at the expiration of their term of office. * * * Door County is improving fast in school room accommodations, but is yet sadly deficient. We want more commodious and better ventilated school rooms, maps, globes and school apparatus, and what we most want is the active co-operation of school boards and parents with teachers.

Mr. Pickard adds the following comment to the report: "Mr. Lyman shows commendable energy in his work and confirms the truth of the proverb, 'Where there is a will there is a way' if no highway."

resigned his office at this time and State Superintendent McMynn appointed Wm. H. Warren to fill the vacancy. Mr. Warren opened his office November, 1864, at Clay Banks.

In January, 1865, school was commenced in the new village schoolhouse under "Rey." Geo. Pinney, who, owing to his inability to govern the pupils soon resigned and was succeeded by A. Squier. Contrary to a resolution passed the previous fall, which provided for nine months' term, there were only three months of school. The chief difficulties of schools at this time were: the diversity of textbooks making it impossible to arrange the schools in their proper classes; second, lack of discipline and good order; third, no maps or globes or necessary school apparatus.

Some idea of the attitude in which the teachers (district teachers especially) were regarded at this time may be gained by the following extract taken from one of the local papers written some years later:

"Some years ago, the successful district schoolteacher had to be a pugilist as well as a scholar - in fact the school board looked more upon the muscular development of an applicant for school than they did upon his scholarly qualifications.

"In those happy days gone by the schoolteacher not only had to whip all, the big boys in school, but was supposed to be able to thresh their fathers if occasion demanded it. The teacher was looked upon as an encyclopedia of information."

Due to the mismanagement of the school officers, the village school was, at this time, the most poorly managed in the county. Some of the citizens, tired of waiting for the public school to re-open, started a private school which after five months was closed, to be re-opened again April, 1867, on account of the crowded condition of the district school.

On October 15, 1867, the first teachers' institute was held, lasting four days. This organization still exists and flourishes up to the present time.

It now became necessary to separate and grade the school so it was divided into two departments, upper and primary. January 27, 1868. the school was burned to the ground. What was then known as Mr. Thompson's building, was purchased and fitted up for use as a temporary schoolhouse. In the upper rooms, to those who wished to advance their education, high school studies were taught (for a small consideration). Many of the young men of the village, being idle in the winter, attended school. 'The citizens began to take a lively interest in educational matters, and as a result schools progressed rapidly. The number of schools had increased to thirty. The average wages of the teachers at this time were: male teachers, $45.51; female teachers, $29.65.

At the November election in 18%, R. M. Wright was elected to succeed Warren as county superintendent. A new law was passed in 1869, which resulted in a reformation of the districts, dividing them as follows:

The number of schools in each town was: Baileys Harbor, 1 Brussels, 2; Clay Banks, 2; Sturgeon Bay, 4; Sevastopol, 4; Forestville, 1; Gardner, 3; Gibraltar, 5; Union, 1; Jacksonport, 1; Liberty Grove, 3; Nasewaupee, 4; Washington, 1

The county schools up to this time had been growing rapidly. The school buildings were mostly crude logs, fairly well lighted and ventilated. The furniture was mostly crude, and cheap, and in some cases rough boards supported by blocks were all the "benches" of which the school could boast. The number of children who attended these schools ranged from eleven to sixty-six, although the average number of registered students was about thirty.

On the night of November 4, 1869, the village schoolhouse was again burned to the ground. The hall over A. W. Lawrence's store and the lower part of Follett's building were fitted up and served as temporary schools. The next spring application was made to the school land commissioners by the district school board for the loan of $2,000 under a special act, for the purpose of building a new school. This having been granted, bids for the construction of the building were opened. D. Kimber and Nelson being the lowest bidders, the contract was let to them. The new building was 30 by 60 feet, two stories high, the lower one 12 by 8 feet high and the upper 11 feet. The lower part was finished and ready for occupancy by November 1, 1870. In the meantime school was held in the N. R. Lee Building. At this time there were 2,692 children of school age in the county, while only 1,654 attended school.

of 1871 were the general increase of the number of pupils, advancement in the quality of teachers, and in the applicances for educational work, also the improved school furniture and apparatus.

January 2, 1872, Chris Daniels assumed the office of county superintendent of schools, which place he filled for nine years. During the great conflagration that occurred in 1871 many of the district schools of Door County were destroyed. By a bill introduced by Mr. Allen, each of the districts that suffered such loss was given $300 for the purpose of re-building the schools. The first free high school in our county was established in the fall of 1878, and was a great success from the beginning, although some of the citizens accused the school officers of "attempting too much and accomplishing too little." (One year later, 1879, the law of compulsory education went into effect.)

The next county superintendent was C. M. Smith, elected in 1881. Schools were rapidly advancing, the county school buildings were being replaced by new frame buildings, and there was a steady and healthy growth in attendance. Because of the lack of institutions in this county, in which teachers could receive competent education and training, and the inadequate means of travel (there was no railroad from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay at that time), there was said to be a dearth of competent teachers.

In the year of 1884 a lot was purchased and a new school building was erected. At the November election J. W. Kinsel was elected county superintendent, which office he held until 1889 when W. L. Damkoehler was elected to office, he in turn being succeeded by William T. Anderson who was elected November, 1896.

Instruction in high school studies was inaugurated in 1868. Since then Door County has had one high school building to which pupils from every town in the county have been sent. The present commodious high school building was built in 1908 to replace one that was destroyed by fire in March of that year. The cost of the present building is $44,184, besides the contents valued at $5,000. The enrollment is 250. Eleven teachers are employed, the principal being Mr. Rudolph Soukop. The cost per capita for pupils in high school is $44.17.

In 1913 an attempt was made to create a high school district comprising Gibraltar, Liberty Grove and Baileys Harbor. The attempt failed. In 1917 the Town of Gibraltar voted to establish a town high school, the measure being carried by a vote of 221 to 7. ' Abundant funds for erection and equipment were also voted and the high school will be erected without delay.

The average salary paid rural schoolteachers in Door County in 1915-16 was $52 per month. In the year 1916-17 it was $54 per month. In the present year, 1917-18, it is $59. 'This is somewhat above the average wages paid to rural schoolteachers in the state. The people of Door County have also shown praiseworthy interest in building good school buildings and providing them with the desirable equipment. The state department has repeatedly published circulars complimenting Door County for its school buildings. Some of the best schools in the county in the matter of architecture and equipment are the schools of districts No. 1 in Sevastopol, Nos. 1 and 3 in Liberty Grove, No. 1 in Egg Harbor, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in Brussels, No. 1 in Union, No. 1 in Gardner and No. 2 in Clay Banks.

For many years Door County has fostered a public school system of which her citizens have learned to speak with pride. Through all these years this "stable bulwark" of good government and free institutions has never been suffered to languish. Our public school edifices will compare favorably in points of architecture, internal adornment and personal comfort with those of the most advanced counties in the state. Further, by zealous and persistent efforts on the part of our school board and careful study of the system of the advanced cities of our state our school system has been perfected so far as it is possible to do with present experience. The useful features of the other plans have been incorporated with our own. The public schools are open to all, and what is more, they avail themselves of these advantages. The attitude of Door County toward education is now such that we need only to learn of new ideas to adopt them.

The Door-Kewaunee Training School

Previous to the year 1907 no special provision was made by the County of Door to train the teachers for its schools. It was during the session of the county board that year that a resolution was passed by the board of supervisors to establish a training school for teachers and to maintain it is conjunction with Kewaunee County the institution to be known as the Door-Kewaunee Training School for Teachers.

The training school for the first year was held in rooms rented from the City of Algoma which rooms were located in the city school building at Algoma. In 1910 a large building and lot were purchased at Algoma by the training school board. This building was enlarged and completely remodeled for school purposes and at the present time is the home of the training school. During the past year a lot has been added to the school property which lot is being used for agricultural experiment purposes.

'The school when first organized offered a two-year course for common school graduates and a one-year course for high school gradvates granting a two-year and a five-year certificate to teach, respectively. Later a three-year course was added for graduates of common schools and during the past year, 1916-17, a four-year course for common school graduates has been offered.

Since the organization of the school there have been graduated from the training school 232 students. Of this number 165 were women and 67 were men. The graduating class of 1917 was the largest in the history of the school, there being 11 men and 24 women, a total of 35.

The school is maintained by a general tax levy upon the property of Door and Kewaunee counties. The school is also financed by special state aid, the aid for the year 1916-17 being $5,250.

During the summers of 1916 and 1917 many teachers from the two counties have enrolled in the special summer session held in the training school. These summer sessions begin in June and continue for nine weeks.

'The territory of Door and Kewaunee counties constitutes a training school district. The board membership from this district for the school is composed of six members, two elected by the county board of each county and the county superintendent of schools of each county, who constitute the ex-officio membership of the board. The present board is composed of the following members: Kewaunee County - Albert Karel, president; Senator M. W. Perry, treasurer, and County Superintendent Frank W. Worachek. Door County - - Rev. O. N. Jordheim, William Jess and Bernard Madden, county superintendent. Ex-members of the board from Kewaunee are: Dr. V. Minahan, Algoma; Thomas Konop, Madison; former county Superintendents V. J. Romden and Jos. Sazema. Ex-members of the board from Door County are: Drs. A. J. Kreitzer and H. A. Norden of Sawyer and Sturgeon Bay, respectively, and former County Superintendents Arthur Smith and George A. Bassford, Doctor Kreitzer was a member of the board from the time of the organization of the school for eight years, during which eight years he was the president of the board and at the end of which time he resigned to visit the West.

Mr. J. A. Eichinger (now Oakby) was principal of the school for nine years, a period extending from the time of the organization of the school up to the present year, 1917. The new principal of the institution beginning with the year 1917 is Millard Tufts, former county superintendent of schools in Door County. 'The assistants in the school at the present time are Alice Leutsker, Antigo; Frances Herald, Oconto; and Margaret Breene, of Reedsburg. 'Those who have been instructors in the institution are Dorothy Gilfillan, Stevens Point; Mary Lenz, Madison; Mary Fitzgerald, Oconto; Edith Pritchard, Winneconne.

The training school is rated favorably for the quality of its gradnates, for the adaptability of the school to the needs of the two counties and for the comparatively large number of men graduating from the school. Door County has hitherto manifested a greater interest in the school by sending more pupils.