Marathon County, Wisconsin - Chapter 20, 1913

Chapter 20

The first settlement was undoubtedly made at Wausau in 1839-40, but then ten years passed away, before we hear the word "school" mentioned, or find any traces of provisions for schools made, which is not surprising, however. There were no children here for years, at least not of school age. Pioneers, as a rule, are either unmarried or travel alone in the wilderness, leaving their families behind in a civilized community. The pinery pioneers were no exception from that rule.

The first settler, George Stevens, never brought his family up here. Of all the first millowners J. L. Moore and Hiram Pearson seemed to be the only ones who were married in the early forties. J. L. Moore's wife gave birth to the first white child born in the winter of 1845-46. When J. Le Messurier came here in 1845 with his family, the whole female contingent at Big Bull Falls consisted of Mrs. J. L. Moore, Mrs. Hiram Pearson, Mrs. Baxter, and was strengthened by the arrival of Mrs. Le Messurier and Mrs. Brezette, but Le Messurier, who had a family of wife and three daughters, after a short stay moved up on Pine river for some time, where his two oldest daughters were married, one to Isaac Coulthurst and one to Thomas Gnmdy, and after his return to Wausau the youngest one married Ely R. Chase, a Wausau lawyer, who died lately in California.

It has been told how Miss Crown was given a party by the ladies of Wausau after her arrival here in 1852, and that in counting the number of ladies, there were eleven in all, Miss Crown included, and two of them were still unmarried.

There is a tradition that a private school was taught here as early as 1849 by a Miss Livingston, afterwards Mrs. William Fellows of Mosinee, but that evidently is based on error, so far as time is concerned. It does not seem probable that any child of school age, say older than six years, was here at that time, and less probable that a private teacher was engaged for tuition. This view is borne out by the fact that in the first public school

And Represextative Citizens 343

There was then and for years afterwards no school building and the school was held in rented places, the first one in a little building east of the Stewart Lumber Company otBce on Jackson street, in all probability in the little building built for a county office by T. Hinton, next in a vacant tailor shop on Jackson street near the southeast corner of Jackson and Second streets, a little later the store or warehouse of Lyman on Forest street was used, where also the Presbyterian church services were held, the other part of the building being occupied by Silas B. Stoddard. Another building used for school purposes in the later fifties or up to i860 was a small two-story building on the corner of Second and Washington street where the Widmer Business College now stands. Dr. Harriet Wylie, wife of Dr. D. B. Wylie, was teaching there one term at least, Bert Gowan being, one of the pupils. The front room was used for the school, the back room was a carpenter shop, and the family of the owner, a Gudsole, lived on the second floor. This building burned down.

Later the second floor of the millwright shop of M. D. Corey south of the Courthouse square was used and at one time there was also a school in a small house or shanty on the west bank of the river on what is now Harrison boulevard, the building facing Forest street. All these were rented places, and as may be imagined, with little or no equipment.

There is also a tradition that the first public school was taught by a young man named Rouch in 1853. None of the present pioneers remember him, but a class was taught in 1854 by W. A. Gordon in the place mentioned as being probably the first county office building east of the A. Stewart Lumber Company office. The teacher. W. A. Gordon, was at the time studying with Dr. I. E. Thayer, who was the practicing physician here, preparing himself for entrance into a medical college and taking his collegiate course, returned and practiced as a full fledged physician at Wausau. Still later Gordon left for California, where he practiced as a specialist for eye, ear and throat afflictions. The pupils attending this school, evidently the first here, were Henry McLaughlin, James Mitchell, Maria Tyler, Edward Nicolls, John Youles. and a daughter of William Gouldsbury, now Mrs. W. W. DeVoe. The following year Lyman W. Thayer, a lawyer, father of E. B Thayer, taught school, law practice being unremunerative in those days; one of his pupils was William Slosson, chief engineer at the pumping station. Miss Slosson, afterwards Mrs. John Tuttle, seems to have been the first lady teacher, engaged at the munificent salary of $4.00 per week (and board).

Miss Louise Dexter (later Mrs. John Peters) succeeded her, who was teaching in the Corey building in 1857, being assisted by Miss Halsey, a daughter of the Presbyterian minister. The following named ladies were engaged as teachers here at different times until the arrival of W. H. Searles as teacher in 1861, namely; Miss Cornelia Gouldsbury, later Mrs. Daniel Kline, Miss Perry, Miss Cole, and Miss Halsey, who had a class in the Methodist church, which later burned down.

In 1861 to 1862 the first school house was built on what is now the playground of the Washington school, with \V. H. Searles, afterwards Doctor Searles, as teacher.

Some of the families represented on the simple benches in these primitive school buildings were the Singles, Ringles, Millards. Slossons, Mansons, Scholfields, Poors, Bradfords, Alexanders, and others.

When W. H. Searles took charge of the school in 1862 the village had a population of about 500, and the school house stood among the stumps and rotten pine logs, but it was the largest building in the village and in the county. There were two school rooms, one on the first and one on the second floor, Miss Halsey being the assistant teacher.

W. H. Searles was a graduate of Law-rence College, left Wausau to study medicine and surgery and returned to practice his profession here for years afterwards.

School houses were built in succession as follows : Humboldt school house in 1873-74; Grant school house in 1881 (not used now) ; Irving school house in 1883; Franklin school house in 1883; Columbia school house in 1885; Washington school house in 1889; Lincoln school house in 1892; Longfellow school house in 1894.

The high school was built in 1898-99 and occupied in the fall of 1899, and in 1910 the Grant school was built in the sixth ward, the old Grant school on First avenue having been closed as unfit for its use for some years.

According to the school census taken in June, 191 2, the population of the city was 17,655, the number of children of school age being 6,065.

The enrollment in public schools was 3,710, and in the parochial schools 850. The church congregations having their own schools and supporting them are : The St. Mary's Catholic congregation, the Lutheran Zion's congregation, the Lutheran Trinity's congregation, and the Ev. Lutheran Salem's congregation and the E. L. St. Stephan's congregation. In the industrial school established under the law of 191 1 for children from fourteen tp sixteen years of age, out of school under a permit to work, the enrollment was 150. These boys and girls are required to attend school five hours a week.

Wausau is known as an industrial and manufacturing city, with good streets, good schools and school houses, fine church edifices, beautiful residences, well kept lawns and healthy surroundings, all of which tends to make life attractive, and invited people to make here their homes.

Woman is the beautifier of the home, and when we see a tasty place of residence with beautiful surroundings, we justly conclude that it harbors refined and cultivated people. It is manifest to the casual obsen-er that the beauty of Wausau, so far as it is artificial at least, is mainly due to the women of Wausau, although this fact is often overlooked, or, if not. it is

Men are pleased, of course, to find their efforts for the good of the community acknowledged and their merits in that respect appreciated, and as woman is made of the same clay as man, it is just possible that she may have the same feeling as regards due acknowledgment for her particular efiforts in that line.

There is a federation of ladies' clubs here which is doing much good in many branches of commercial life, the Tuesday Musical Club has been mentioned and also the Ladies' Literary Club, and as the influence of woman is always for the better, never for the worse, a little greater field of usefulness may well be opened for them to mutual advantage.

This last mentioned fact has been dawning more and more on this community as well as upon others, and has been recognized in Wausau, almost blushingly. About twelve years ago for the first time in the history of Wausau, a lady was appointed as a member of the board of education, and was unanimously confirmed by the council. This unanimity might have been due to the curiosity of a city council being composed of one political party only. Mrs. C. B. Bird has the honor of being the first woman officer in Wausau, directly connected with the city government in that way. She took the office from a sense of duty, and the promise that another lady would be appointed on the first vacancy, as not to leave her the only woman member of the board. Mrs. C. B. Bird was born in Muscatine. Iowa, and after graduating from the high school of her home city took the full three years' course of Wayland's in that renowned institute until her marriage to Mr. C. B. Bird in 1892, when she became a resident of Wausau.

The next lady member of the board of education was Mrs. Frank Kelly, nee Ward, who is a graduate of the celebrated Downer College, Milwaukee. She became a teacher in the Wausau schools, and her success became only interrupted by her marriage, which occurred in 1892. These two ladies are the onlv women members of the board of education, but make up in efficiency what they lack in numbers : they not only attend meetings, but visit schools, encourage teachers, pupils, examining school houses and grounds, and have been active in urging the beautifying of the school rooms on the assumption that clean beautiful surroundings will create in the mind of the child a love for clean things and will make for a clean mind.

Our system of co-education makes it eminently proper that mothers have a choice in the government of schools, and these ladies have also the training which fits them for school supennsors. which is really one of the most important duties of the board, and as they are the only women holding an official position, to the welfare of the community and with honor to themselves, they have a right to this special notice.

The curriculum of the Wausau schools has been greatly enlarged in the last sixteen years, mainly through the efforts of Supts. Carl Mathie and S. B. Tobey. A close observation is kept on school attendance by pupils, and the laws passed in later years relating to that subject are kindly but firmly enforced. The law requiring school attendance of children between fourteen and sixteen years of age who are at work or at home, requiring their attendance in school at least five hours each week, has been a source of much trouble and vexation, but the superintendent was successful in removing all obstacles by organizing separate courses for such children with good results.

The Wausau schools are all solid brick buildings, modern, sanitary, and comfortable with good furniture and equipment: a playground is at every school, and the physical welfare of the child is not overlooked. The Wausau schools are institutions in which the people can justly take pride, and the costs of maintenance are willingly borne, although they are large.

High School Grade Teachers

Miss Winnifred Carter, eighth grade; Miss Agnes Schaller, eighth grade; Miss Florence Gale, second grade; Miss Lizzie Wise, first grade; Miss Jen-

Humboldt School

Miss Frances E. Irvine, principal and seventh grade; Miss Edna Grouse, seventh grade; Miss Amy V. McCormick, sixth grade; Miss Esther Cronk, fifth grade; Miss Edna Albrecht, subprimary; Miss Myrtle Lillie, kindergarten director; Miss Margaret Marshall, kindergarten.

Washington School

Miss Jennie Johnson, principal and eighth grade; Miss Minnie Doan, eighth grade; Miss Karen Opdahl, fourth grade; Miss Hazel Price, third grade; Miss Mertie Culbertson, second grade; Miss Lelia V. Armstrong, first grade; Mr. George K. A. Shields, ungraded department; Mr. William F. Zenke, manual training; Miss Etta R. Gault, director deaf school; Miss Gertrude Rusch, assistant deaf school.

Longfellow School

Miss Agnes C. Bessey, principal and fifth grade; Miss Loretta E. Kalk, third and fourth grades; Miss Resetta N. Johnson, second and third grades; Miss V. Marie Righter, first grade; Miss Alta R. Colby, subprimary; J^Iiss Lucille Hebard, kindergarten director; Miss Marie Brands, assistant kindergarten.

Franklin School

Mr. Fred Swanson, principal and manual training; Miss Nora Nyhus, eighth grade; Miss Mary McCarty, seventh grade; Miss Bessie D. Ellis, sixth grade ; Miss Valborg Jensen, fifth grade ; Miss Gertrude Corwith, fifth and sixth grades ; Miss Martha E. Fleming, fourih grade ; Miss Margaret Dana, fourth and fifth grades; Miss Idele Borgia, second and third grades; Miss Mary E. Ross, third grade; Miss Florence Gardner, third and fourth grades ; Miss jMargaret E. Kerr, first and second grades ; Miss Minnie Sustins, first grade; Miss Wanda A. Hopp, subprimary; Miss Mabes Sustins, subprimary; Miss Kathryn Nelson, kindergarten director; Miss Bonita Shatto, kindergarten assistant.

And Representative Citizens 349 Grant School

Mr. John H. May, principal and manual training; Miss Emma M. Kummerow, fourth grade; Miss Josephine Voshmik, third grade; Miss Mary Sullivan, second grade; Miss Emily Chubbuck, first grade; Miss Emma Lien, subprimary; Miss Gertrude Owen, kindergarten director; Miss Pearl Foster, kindergarten assistant.

Lincoln School

Mr. A. A. Tews, principal and manual training; Miss Mary Rooney, seventh grade; Miss Ruth L. Brule, sixth and seventh grades; Miss Blanche Lampert, sixth grade; Miss Florence Lyford, sixth grade; Miss Daisy Ackerman, fifth grade; Miss Miriam N. Veeder, fifth grade; Miss Eunice Freeman, fourth grade; Miss Marion Southworth, third grade; Miss Lilah G. Eberly, second grade; Miss Miriam Tyler, first grade; Miss Anna Young, subprimary; Miss Dorothea L. Albrecht, kindergarten director; Miss Vera Felling, kindergarten assistant; Miss Helen Johnson, ungraded room.

Irving School

Miss Minnie Cliff, principal and fourth grade; Miss Helen Flannigan, third grade ; Miss Irene Kyle, second grade ; Miss Ruth C. Warner, first grade; Miss Harriet Noel, subprimary; Miss Winnifred Bain, kindergarten director; Miss Edna Thon, kindergarten assistant.

Columbia School

An industrial school was organized in 19 12 for children from fourteen to sixteen years of age who are out of school under a permit to work, but who nevertheless are required to attend school five hours each week pursuant to the Act of Legislature of 191 1.

The Wausau Business College

It was founded in 1886 by Mr. Horton. A short time after it was founded a one-half interest was purchased by Mr. C. M. Boyles, who remained in touch with the school as partner and proprietor at various times for twenty years.

A one-half interest was purchased by Mr. Williams. This interest was later purchased by Mr. J. F. Stofer, who remained as a one-half owner of the school until it was sold to the present proprietor, E. D. Widmer, in 1906.

Due to a decline of health and desire for rest, Mr. Boyles disposed of the one-half interest in the spring of 1906, and for similar reasons he and Mr. Stofer sold the remaining one-half interest on November loth in that same year, since which time E. D. Widmer has acted as sole proprietor and manager of the school.

When the school was first founded, in 1886, it had a mere handful of students. It is now rated as one of the largest and one of the best schools of the kind in the State of Wisconsin. In the summer of 191 1 Mr. Widmer purchased the large three-story building on corner of Second and Washington streets and remodeled it for college purposes. The building was admirably adapted for college purposes, and when being remodeled all modern conveniences were installed. Among them are : Single unit electric lights, steam heat, ventilation, vacuum cleaner, sanitary drinking fountains, soap receptacles, paper towels, electric class bells, intercommunicating telephones, and so forth. The rooms are particularly well arranged for college purposes. Under Mr. Widmer's management the school has undergone several changes. New courses have been added and it has been systemized in snch a manner that each department is cared for by a proficient teacher. There are now six instructors of more than two hundred students, as against an enrollment of seventy-five or eighty, with one or two teachers employed, when he purchased the school.

The departments, with their heads, are as follows : Shorthand, Julia F. Wawrzyniak ; academic, Margaret Bhend ; typewriting and stenography. Belle C. Stofer ; commercial law, Jolm P. Ford ; bookkeeping, C. A. Cowee ; business manager, E. D. Widmer. Knowing that the success of every school depends largely upon the proficiency of the teachers, Mr. Widmer has taken pains to surround himself with a competent staff which has materially assisted him in bringing the college up to its present high reputation.

E. D. Widmer was born March 5, 1879, in Rockton, Vernon county, Wisconsin, a little hamlet on the Kickapoo river. After graduating from the state graded school in that village he secured a teacher's certificate and taught in rural schools of that county for four years. In the fall of 1900 he enrolled in the Stevens Point Normal School and remained there until the course was finished in the spring of 1904. During the last year of his school work in the normal he also took the bookkeeping course in the business college of that city. After completing his school he worked in the First National Bank of Stevens Point, which position he resigned to take charge of mathematics in the Merrill High School. After teaching one year he resigned and completed his course to enter in the course of life's duty in that field of work.