Country School Association of America

Pennsylvanians Proud of Their Schoolhouses

York Daily Record Promotes New ORS Book

Remember when classes took place "all in one room?" The York Daily Record/Sunday News' new photo book takes you on a stroll down the winding roads of Pennsylvania's York and Adams counties and beyond with memories of small rural schools. This hardcover book showcases a collection of readers' photos from the area's one-room schools, with a foreward by editor and historian James McClure. "All in One Room" is available for order now at http://www.inyork.com/schoolhouses.

You may want to visit the link below to read some interesting and nostalgic schoolhouse memories. Thanks again to Joan Concilio of the York Daily Record for submitting this resource and for posting the CSAA link on the paper's web site! Joan wrote to us : "Just as an update we have added even more schoolhouse memories." The new link is http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/schoolhouses

Conference Deadline May 20, 2008

Send in Your Conference Registation!

The 8th Annual CSAA Conference on Country Schools will be held June 16-18, 2008 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Take part in the quality programming offered by dedicated country school researchers and re-enactors. As a highlight of the conference, visit the William Holmes McGuffey Museum and visit six area country schools on the optional Wednesday bus tour of Butler County. Now you can access the information packet with the link below or visit the CSAA website at www.countryschoolassociation.org for more information. It helps in the planning if you register early.

Registration deadline for the conference is May 20, 2008.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION MATERIALS: Download 2008_csaa_info_packet.pdf

Photo: McGuffey home, Oxford, OH.

CSAA Member Honored

Texas "Schoolmarm" Wins Community Service Award

Catharin Lewis, a former CSAA Board member, was recently recognized by the "Men and Women of  Heart" program which was created to honor outstanding community volunteers. It congratulates honorees for their substantial contribution and exemplary service to the community benefiting a variety of philanthropic and non-profit activities. Catharin's write-up for the Men and Women of Heart award follows:

Catharin Lewis, Founding Director of the West Bay Common School Children’s Museum in League City, Texas has created a retreat where children can step back in time and experience reading, writing and arithmetic as they did in the 1890s. The Museum includes an authentic 1898 one-room schoolhouse and is truly a testament to Catharin’s dedication. Since the Museum opened in 1993, over 60,000 children from 1200 schools and organizations throughout the state of Texas have visited this experiential school as part of their elementary Texas History curriculum.

The Galveston Daily News presented Catharin with their Unsung Hero Award, and her work at the one-room schoolhouse has also been recognized at the state and national level by the Texas Historical Commission and the American Association of State and Local History. Catharin serves as Director, Curator, Archivist, Docent, Fundraiser, Marketing Manager, Accountant, and Janitor for the museum. She volunteers many hours at these jobs, as well as the hours of her husband, Richard, who helps in restoration and maintenance. This Home Economics graduate, with a major in Family and Child Development, who arrived in the Houston Bay Area in 1983 from Maryland, also finds time to devote to other community activities. 

Catharin, a former Director of Youth Ministry at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick, Maryland, currently serves on the Boards of the League City Historical Society, the Clear Creek Republican Women, and the Fairview Cemetery Association, as well as a past volunteer of the Lunar Rendezvous Festival. She was most recently chairman of the 2007 League City Historical Society’s, “Living History Dinner.”

Catharin is a proud mother of three children and 10 grandchildren. She is also very proud of giving birth, fourteen years ago, to the West Bay Common School Children’s Museum, which holds a very special place in her heart.

Photos: West Bay Common School, League City Texas, Catharin with students, interior of West Bay, Catharin and Richard at the Men and Women of Heart Gala.

INfo on the OUThouse

Proud of Our Schoolhouse Privies

It is interesting to note how proud one-room school preservationists are when they say their schoolhouse still has the "original privies." Recently one of the One-Room Schoolhouse Yahoo!Group readers asked if we had any information on how to build a "two-holer." Our country schoolhouse buffs didn't bat an eyelash at the question and came up with some very interesting answers. Here are the responses from three of our CSAA members who offered some particular knowledge about the "necessaries."

Richard Lewis of West Bay Common School Museum wrote: "Please check the Yahoo Group (Oneroom) for 5 sets of plans. The link can be found at the end of this article. Three of the plans are from the Library of Congress and are historical, and two are modern day plans from state agricultural extension services. You can look at them in the "Photos"  section, but print them from the "Files" section. They are not the greatest quality in the world; after all some of them are between 200 and 300 years old. If you want better quality and better choices of plans, you may want a book entitled - The Vanishing American Outhouse: Privy Plans, Photographs, Poems, and Folklore, by Ronald Barlow. See the link at right under Books Suggestions.

Mike Day, owner of Clippership Publications, Books for a One-room Schoolhouse wrote: "There is a delightful little book that I would recommend to anyone thinking about privies; it's called "The Specialist" by Charles (Chic) Sale, copyright 1929, renewed 1956. It appears to be a speech by a man  who is quite proud of the special skills he has developed in his particular line of work, the design and construction of outhouses. I'm not sure just how seriously to take it, but it does cover many of the fine points that us modern types would not know to consider when building an outhouse. It's a cute little book - 27 pages - and a number of copies are available from Amazon. Not really a schoolhouse book, but fun anyway.

Fay Stone of the Pioneer Sholes Schoolhouse wrote: "Privies were usually a simple tall box with no windows but a design (often a new moon) cut high in the door for light. The roof was slanted to allow snow and rain to run off. The important thing was the two holes. A considerate builder would make one side lower than the other, for smaller people, and the hole smaller for obvious reasons. Sometimes they had a lid, but rarely. I doubt there was ever a written plan. If I were making one for use today, I'd include a simple hinged lid, as it cuts down on odor. We dug in a large metal barrel split into half under the holes, and they were pumped out often by the caretaker or garbage crew. We built a fence between boys and girls and planted a vine along it."

We took Richard and Mike up on suggestions and found the plans Richard included at the following link: Outhouse Plans  They are terrific!

We found the books on both Amazon and Alibris. You may also be interested in: Passing of the Outhouse, by Tom G. Murray; The All-American Outhouse:Stories, Design & Construction, by Bob Cary; Nature Calls:The History, Lore and Charm of Outhouses, by Dottie Booth; Ouhouses by Any Other Name, by Tom Harding.

In researching the books, we found that outhouses have many other supporters out there, as evidenced by a calendar, a shower curtain, and hand towels with the outhouse motif. Good luck in your research!

The School Calendar

CSAA May Need Your Schoolhouse Photo

The CSAA has submitted a proposal to Tide-Mark Press in Connecticut to be considered for a 2010 Schoolhouse Calendar! Board member Bill Sherman suggested the idea at last year's annual conference and researched possible publishers. You may be interested to know how we're promoting the idea with Tide-Mark, so we have included the actual proposal below. We are also asking that you begin sifting through your favorite photographs. Your schoolhouse could be one of the lucky twelve chosen! Tide-Mark requires 30-40 images that fit the concept. We'll let you know as soon as Tide-Mark makes their decision, and following that we'll solicit entires. Below is a portion of the proposal submitted this week:

Photo above: only a sample

Calendar Proposal: The One-Room Schoolhouse

.........The Country School Association of America’s focus is on the preservation of One-Room (Country) Schools in America, a vanishing icon, but one that has gained steadfast supporters in recent years. The remaining schoolhouses are symbols of the vital role education played in our national heritage and evoke powerful images of the hopes of the American people. Currently, these one-room schools dot our landscape in varying stages of rehabilitation and restoration, and many are used as museum schools for the continued enjoyment of schoolchildren across the country. They are cherished and beloved and boast thousands of caretakers nationwide.

These schoolhouses are unique to their locales, are situated in some very interesting surroundings, come in a variety of styles and colors, and survive today due to sturdy construction. They have picturesque names, come with and without bell towers, rest in fields, in woods, aside graveyards, and on busy streets, but all have one thing in common. They symbolize EDUCATION, a shared experience of America’s population. One-room schools are easily recognizable, they possess a historical “charm” that other monuments may not, and they transport us back to a simpler time and simpler values.

The curators of these schoolhouses would love to share their photos and images with educators, students, former attendees of one-room schools, historical societies and one-room school enthusiasts. A calendar would be a perfect vehicle to remind us daily of the contributions made within the walls of our country’s one-room schools.

We have formed a national association, the Country School Association of America, dedicated to the promotion and survival of country schools. You will find a description of the CSAA attached. We are in contact with over 3,500 country schoolhouse preservation groups and sponsoring historical societies throughout the Unites States, and our numbers/contacts grow daily. We maintain a website and an electronic newsletter, and we mass e-mail important information on a regular basis. Most of our contacts and readers are in a continuous drive to raise funds for the maintenance of their schools. The sale of a schoolhouse calendar would greatly help their cause. Schoolhouse calendars would also be popular with teachers and children across the country.

The CSAA will solicit all the photos and follow all guidelines as listed on your website. We will operate in a timely and cooperative manner. Many of our CSAA members photograph schoolhouses on a regular basis and already possess colorful and nostalgic images. All we need do is ask, and we are sure our members and readers will submit a fabulous cross-section of photos. Our board members are skilled organizers and are dedicated to their cause to preserve schoolhouses. This calendar project is an effort we would relish.

MOVING DAY

Two-Room Schoolhouse on the Move

CSAA board member Nancy Hughes wrote to us about an uplifting schoolhouse story out of Fort Wayne Indiana. The two-room schoolhouse was saved from the wrecking ball and moved to a new location just this week! The 1892 District #2 Schoolhouse was moved to make way for a new Target store. The move and new site were funded by Pine Tree Commercial Realty and Indland Real Estate Corporation, the firms that bought the land! Now, that's public service!

News Channel 15 in Fort Wayne reported that the little schoolhouse has served many roles, including a home, a church, a needle-work shop and a hair salon. While it doesn't sound as if the building will revert to a school, it has been saved for the time being. Speculation is that the schoolhouse will be used for retail once again. We could certainly envision a museum with living history programs....couldn't we?

Dan Turkette photographed the move and has given permission for CSAA to post these photos. Thanks, Dan!

Wish to Present? Deadline Extended to April 1st

BECOME A PRESENTER!!!!                         

8th Annual Country School Association of America Conference

for Museum Staff, Preservationists, Students, Teachers, Professors, and Country School "Buffs”

June 16-18, 2008 at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

If you are interested you are cordially invited to participate in and/or lead panel discussions, individual papers, symposia, workshops, and demonstrations on country schooling. Decide which of the following subjects most interests you and submit a brief proposal. The deadline for proposals has been extended to April 1, 2008.

Preservation of Country Schoolhouse: For all those who have experience in restoring or reconstructing a one-room or multi-room country school or are interested in doing so. Sample topics: Envisioning the project, raising money, recruiting and managing volunteers, promoting the project, collecting artifacts. Programs for Country Schools: For museum curators, classroom teachers, reenactors, and others interested in sharing program activities. Presenters may want to tell stories, sing, play an instrument, or engage the audience in a dramatic reenactment. Videotapes and other resources are welcome. Scholarship: For professors, graduate students, and independent scholars inquiring into the history, material culture, and current practices of country schools in the U.S. and Canada. Sample topics: Amish parochial one-room schools, technology in one-room schools, relationships of teachers with rural communities, the architectural significance of one room schools; African-American one-room schooling, supervising one-room schools, teacher training for one-room schoolteachers. Memories and Artifacts from Country Schools: For all those who attended, taught in, or collected artifacts/histories of country schools and the communities in which they are or were located. Come and share your memories, photographs, artifacts, books, and historical knowledge.

Proposal Formats

Proposals are due April 1, 2008 They should not exceed three double-spaced, printed pages. In addition, add a cover sheet with title of the proposal, type of proposal (demonstration, symposium, panel, or paper), name(s) and affiliation(s) of participant(s), and the address(es), email address(es), and phone number(s) of participant(s).

Demonstration. Prepare a proposal indicating the title of the activity you plan to do or lead, how many presenters are involved, how long a session lasts, and how large an audience you can accommodate. Include the name(s) of presenters, full address(es), telephone number(s), and email address(es). A demonstration should be 30 minutes.

Panel Discussion. A panel discusses a topic as a group. Panel proposals should indicate the topic, its significance, the panelists’ backgrounds (no names, please) and the way in which the material will be discussed. Keep in mind time constraints (60 minutes) in planning the session. Time for audience participation should be included.

Symposium. A symposium is composed of participants who deliver brief presentations, based on prepared papers or essays, on a common theme. Proposals for symposia should discuss the topic of the symposium, its significance, backgrounds of the presenters (no names, please), and the perspectives employed by presenters in their presentations. Keep in mind time constraints (90 minutes). Time should be allowed for audience participation.

Paper. This kind of proposal is for those wishing to submit individual or joint scholarship. Briefly indicate the topic and the way it will be treated, address the significance of the topic and discuss the background of the presenter (no name, please). Papers accepted for presentation will have to "fit" with other papers into a cohesive session at the conference. Keep in mind time constraints (30 minutes). This means that, if the paper is read, it should be no longer than 10-12 pp. Power Point and other visuals are encouraged.

We encourage single or group presentations. E-mail your cover sheet and proposal to CSAA Conference Committee at blackwell@niu.edu by April 1, 2008

Or send 3 copies of proposals and two self-addressed, stamped envelopes to: CSAA Conference Committee, Blackwell History of Education Museum, Learning Center, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115. Phone: 815-753-1236;

8th Annual CSAA Conference Forms Now Available

Will We See You at the CSAA Conference?

The 8th Annual CSAA Conference on Country Schools will be held June 16-18, 2008 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Take part in the quality programming offered by dedicated country school researchers and re-enactors. As a highlight of the conference, visit the William Holmes McGuffey Museum and visit six area country schools on the optional Wednesday bus tour of Butler County. Now you can access the information packet with the link below.

Registration deadline for the conference is May 20, 2008. Conference coordinators Suzanne Daniel and Nancy Hughes are still seeking presenters for the program with a March 1st, deadline approaching.

We encourage single or group presentations. E-mail your cover sheet and proposal to CSAA Conference Committee at blackwell@niu.edu by March 1, 2008.

Or send 3 copies of proposals and two self-addressed, stamped envelopes to: CSAA Conference Committee, Blackwell History of Education Museum, Learning Center, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115. Phone: 815-753-1236

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION MATERIALS: Download 2008_csaa_info_packet.pdf

Member Book Review

A Resource for Costuming 1900-1950

by Sarah Uthoff

Are you trying to portray a particular time in your school between 1900 and
1950? Then this book should be on your shelf.

Children’s Fashions 1900-1950: As Pictured in Sears Catalogs, edited by JoAnne Olian
Dover Publications, 2003, ISBN 0486423255, $14.95

A recurring problem for people who bring students in to their museum is that the students want to dress up, but have no idea how people dressed during your time period. Here in the Midwest the problem is often students who seem to think some warped version of the prairie era, when little girls wore long skirts and boys wore rope belts, lasted all through the 20th century. This summer I learned that east coast school museums have a similar problem with colonial misses in mob caps,so teaching about what children were actually
wearing is important not only because it’s something children are curious about, but also is a subject about which they know next to nothing. This book can be a help for school museums set in the first half of the 20th century.

The book is full of pages taken from various Sears Catalogs by editor JoAnne Olian of the Costume Collection of the Museum of the City of New York. After a three page introduction about the Sears catalog and popular clothing trends in general, Olian contents herself with showing full pages from the catalog, modified only by new page number and year it appeared. Each year is not represented, but almost all those that are feature four or so pages. For instance the first few years represented are 1901, 1902, 1906, 1908, 1909, and 1912. Allowing that most fashions for everyday people would be worn a few years after they were ordered or made, I think most schools could find a close match to peek into the students closets. Olian strikes a good balance showing boys and girls, summer clothing and winter clothing, even shoes, sweaters, and coats. I can think of several activities that could be created for students using the information in this book. I’d prefer to see whole copies of the catalogs reproduced, but until someone wises up and decides that would make a dandy paid database, that’s unlikely to happen any time soon. This volume can serve as a useful tool until then.

I should also mention that the while the cover is in full color, all 120 pages inside are in black and white. Also, while the pages are ample at 12 inches by 9, the number of pages make it a skinny book.

You may also wish to explore a companion edition: Children's Fashions 1860-1912, edited by JoAnne Olian

CSAA Members Share Schoolhouse Activities

Visit the Indian Rock School Blog

To get an idea of one way our association (Webutuck Country Schoolhouse Association) in Amenia, New York keeps the school going and celebrates the holidays, go to our blog at www.indianrockschool.blogspot.com. Our little Indian Rock Schoolhouse restoration is complete and we have a number of programs in the 1858 building, but in the winter, we do other things...trunk shows, our blog, and press releases.

Submitted by CSAA Members Ann Linden and Bill Burke of Indian Rock Schoolhouse

Save the Date for 2008!!

2008 CSAA Conference Heads to Ohio

The 2008 Country School Association of America Conference will take place on the campus of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio on June 16th and 17th with an optional tour on June 18 to several one-room schools in the Oxford area. A trip to the William Holmes McGuffey Museum will be a highlight of the three-day conference that draws participants from across the United States. 

CSAA boardmembers Suzanne Daniel of Michigan and Nancy Hughes of Indiana have already laid the groundwork and are currently working to finalize details of the logistics and lodging, as well as the ever-popular bus tour of the area one-room schools. They have visited a number of potential stops for the tour and have found a number of ORS that have become fire stations, restaurants, homes and museums. Now to narrow the choices.....This is a conference you will NOT want to miss!

William Homles McGuffey, you will recall, was the author of McGuffey's Eclectic Readers, estimated to have sold over 120 million copies between 1836 and 1960.

Revisit this e-newsletter for detailed information about the conference as it becomes available.

You will also want to access applications for two CSAA grant programs available to our members. They are attached to postings in this newsletter.

For more information on the conference please contact Nancy at schoolhouse1892@aol.com.

Monumental ORS Project Needs Your Input!

Subject: Marshall University One Room School Oral History Collection

Hello... my name is Keith Brown. I am a graduate student at Marshall University in Huntington, WV working with a collection of One Room School materials, including: oral histories, state records, a one room school museum and its records, school books and readers, and pictures. Roughly four hundred and fifty former one room school teachers and students were interviewed between 1989 and 1992, of which two hundred and fifty tapes survive. Unfortunately, none of these interviewers were ever transcribed; however, I am currently in the process of applying for grant money from the WV Humanities Council to have this accomplished. I

would like to find out if there are similar collections of a similar size or larger in other parts of the United States and Canada; particularly in Appalachia and the South. Also, if anyone else who has done a similar project, I would love to know how you went about obtaining funding. If anyone has any other information they think might be helpful please also feel free to contact me.

Thank you! Keith M. Brown Graduate Assistant Special Collections Department, Marshall University Huntington, WV 25755  brown358@marshall.edu

A Request from Michigan

Macomb County, MI Seeks Schoolhouse Memorabilia

The Macomb County Historic Commission is looking for photos, stories, and information regarding one room schoolhouses in Macomb County, Michigan, for our annual historic activities book. Our publication is geared towards 4th grade students and residents interested in our local history.

Photos can be e-mailed to cindysue1111@aol.com or addressed to: Cynthia Donahue C/o Macomb County Building, 13th Floor 10 N. Main Mt. Clemens, MI. 48043. If you have any further questions, I can be reached at 586-469-5915 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M.

Thank You! Cynthia S. Donahue Macomb County Historian

One of the Three R's

ARITHMETIC IN THE EARLY SCHOOLHOUSE

by Michael Day

We often talk about the "the 3 R's" as being "reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic", but for the young scholars in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the "3 R's" were "reading, 'riting and religion". While Bible readings and religious exercises were basic elements of school life, arithmetic (generally referred to as "ciphering") was scarcely dealt with at all.

Prior to the beginning of the 19th century, arithmetic was considered more of an occupational skill than an appropriate subject for general education, and was largely relegated to private evening schools. If instruction in arithmetic was offered in the public schools at all, it was reserved until the later years. Children below the age of twelve or so were generally considered intellectually incapable of leaning arithmetic. Warren Burton in his District School As It Was By One Who Went To It (1833), reported that, "At the age of twelve, I commenced the study of Arithmetic, that chiefest science in Yankee estimation. The entering on arithmetic was quite an era in my schoolboy life. This was placing me decidedly among the great boys, and within hailing distance of manhood." Those who did have occasion to study arithmetic did not get far, at least not by modern standards. The upper limit even for good students was "the rule of three" as proportion was then known. As one writer put it, "To cipher beyond the rule of three was deemed a notable achievement and mere surplusage among the average of country scholars".

In the years before the Revolution, the arithmetic book most widely used was Thomas Dilworth's Schoolmaster's Assistant. Despite a title that would suggest a broader range of focus, this was exclusively a math book, and like many other books of this period, it covered all the math concepts that the average person would need to know in a lifetime. In addition to the four basic operations, the student was introduced to weights and measures, proportion, factions and decimals, pensions and annuities, extraction of cube roots and the exchange of foreign currencies. No one expected the student to learn much of this in class, but the information was there if he cared to pursue the study on his own. The book was first published in 1761 and went through dozens of editions before its final American edition in 1827. From the modern perspective (and particularly from the perspective of a museum interpreter) the only part of Dilworth worth sharing with a visiting class today is a small section at the back of the book called "A Short Collection of Pleasant and Diverting Questions". Here we find nine "brain teasers" such as the classic problem of the farmer who has to get a fox, a goose and some corn across the river in a small boat. You may want to consider challenging your visitors with the same "brain teasers" that perplexed students six generations ago.

But Dilworth was an Englishman, and his book contained many references to places and units of measure that had little relevance in America. The Revolution led to a general distaste for all things English and Dilworth's book rapidly began to lose favor. Clearly there was a need for a book that more closely reflected the conditions and ideals of the new Republic. Nicholas Pike was one who saw this as an opportunity, and in 1788 published The New and Complete System of Arithmetic which, according to its full title, was "composed for the use of the CITIZENS of the UNITED STATES". It offered very few pages of introductory arithmetic, and large sections on commission, extraction of square roots, annuities, and other more advanced topics. In 1793 he issued a simpler, abridged version, "Adapted to the Commerce of the Citizens of the United States for Use of Schools." Pike's book was the first commercially successful arithmetic book written and published in the United States. It was one of the few schoolbooks studied by Abraham Lincoln.

An alternate text vying for the same market was Nathan Daboll's Schoolmaster's Assistant. Like Dilworth's earlier book of the same title, this was comprehensive text that covered everything from simple addition to compound interest. Daboll's book achieved great popularly, in large part due to the fact that it introduced "Federal Money" and showed how to calculate the value of goods using this new means of exchange. Noah Webster highly recommended it.

Often there was no textbook at all, either for the teacher or for the students, and much of the instruction relied on the "ciphering book" approach. The master would dictate a "rule" which would be written down by the student in his ciphering book, (i.e. a set of folded papers sewed together into a "book"). A "sum" (i.e. math problem) would then be written into the ciphering book by the master and the student would solve the sum using the rule. A number of writers reported using birch bark instead of paper for their preliminary work. The learning was mostly rote memorization with little effort made to understand the logic and reasoning behind the process. A lot of class time was spent just waiting for the master to "set the sum" or to check the work, and this time was often used by the student to elaborately decorate his ciphering book. Many of these have come down to us as treasured family heirlooms. A teacher who did not possess an arithmetic book of his own (and there were many who didn't) would use as a teaching text the ciphering book that he had created as a student.

With the opening of the nineteenth century there was a growing recognition that arithmetic was an appropriate study for all children, and that an understanding of why things were so would lead to better education. Not everyone agreed. One teacher, writing in the 1830's noted that, "Until within a few years, no studies have been permitted in the day school, but spelling, reading and writing. Arithmetic was taught by a few instructors one or two evenings a week. But in spite of a most determined opposition, arithmetic is now permitted in the day school". Another innovation taking place at about this same time involved how large numbers were written. European mathematicians recognized that it was easier to read very large numbers if the digits were separated into smaller groups. English mathematicians began separating large numbers into groups of six digits; the French divided large numbers into groups of three digits. American intellectuals, still harboring ill-feelings left over from the Revolution, tended to prefer French ideas, rather than English. While it was common up to the time of the Civil War for arithmetic books to show large numbers with no separation, the French innovation gradually took hold, and to this day we divide our large numbers (such as 1,000,000) into groups of three digits.

A major reform in the teaching of arithmetic occurred in 1821 with the publication of Warren Colburn's First Lessons: Intellectual Arithmetic Upon The Inductive Method. Colburn was the first to provide what today we would call "developmentally appropriate" instruction. Where Dilworth (and others) gave rules to be memorized, Colburn gave simple word problems that allowed the student to develop their own understanding of the process. Dilworth introduced his lessons with the didactic: "Arithmetic is the art or science of computing numbers, either whole or in fractions"; Colburn began with the simple questions: "How many thumbs have you on your right hand? How many on your left? How many on both together?" Most of the 170 or so pages were devoted to such simple word problems that explored the four basic functions plus "vulgar fractions"; higher mathematics was eliminated entirely. Colburn encouraged oral recitations and his word problems reflected common childhood experiences. In this and in other books, there were also a number of word problems that referenced English money (pounds, shillings and pence). This reflected the fact that England was the most powerful nation on earth and the English economy was the standard by which all others were judged. The success of this little book was extraordinary. It is estimated that over three and a half million copies were produced in the fifty years that it was in common use, and it forever changed the way in which arithmetic was taught.

The word problems used in Colburn's First Lessons can readily be extracted and used today with a visiting class. They will give modern students an opportunity to experience authentic early American education, and will give insight into the daily experiences of early 19th century children. For additional examples of arithmetic that can be shared with a visiting group, see "Sharing 19th Century Arithmetic with your Schoolhouse Visitors" in the October 17, 2006 issue of this CSAA Newsletter.

Artwork: Homework by Winslow Homer; Copybook: Huguenot Historical Society,NY

Newsletter Catches On

CSAA Blog Draws Attention to One-Room Schools

It's nice to know people care about our nation's schoolhouses, but even more gratifying to know people continue to look for information about them. The proof lies in the fact that our blog has experienced 11,275 hits since we first posted an article in September of 2006. That's an average of 25 visits per day.

We want our readers to know that we welcome articles from volunteer writers across America, schoolhouse museum operators, and people who simply enjoy schoolhouses. We extend particular thanks to Mike Day for his continued scholarly submissions about New England's earliest schoolhouses. Please send your news items and photos to scfineman@aol.com. She'll contact you immediately when we use your material for this newsletter.

Send information about your preservation efforts, photos of your schoolhouse, programs in your schoolhouse, or links to articles about schoolhouses in local papers.

Be sure to scroll down to find information on two CSAA Grant Programs now in progress.

Become a Member of the CSAA

You Can Join the CSAA Today!

We encourage our readers to become a member of the Country School Association of America. Here is an organization dedicated to the preservation of existing country schoolhouses, fostering their legacy, and promoting scholarly research into their role in history. Information on the CSAA and the membership form can be found in the brochure listed below.

Download CSAABrochure07.pdf

Are You Preserving a Schoolhouse?

$500 Country School Preservation Grant

The Country School Association of America provides $500 per year for the preservation of one-room and two-room buildings once used as country schools. If you or members of your organization are interested in applying for this grant, simply access the guidelines and application form through the links below. All contacts and requirements are clearly outlined. We wish you well in your endeavor!

Download CSAAPreservationGrant.pdf

                                     Download CSAAPreservationGrantapplication.pdf

CSAA Prize on Country Schooling

$300 Prize Offered for Entries on Country Schooling

The Country School Association of America will give the 2008 CSAA Award for Scholarship and Artistry for the best essay, thesis/dissertation, book, website, or video on an aspect of country schooling. The deadline for submissions is April 1, 2008. The winner will be invited to deliver a presentation at the June 2008 meeting of the Country School Association of America, where she/he will be awarded a certificate and $300. Attendance at the conference is not required to be awarded the prize.

The CSAA Award Committee will consider work on a variety of topics, for example: historic and current school structures, teachers, teacher education, school and community relations, students’ experiences, religion, curriculum and supervision, country school restoration or reconstruction, programming in country school museums, legal issues, family schools, minority and/or immigrant experiences, consolidation, etc. The Committee reserves the right not to award a prize in any given year. 

The essay, thesis/dissertation, book, website or video should be submitted to the chair of the CSAA Award Committee by April 1, 2008. Electronic copies of essays and website addresses are welcome. Members of the CSAA Board of Directors and their families are ineligible for the CSAA Award.

Send submissions to ltownsend@niu.edu  or:

Dr. Lucy Townsend, CSAA Award Committee, Blackwell History of Education Museum, Learning Center, Gabel Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115

Iowa Schoolhouse Conference Held in Coralville

Country School Preservation Moving Forward in Iowa

by Bill Sherman

More than 60 persons eager to learn and share their country school preservation experiences gathered in early October at the Johnson County Historical Society Museum in Coralville Oct. 5-6. This was the 8th annual conference sponsored by the Iowa Historical Preservation Association.

Mark Dewalt of Winthrop University, SC praised Iowa for leading the nation in efforts to preserve country school buildings, program and history. He encouraged participants to make a greater effort to involve younger persons with this important task. Mark, an expert on Amish Education in the United States related stories of how the people of the Nickel Mines School are moving forward with their lives after the tragic events of 2006. Susan Fineman, a schoolmarm from Nashua, NH reviewed early methods of discipline used in some country schools. She suggested that use of the “dunce cap” as a discipline was probably more a myth than a reality, but related how teacher training led a more professional and humane way of dealing with unruly scholars than beatings and humiliation. 

Gordon Hendrickson of the State Historical Society updated participants on the procedures for applying for a country school grant.The grant application is available on line by going to the State Historical Society website www.iowahistory.org and clicking on country school grants. The deadline for submitting a grant is May 15. Matching money up to $5,000 is available to help with preservation of buildings used as one and two-room schools that will be used for educational purposes.

Rosanne Malek of the Iowa Department of Education talked about a new source of funding for school preservation—a service learning grant available through public schools. Barb MacDougall of Boone talked about the service learning grant she had received to involve elementary students at her school in a country school preservation project.

Candy Steed presented information on the National Heritage Area, Silos and Smokestacks, and spoke of area country schools and how they fit into rural tourism, visitor programming, and interpretation of the history of the 37 counties of NE Iowa.

Other Iowa activities related to country school preservation included a new book, "They Opened the Door and Let My Future In," based on interviews with former country school teachers by Helen Augustine of Emmetsburg, the creation of Iowa’s first country school replica in Albia by Beary and Marilyn Robinette, creation of the first agribition center in Iowa, www.heartlandacresusa.com near Independence, by program manager Mike McGill, and the development of a new country school video by Jeanette Kottke and Sue Benning of Fredericksburg. Sarah Uthoff offered a presentation about the country school listserve she established on Yahoo Groups and encouraged participants to sign up for this free service that links people who wish to write and talk about one-room schools. www.oneroom-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. John David Thompson did a reading from his Country Poems of Iowa and signed copies of his book.

Participants had a chance to visit and learn about a unique preservation project at the two-room Coralville school. The bottom floor classroom has been restored to the 1870s when the school opened and work is nearly complete on the second floor classroom to depict the 1950s when the school was closed. Saturday morning more than 40 people visited an Amish school, public school museums in Kalona and Wellman and one of the first consolidated township high schools established in Iowa.The building is now used as a community meeting center in Washington township. They also ate a home-cooked meal in a Mennonite home, an experience they will never forget.

The 2008 IOWA country school conference will be held in Ames Oct. 3-4.

Editor's Note: Bill Sherman submitted the above article, not mentioning the fact that he organized this annual Iowa Conference in Coralville as he has for years. The agenda was packed with vital information, and the enthusiasm was contagious! Iowans rolled out the red carpet, the schoolhouses were a testament to diligent preservation work, and the food hearty! Our sincere thanks to Bill and his wife, Faith, who led us through a memorable two and a half days!

CSAA Boardmember Receives Prestigious Award

Work on Amish Education Cited

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Winthrop University recently selected Mark Dewalt as a recipient of the Bank of America Endowed Professorship for the Richard W. Riley College of Education. 

He will use the endowed professorship to continue the next phase of his already 20-year research project of Amish education in the United States and Canada. During the professorship, which is renewable for up to three years, Dewalt will begin his next book on Amish Education, and write articles on Amish Mennonite Schools and the 1972 Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Yoder which ruled that Amish children do not have to attend school after eighth grade.  In addition, he will design two symposium courses for the Winthrop honors program.

University leaders chose Dewalt because of his continuous record of excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.  "Mark is well respected as a teacher, scholar and contributor to the life of the university.   His research is well grounded and addresses a unique area of education in North America," said Patricia Graham, Dean of the Richard W. Riley College of Education.

The Winthrop professor of education grew up in Pennsylvania near an Amish community and has traveled to dozens of communities stretching from New York to Iowa to observe Amish schools. He used the information as the basis for his latest book, "Amish Education in the United States and Canada," which portrays the culture and history of the one-room schoolhouses of the Amish community. National and local media turned to Dewalt in the fall of 2006 to explain the Amish culture in the wake of a horrific shooting in an Amish schoolhouse near Nickel Mines, Pa.

Dewalt will be the second recipient of the Bank of America Endowed Professorship, which supports teaching and research for an outstanding faculty member in education. Winthrop's first recipient was Marshall G. Jones, who studied how those familiar with and those unfamiliar with digital technologies learn differently.

Dewalt joined the Winthrop faculty in 1996 and has since become director of graduate studies. He has previously taught at Lenoir-Rhyne College and at Susquehanna University, where he was chair of the department of education. He also taught math, elementary school and adult education during an eight-year stint in the Manning, S.C., and Clark County, Va., public schools. He is also a member of the board of the Country School Associaiton of America.

Dewalt earned an A.B. degree in social studies from Muhlenberg College, a master's degree in elementary education from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in educational research and evaluation from the University of Virginia.

Saving a Schoolhouse in Illinois

Mount Prospect Refuses to Give Up on Saving The Central School!

by Gavin W. Kleespies

The Mount Prospect Historical Society is undertaking a big project for a small school. The organization, based in the suburban Chicago area, is working to pick up and move an 1896 one-room schoolhouse. The Central School has an immense importance to the local community. It was the first public school in Mount Prospect, IL, it was also the first home of the Public Library, The Volunteer Fire Department, The Woman’s Club, The Camp Fire Girls, and The Boy Scouts. It was also the site where the papers of incorporation for the village of Mount Prospect were signed, thereby creating the municipal government.

What the school represents to the community and the place one room schools hold in American history makes the campaign to save the building worthwhile. However, it will not save the building on its own.

Unfortunately, the Central School is in a precarious place. If it is not moved by February of 2008 it may be demolished. The building must be moved because it sits on the property of Saint John’s Episcopal Church, which would like to expand their facilities. The MPHS has found a new permanent site and has made great progress toward moving the building. However, the groups needs to raise the last $30,000 of a $200,000 project and the time given to move the building is nearly up. In February of 2008 the Historical Society will loose all claim to the building.

The story of the campaign to save this building is an interesting example of a small non-profit working with limited resources and thinking of new and creative ways to raise a large sum of money for a project that falls outside of most corporate giving policies and grant guidelines. The fact that an organization, with a staff of two, only one of which is full time, has been able to raise over $170,000 towards this project, while continuing to keep a museum open and run an independent non-profit is a testament to the support for one-room schools.

MPHS has worked to think of new and creative ways to approach the problem of raising funds for an unusual project and to widen the scope of this campaign outside of the boundaries of one town. With some success, the project has now grown to include over 600 donors in over 30 different communities and 10 different states.

Over the course of the past 4 years, MPHS sent two letters and three post cards to every address in Mount Prospect to create a community-wide awareness of the project. To refine the campaign, members worked with the data gathering company, Info USA, to compile a list of everyone in Mount Prospect who had an annual income over $200,000. The Historical Society then recruited volunteers to hand write letters to each of those households. They also sent hand written letters to a list of community leaders, former elected officials, including those who had moved away, and everyone whose home had ever been on the MPHS Housewalk, Garden walk and Home Renovation tour. In the end more than 300 handwritten letters were mailed, some of which were followed up with hand written notes.

By searching on-line directories, the Historical Society staff compiled a database of all the people listed in Illinois with the last names of the four founding families in Mount Prospect: Busse, Wille, Meyn and Moehling. Each of these families received a separate letter and a donation form which showed pictures of their ancestors and the Central School. Since the Busse and Wille families are most closely related to the school, we also sent a letter to all of them in Wisconsin, Indian, and Michigan.

To enhance the campaign outside Mount Prospect’s boarders, MPHS sent a letter to every Historical Society in the state of Illinois explaining the project and asking for support. While this may seem like a fool’s errand, it received a surprising number of donations and statements of support, certainly making it worthwhile. Volunteers and staff created a database of national celebrities and well known authors and then mail merged this database with a letter explaining the project and asking them to contribute  by signing a card with a picture of the Central School on it. This campaign had a really good response and the Historical Society collected signed cards from every one from Kiefer Sutherland to Bill Cosby and from David Sedaris to Dale Earnhardt Jr. These cards were then auctioned off to help the school.

Because much of this work relied on mining information available on the internet and a hallmark of the campaign was attention to design, it was only fitting that the Central School create its own web page: www.yourcentralschool.org . The Historical Society paid particular attention to making the web site look professional and eye catching. With history, activities and links to all the organizations associated with  the school it is an interesting site to explore! The press page offers an easy place for newspapers and reporters to find pictures of the school and promotional images, as well as a catalog of old press releases. With a link to PayPal, it is also possible to donate to the school on-line.

Through persistent work with members of the press, the Central School campaign has been featured on WGN radio, National Public Radio, and three other local radio stations. Articles on the school are at least a monthly occurrence in the three local papers, but have also appeared in the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald. The school was even featured on CNN on the Comcast Local Newsmakers section.

Through this media coverage, the schoolhouse project caught the eye of the staff at Landmarks Illinois and was named to their Chicago-land watch list of historically significant structures that are in danger of being lost. The Mount Prospect Historical Society worked with the municipal government to obtain a list of every business registered in Mount Prospect and sent letters asking for their financial support. To target larger regional businesses, MPHS researched larger businesses and put together customized informational packets which included a short DVD with an oral history program on explanation of project and a short oral history documentary talking about one-room schools. Personal phone calls followed up the mailing of the packets.

The Historical Society has applied for and won competitive grants. These have included everything from a small technology grant from AT&T to a preservation grant from Landmarks Illinois to a grant from the local municipal government to help with the cost of moving the utility lines.

Locally, the Historical Society has worked with many other groups. School children did extra chores around the house to raise money for the school; the Lions Club donated the funds from their farmers market. The Library, the Park District, the Rotary, Scout Groups, Questers, the Woman’s Club, the Junior Woman’s Club, and others contributed and worked on fundraising events. Leaving no stone unturned, The Mount Prospect Historical Society organized bake sales, worked at farmers markets, held skating parties, and sold Christmas ornaments. MPHS collected old school chairs and school desks and invited local celebrities and artists to decorate them. They displayed them around town and then auctioned them off.

While these programs worked, there were efforts that did not. One idea that seemed like it could work, was to contact all the companies that owned billboards near Mount Prospect and ask them to donate a billboard for a month as a part of their corporate giving policy and as a tax write off. While there were a number of responses from the regional offices and Clear Channel Communications considered the proposal, no billboard was ever actually offered. There was an attempt to pitch a story to a national magazine and possibly get picked up as a community interest story. Although releases were sent to close to 100 different magazines, from Martha Stewart Living to Newsweek, the story was never picked up. A few magazines did respond and the Central School was listed on the web pages of a couple architectural and city planning magazines, but there was never an actual print story.

There were also local projects that didn’t work out. The Historical Society and the Public Library hosted a talk by an archeologist on the interesting artifacts that can be found when excavating the sites of one-room schools, but this did not peak local interest and there was a very small turn out.

The Mount Prospect Historical Society has been creative in their outreach efforts and have proven successful on many fronts. Their campaign has certainly been a grassroots effort, with the vast majority of donations being under $100 and raising $170,000 through $20 checks takes some creativity.

With unlimited time the Mount Prospect Historical Society could attempt more innovative fundraising, but time is running out. Hopefully, the funds necessary to complete the project will be raised and the efforts highlighted above will not be in vain.

A Driving Tour of Missouri One-Room Schools

The Greene County Country Schools Tour

Submitted by David Burton

Interested in a Sunday drive through the Missouri countryside? A Driving Tour of One-Room Schools in Greene County is available from MU Extension in Greene County. Even easier, access the link below! Local history enthusiasts can take a 200-mile, six-hour driving tour and see most of the remaining one-room rural schools houses in Greene County, Missouri, thanks to a free document recently produced by University of Missouri Extension.

The self-guided driving tour, available online at University of Missouri Extension, provides detailed directions as well as a photo of each school and basic information about the structure. The driving tour is an outgrowth of the popular book, "A History of Rural Schools in Greene County, Mo." written by David Burton, civic communication specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Greene County. The book was completed in 2000, after four years of research. Copies of the book are available for $18 (plus $2 shipping and handling) from the University of Missouri Extension Center in Greene County, 833 Boonville, Springfield, Mo. 65802.

"I still get lots of inquiries from folks wanting to see some of the rural schools in this county," said Burton. "This driving tour is the easiest way for folks to get to see most of the schools." Burton points out that the schools on the tour are in a variety of conditions. Some remain in use as community centers, while others have been converted into homes, barns and even businesses.

The first goal of the research project was to get the best buildings placed on the Greene County Historic Sites Register. That was accomplished nearly five years ago. The next step, according to Burton, is to get people interested in raising money and working to preserve those historically important buildings as part of community development.

"Thanks to organizations like the Country School Association of America , there is a growing interest in preserving these old schools. There are also more grants and programs available for preservation," said Burton. "The preservation of old school buildings has been popular on the eastern side of the United States. I'm hoping some of that enthusiasm, and money, moves to the Midwest, specifically Greene County, in the next few years." More about the "Rural Schools of Greene County Project" is available at University of Missouri Extension .

Photo Top Left: Flat Rock #47   Photo Middle: David Burton  Photo Bottom Right: Locust Prairie

The Well-Appointed Schoolhouse

HOLBROOK'S SCHOOL APPARATUS

by Michael Day

In the early 19th century the idea began to spread that a decent common school education should  consist of more than just memorizing rules. A number of educators began promoting the idea that children should develop an understanding of the various topics; should have experiences beyond simply reading, and should be actively engaged in the learning process. This was quite a change from the 18th century approach of having children simply memorize - in silence - large selections of text. But teachers were conservative and change came slowly. An additional barrier to innovation was the lack of appropriate materials. In 1847, out of Connecticut's approximately 1600 schools, only 44 had a globe;  only 32 had outline maps and only 19 had "other apparatus".

One of the people most actively involved in meeting the needs of innovative teachers was Joshua Holbrook. As early as 1826 he had an establishment in Boston for the sale of school equipment. Under his sons, Dwight and Alfred, the business grew and evolved into the Holbrook School Apparatus Manufacturing Company of Hartford, CT. By the 1850's the Holbrook Company had representatives in several parts of the country and was offering a collection of equipment called "Holbrook's Common School Apparatus".

State education leaders across the country praised it. "No school room in the land should be without it. The man who invented it is worthy of a place with the best of the world's benefactors", said a New Hampshire school official. Connecticut's legislature in 1856 offered a set to any school district that would put up $3.00 towards the cost; a good deal considering that the regular retail price was about $20.00. Connecticut's superintendent of schools, Henry Barnard, had arranged to have convicts in the state prison make many of the parts as a way of keeping down the cost. The annual state reports on conditions in the local schools identified which districts were using Holbrook, and by 1860 over 550 of Connecticut's 1600 district schools reported that they had purchased the Apparatus. At the same time over 700 schools invested in basic maps. A major change had occurred in the process called public education.

Holbrook was one of the first manufacturers to offer what today we call "manipulatives", equipment and supplies that students can handle as they learn basic concepts in math and science. Items in the Holbrook collection ranged from delicately geared contraptions designed to illustrate various aspects of the solar system to simple wooden cubes, spheres and other geometric forms. The materials Holbrook offered were accurate, well made and would be perfectly appropriate in any modern classroom. Few of the mechanical systems have survived and those that have are now quite valuable, but other items, such as the wooden geometric solids may still be in use somewhere.

Not every school could afford Holbrook's Apparatus, nor could every teacher appropriately use the materials, but a review of Holbrook's product line will give a good idea of what teaching equipment should be included in a modern recreation of a mid-19th century schoolhouse. While there were variations from time to time, the main items in Holbrook's Common School Apparatus were as follows:

Orrery or Planetarium: a model which demonstrates the proportionate  size, relative positions and annual rotations of the planets and moons. Tellurian: a model the moving parts of which illustrate the movements of the earth and moon relative to the sun, as well as the succession of day and night, the change in seasons etc. Terrestrial Globe: the traditional model of planet earth with  continents, countries and oceans identified. This could be either mounted on a stand or hung from the ceiling. Hemisphere Globe: a globe that is cut in half and opens on a hinge to help in learning the relationship between globes and maps. Cube Root Block: a large wooden cube marked to illustrate the extraction of cube roots. Geometrical Solids: a set of hardwood models including cubes of various sizes (one unit, four units, nine units, etc); parallelograms, trapezoids, etc.; spheres, prisms, cylinders, pyramids and cones. Arithmeticon or Numeral frame: a wooden fame with a handle, very much like an abacus, with twelve horizontal wires each strung with twelve wooden balls, alternating black and white in groups of three. Gonigraph: A small instrument composed of a number of flat pieces of wood connected by pivots, which can be put into all possible geometrical figures that consist of straight lines and angles. Drawing Slate: on whose frame are letters and pictures for writing and drawing.

Period illustrations of the elements of Holbrook's Apparatus (along with other equipment for a mid-19th century classroom) can be found in Henry Barnard's 1854 book, School Architecture: or Contributions to the Improvement of School Houses in the United States. A digital reproduction of this classic volume is available at Google Books at the following link.

School Architecture by Henry Barnard  The pictures of Holbrook's Apparatus can be found on pages 391 through 396.

Michigan Schoolhouse Recreates Memories

One-Room School Holiday Program at Weber Blaess Schoolhouse

Turn the calendar back to the 1940’s and the week after Thanksgiving. The students at the Weber Blaess One-Room School in Saline, MICHIGAN are bustling with anticipation. They are very excited, because this is the time they begin preparing for the highlight of the school term, the annual Holiday Program. Every pupil participates in the program  and must decide what he or she will be performing for the program, individually or in a group – a skit, a poem, a reading, a song, or a recitation. They practice in school and at home because they want to do their best. Everyone in the community will attend – neighbors, parents, friends, and relatives. In the weeks ahead, they are also very busy making decorations for the school, so it will look just right for the event.

Today, more than 65 years later,the Weber Blaess One-Room School is again alive with that same spirit of the 40’s. Local students are beginning preparations to re-enact the Weber Blaess One-Room School Holiday Program for the community. They are busy practicing their acts and making decorations. The program will be held at the school located at 525 Woodland Drive, Saline, MI, on Sunday, December 2nd. Shows will be presented at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. Each show, lasting one hour, will be filled with entertainment, light refreshments, and maybe even a visit from old St. Nick himself.

The event is sponsored by the Saline Historic Preservation Foundation with proceeds benefiting their on-going programs and restoration. Tickets prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. Tickets are available starting October 1st through Saline Community Education, 734-429-8020 Ext 1.

If you are looking for a unique traditional activity this hol