Country School Association of America

Ephemera for Your Schoolhouse

Paper Treasures at a Show Near You?

by Mike Day

Although no one mentioned the word, many of the presentations at the just concluded CSAA Conference focused on ephemera. Old school records; penmanship materials; children’s literature; Rewards of Merit; old arithmetic books: it’s all ephemera. I was surprised to learn in the conversations following the presentations that few people know the word, and fewer still are aware that ephemera shows are an extremely rich source of materials from or about early schools.

The word ephemera comes from the adjective ephemeral, meaning short lived, and in the world of antiques it refers to those materials that were intended to be used for a very short period of time. Much of the paper that regularly flows through society – newspapers, advertisements, letters, calendars, etc – is considered ephemera. Similar materials from the past, along with report cards, old school books, teacher contracts and other school-related materials are also ephemera, and there are antique dealers who specialize in this broad field. As with the more traditional antique dealers, many ephemera dealers participate in large regional shows that may be advertised either as an “Ephemera Show” or as a “Paper Show”. Such shows provide a wonderful opportunity to secure a wide range of materials to complement a restored schoolhouse or enrich an education-related collection. But you have to dig for your treasures.

Ephemera shows are the ultimate expressions of the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Much of what is offered for sale at these shows will leave you shaking your head and asking, “Why would anyone want that?”, but apparently there are people out there who collect decades old TV Guides, matchbook covers and advertisements. Many dealers also have thick folders of miscellaneous papers filed under a number of general headings. Under “Schools” you are apt to find business letters on school letterhead; college diplomas, penmanship exercises or catalogs of school supplies. Under “Teachers” you may well find contracts, grade books, class pictures and teaching certificates. “Rewards of Merit” are usually in a category of their own, and I’ve seen dozens of them offered for sale at from three to ten dollars each. Books may not seem to be ephemeral but books dealers are commonly included in these paper shows. Whether a book is “rare” or simply “used” is a matter of opinion, but dealers in both kinds often display books that were designed for school use. Late 19th century primers, readers, music books and arithmetic books are commonly sold for between $10 and $20 and a great variety of them is usually available. Early school books with wooden covers and leather bindings are also available, but at significantly higher prices. The tiny “chap books” that children once read and that teachers often gave away as gifts are another category, and these are usually available at prices ranging from $5 to $25 apiece. Photographs are ephemera and you can expect to see boxes and boxes of these, some dating back to the first years of photography. Most are of someone’s birthday party or summer vacation, but large early photographs of school buildings, class groups and the community in general are also available. Unfortunately it is often the case that these are not identified either as to time or place. There is no telling what will be available. Just about anything that has ever been printed on paper is apt to show up. The best approach is to simply ask the dealer what he has that relates to the topic and time period you are interested in. Prices seem to be arbitrarily determined and haggling is acceptable.

Here in New England, the premier ephemera show is “Papermania” -  www.papermaniaplus.com which is held twice a year in Hartford (the next ones are August 22-23, 2009 and January 9-10, 2010), but there are other ephemera shows throughout the country and throughout the year. The web site of the Ephemera Society of America www.ephemerasociety.org a list of currently scheduled shows, but an antique dealer in your community may know of other shows closer to where you live. An ephemera show is a great opportunity for you to find the books, materials and miscellaneous papers needed to complete a restored one room schoolhouse.

Visit Mike Day's website:Clippership Publications-Books for a One-Room Schoolhouse

Note: Dunstable School District #1 ledger page, courtesy of Nashua Historical Society, Nashua,NH.

"Days of the One-Room Schoolhouse" DVD

Documentary Film Wins 2009 CSAA Artistry Award

The Country School Association of America has selected the WBGU-PBS’s documentary Days of the One Room Schoolhouse as the recipient of the annual 2009 CSAA Research and Artistry Award for the best essay, thesis/dissertation, book, website, or video on any aspect of country schooling.                                

The film aired at the 2009 Country School Conference held June 15-17 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Participants, all schoolhouse enthusiasts, offered their highest praise for the thorough and touching treatment of our nation's beloved icons of education. Most impressive were rare photographs and film clips never seen before by members of the audience.

Days of the One Room Schoolhouse tells the story of Northwest and West Central Ohio schools that once peppered the Midwestern states. This documentary relates their history, how they changed over time and what a typical school day was like through interviews with those who remember life in the one room schools. Veteran Toledo news anchor Jim Blue is the narrator.

“One room schools played an important part in our local history,” says WBGU-PBS Producer/Director Tom Zapiecki, who wrote and edited the documentary. “But they were also a model for public education in areas settled after Ohio.”

Re-enactments inside one room schools at Sauder Village in Archbold, with additional footage of the Zimmerman School in Bowling Green, provided by the Wood County Park District bring history to life.

The documentary includes tours of a variety of Ohio one room schools, including a home that was originally a one room school.

“One room schools are something nearly everyone can relate to because they frequently see the remnants of one room schoolhouses as they drive throughout the region,” Zapiecki adds. “Schools were built about two miles apart so no one had to walk too far for school.”

Zapiecki produced the documentary with the hope that this program would encourage people to learn more about the one room schoolhouses in their area and what they can do to protect and preserve them so their legacy lives on.

TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF "DAYS OF THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE" DVD- CLICK ON THE DVD PICTURE ABOVE!

Questions?
Tom Zapiecki's e-mail:
zapiecki@wbgu.bgsu.edu

Submitted by Dr. Lucy Townsend

10 Schools Inducted into National Schoolhouse Register

Preservation Efforts Signified by CSAA Marker

By Richard Lewis

The National Schoolhouse Register is a listing of schools determined to be significant and contribute in some positive way to the appreciation and understanding of the country school experience and their unique architectural and historical heritage. We are pleased to recognize preservation efforts for this part of American educational history and hope that this recognition will, in some way, continue to help their efforts.  

Markers are awarded to school buildings that are at least 50 years old, that have been restored, renovated or reconstructed to retain the integrity of their original design, and are well maintained. It is the hope of the Country School Association of America that this registry and the subsequent marker will not only serve to identify school buildings of historical and/or architectural significance, but will also recognize preservation achievements and encourage the continuing care and preservation of each individual school.

 

Applications for the registry and a marker are reviewed and researched by a committee that meet at least once a year, and may include architects, historians and preservationists. At this meeting applications are reviewed, and decisions are made with regard to the National Schoolhouse Registry and awarding the specially fabricated marker. 

Although there is no application fee, applicants must be members of the CSAA in order to be considered for the registry. Once recommended by the committee and approved by the Board of Directors, the fee for marker fabrication and shipping is $150. Visit the CSAA website for application and guidelines.

Country School Association of America

 

The Country School Association of America encourages applicants to hold a public dedication ceremony for the presentation of the CSAA Recognized Schoolhouse historical marker. Generally this is done after it has been installed so the community can celebrate or commemorate the installation of the marker. 

The schoolhouses inducted recently include:

Pleasant View School, District 81 Lincoln, Nebraska 1906

Weber-Blaess School, District 13 Saline, Michigan 1869 

Wellman School Oskaloosa, Kansas 1887

Concord Schoolhouse New Alexander, Pennsylvania 1848 

Longrie School Stephenson, Michigan 1930

 

Milan Township District #83 Dekalb, Illinois 1900 / 1999

Island Center School Bainbridge Island, Washington 1908

 

Stone Arabia School Cicero, New York 1854 

Reed School Neillsville, Wisconsin 1915

 

West Bay Common School #13 League City, Texas 1898

Wisconsin School is 128 Years Young!

Hazel Dell School Wins ‘Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin’ Award

MADISON—State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster recognized 10 programs for enriching rural schools, libraries, and communities during a ceremony at the state Capitol recently. “Everyone here knows the joys of our rural schools and communities,” Burmaster said. “The sense of unity and the values of hard work, collaboration, and innovation inspire thoughtful, committed citizens to work for the public good. Rural residents know that the future of their towns and villages is inextricably linked to the health and vitality of their public schools and libraries. Their communities are what they make them.” This was the fourth time that Burmaster presented Standing Up for Rural Schools, Libraries, and Communities awards.

Through community effort, Hazel Dell School in Livingston,Wisconsin, one of this year's recipients, is a restored and historically accurate one-room schoolhouse. It serves as a hands-on learning experience for area students as well as a museum and repository for historical documents and artifacts. Owned by the Iowa-Grant School District, Hazel Dell School is the last of the area’s one-room schools. The 128-year-old facility is located on its original site. Mary Sue Divine accepted the award. 

Burmaster concluded the program congratulating the honorees. “Your efforts—the efforts of your schools, libraries, and communities—provide a strong, solid foundation for the work of educating our children and for the enrichment of rural Wisconsin. Thank you for the tremendous contributions you have made to our state’s rural communities,” she said.

Photos: Restored schoolhouse exterior and interior.(from website)

For more information on the Hazel Dell School Restoration Project, visit their website at:

Hazel Dell Schoolhouse

Big Arm Awarded 2009 CSAA Grant

$500 For Schoolhouse Preservation

April 1, 2009--The Country School Association of America (CSAA), headquartered at the Blackwell History of Education Museum of Northern Illinois University, has awarded a $500 preservation grant to the Big Arm Association to restore a historic one-room country school located near Big Arm, Montana. Country

The Big Arm School began operating in 1910. It was one of the first to teach Native American and homesteader's children together in the same classroom. The building was used as a school until 1952 when reorganization with the Polson school district took place. For the next 43 years the school served as a community building. Then it was boarded up and abandoned. 

In 2008 a community group called the Big Arm Association signed a five-year renewable lease with Polson School District #23 to restore and preserve the school. The group was successful in getting the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The BAA has raised more than $2500 locally for the restoration effort. It has also gained support from the Montana Preservation Alliance , the National Trust for Historic Preservation (Denver office), the Lake County Commissioners and the Lake County school superintendent. 

The CSAA funds will be used to upgrade the school's electrical system, enabling volunteers to help with the interior renovations of the building. When restoration is completed, the school will be used as a living history museum and a senior citizen center. Efforts are also underway to reestablish the school as a polling place. 

The CSAA was formed in 2006 at Northern Illinois University in response to a growing interest in one-room country schools. The purpose of the group is to promote the preservation of the programs, buildings and histories of country schools. Currently, CSAA members represent 24 states, Canada and Norway. It began awarding annual preservation grants in 2008 and hopes to continue the practice for many years to come.

“A grant from a national organization like the CSAA provides tangible evidence that a country school restoration project is worth supporting,” said Lucy Townsend, executive director of the CSAA and curator of NIU’s Blackwell History of Education Museum. “The CSAA hopes its preservation grants will to be used to spur other people and organizations to give larger gifts to the project.” 

Each June the CSAA holds a national conference focusing on country school preservation and history. The 2009 conference will be held June 15-17 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit: Country School Association

Contact: Alison Meslin email: jandameslin@centurytel.net

Phone 406-849-6628

Photo: Staff from the National Trust Mountains/Plains Office and Montana Preservation Alliance with Big Arm Association members at the Big Arm School in Montana (Photo: Chere Jiusto)

Schoolhouse Documentary Film in Progress

And Starring....Your Midwestern Schoolhouse?

Fourth Wall Films in Moline, Illinois is pleased to announce a new historical documentary film project titled Country School: One Room - One Nation. Country schools took rough-hewn pioneers and multilingual immigrants and transformed them into a literate and patriotic new nation. Whether personally, or through a parent or grandparent, the country school as an American architectural icon is as imprinted on our perception of the nation’s early history as the log cabin and the general store. 

From the first schools in new states to the demise of their widespread use in the 1950s and 1960s, Country School: One Room - One Nation tells the dramatic true story of Midwestern country schools and their impact yesterday and today. Production will take place in several Midwestern states including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. 

We need your help to bring Country School: One Room - One Nation to the screen. Your generous contributions will be acknowledged in the finished film's onscreen credits and on the web. We are seeking former students and teachers with stories, period photographs, and financial contributions. 

Visit the link below for more information: 

Country School: One Room - One Nation

Thank you for your support for this important historical documentary film.

Kelly & Tammy Rundle, Producers, P.O. Box 702, Moline IL 61265.  

Photo: Grant Wood, Arbor Day, 1932, Oil on Masonite panel, 24 x 30in. William Koch Collection. Courtesy the Cedar Rapids School District. (art credit details)

Other film work by Kelly & Tammy Rundle:

Lost Nation: The Ioway  

Villisca: Living with a Mystery

CSAA Conference June 15-17, 2009

The Future of the Past

St. Vincent College to Host 9th Annual Conference

LATROBE, PA - The Country School Association of America will hold its 9th Annual Conference at Saint Vincent College Monday to Wednesday, June 15 to 17. 

The conference is designed for those who enjoy preserving old schools in order to preserve memories, create or maintain museums, promote living history programs and allow children of all ages an opportunity to experience schooling as it was in previous generations. 

“It allows senior citizens an opportunity to relive their fondest school house memories while offering educators and writers a forum to share research,” explained Dr. Veronica Ent, associate professor of education, chair of the Education Department, and director of the conference. “This ninth annual conference, with the theme “The Future of the Past: Celebrating Our Country School Traditions Today," will provide members and non-members an opportunity to present and attend to exchange ideas of preserving our schooling heritage in order to build a future of citizens who respect and understand our educational history.” 

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman, author of forthcoming book;  Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory. Dr. Zimmerman is the director of the History of Education Program and professor of education and history for the Steinhardt School of 

Education at New York University. In addition to his research and publications in the history of education, Dr. Zimmerman has been recognized as a distinguished lecturer for the Organization of American Historians and has given numerous presentations in the U.S., Ghana, Rwanda, France, the UK, and Canada. Most recently, Dr. Zimmerman has received the New York University Distinguished Teaching Award. 

In his book Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory, Dr. Zimmerman discusses how the little red schoolhouse has disappeared in the United States, but its importance in national memory remains unshakable. This engaging book examines the history of the one-room school and how successive generations of Americans have remembered -- and just as often misremembered -- this powerful national icon. 

Four different strands have been developed for the program that focus on reconstruction, preservation and restoration; creative and innovative programs; historical research and curricula; and collaboration and funding. Prospective presenters are invited to submit proposals on these topics that have a high degree of audience interaction for 30-minute presentations, 1 ½ hour workshops or one hour roundtable discussions, or posters. Full submission guidelines are provided on the conference website,

www.stvincent.edu/csaa2009 .

 

In addition to concurrent sessions, the conference will also provide registrants with tours of local one-room schools in western Pennsylvania. Both half-day and full-day tours will be provided in which registrants may select the option best for their visit. 

Saint Vincent College is the host and co-sponsor of the 2009 conference at the Fred M. Rogers Conference Center. Accommodations will be available in college residence halls for those who choose to stay on campus. 

For more information, touring details, and to register for the CSAA 2009 conference, contact Dr. Ent at 724 805-2586, veronica.ent@stvincent.edu, online at http://www.stvincent.edu/csaa2009

For Information: Don Orlando, Director, Public Relations Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650-2690 Phone 724 805-2010, FAX 724 805-2019, pr@stvincent.edu

or www.stvincent.edu

 

New Book - Old Schoolhouse Fundraiser

The CSAA is pleased to support the efforts of members and readers of our newsletter, and for February we'd like to introduce you to a new book by author p.j. hartenaus. The information below is from her website www.beldenboy.com . She hopes to present her story at the 9th Annual CSAA Country School Conference at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA. in June. Click on the CSAA slate (top right) for more details on the conference.

Belden Boy: The Adventures of Peter McDugal

About the Book

You know what it’s like to be around a bully everyday in school. You get knots in your stomach because you never know when you’re going to be the next victim. It’s probably happened to you or one of your friends already. But did you know that school bullies were doing these same things more than one hundred years ago?  Some things never change.

Meet Peter McDugal. Same story, same pranks, but different time.  Peter’s adventures happen in and around a one room rock school house named Belden.  It’s more than a school. It’s a friend to Peter, tucked in the hills of the Mississippi River Valley area. It holds the people of the community together through good times and bad.  Find out what makes Belden so special and Peter’s life so adventurous!

About the Author

A person who wears many hats, p.j. hartenaus has reached one of her many goals...to be an author.  Since the age of eight, she read Laura Ingalls Wilder books with a passion.  Her grandmother would give those books to her as gifts and together they would share the stories over and over again.  These books, of course, helped to formulate in her mind a love of the farms, the country, nature, and a simpler way of living, in general. 

This stayed with her through her adult life.  She married, had two beautiful daughters, and pursued her other goal which was to be a teacher.  Many years and degrees later, p.j. hartenaus teaches fifth grade and the desire for her students to write to their hearts content.  Her greatest pleasure was reading to her students her book-one, which has earned great reviews! 

It was during this time, she discovered one of the most beautiful places on earth...the Galena Territory. Asked to revive the old stone Belden School House in the hills for a Master's class, she had no idea where it would lead.  P.j. hartenaus listened to numerous stories, read countless ledger pages, and acquired artifacts of the area. Committees were formed, presentations made and the restoration of the old school began.  She met wonderful people along the way and created Peter McDugal, a young boy who lived in the Galena Territory in the 1800s.  His adventures have helped to keep Belden School alive...it is truly a treasure in the hills. Proceeds from the sale of Belden Boy help with the Belden School restoration project.

www.beldenboy.com

 

Answer the Call

CSAA Conference 2009 Seeks Presenters

The Future of the Past: Celebrating Our Country School Traditions Today

Country School Association of America

9th Annual Conference

Fred M. Rogers Center

St. Vincent College

Latrobe, PA

June 15, 16, & 17

Happy New Year to all our CSAA supporters! It's already time to begin looking ahead to our 9th Annual Country School Conference, a time to recharge our interest and enthusiasm in preserving our nation's schoolhouses. Dr. Veronica Ent of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania will serve as this year's conference coordinator and she looks forward to receiving your proposal to offer your expertise, research, and experience to our national event.

Because of our varied interests in all aspects of schoolhouse preservation, Dr. Ent has offered four strands that will help focus those interests as we attend conference sessions. These include: 

(1) Reconstruction, Preservation and Restoration; (2) Creative and Innovative Programs; (3) Historical Research and Curricula; and (4) Collaboration and Funding. Types of sessions will include: Presentations, Workshops,Roundtables,and Posters. A tour of area one-room schoolhouses will take place as an optional half-day or full-day tour for interested participants, always a highlight of our conference.

The conference brochure explains all these strands and sessions in detail. Visit the Conference 2009 link on this newsletter site, or go to the CSAA website at www.countryschoolassociation.org for complete coverage of the conference, registration materials, and accommodations.

We cannot stress how important you are to the success of our conference. Last year we hosted over 70 attendees from across the United States and every presentation was received with appreciation. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Schoolhouse Christmas Ornaments

If you attended the 8th Annual CSAA Conference in Ohio in 2008, you were treated to a presentation by historic preservationist, Liedulf Mydland, of Oslo, Norway, who pointed out how unique Americans are in portraying their schoolhouses...in many forms! He seemed impressed as he illustrated how we've turned our love of schoolhouses into some very unique collectibles, including Christmas ornaments!

The country school is depicted on the Iowa state quarter, note cards, tote bags, calendars, postage stamps, and various forms of artwork. He made a good point. We've also seen coasters, pins, tee-shirts, earrings, coffee mugs, and recently... schoolhouse mousepads! Mydland's point? He was encouraged by the reverence we pay to country schools as icons in our nation's development as he motivates Norwegians to save their schoolhouses as well.

Since we're closing 2008 with fond memories of meeting with and connecting to our schoolhouse enthusiasts everywhere this year, I thought I'd share my latest schoolhouse Christmas ornaments and hope our readers might be willing to submit photos and share their interesting finds. 

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We have a busy year ahead with our preservation efforts, living history programs, and conference activities in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Check out our website for all conference information. Time flies! Thanks for another year of support....

Susan Fineman

CSAA Newsletter Editor

Traveling Schoolmarm Visits University Campus

Future Teachers Instructed by 19th Century Schoolmarm!

Susan Webb, known as “America’s Traveling Schoolmarm,” visited campus Oct. 7 and 8 to guide 25 undergraduates from the Northern Illinois University College of Education along a brief historical journey into the late 19th century.

Students in a “History of American Education” class entered the reconstructed Milan Township one-room school, where they settled into desks designed for small children.

Before them stood Schoolmarm Webb, wearing a self-designed black dress and an antique broach resembling the clothing of schoolmarms at the turn of the last century.

“Susan Webb’s presentation was both instructive and entertaining,” said Lucy Townsend, curator of the Blackwell History of Education Museum. “I am so fortunate that she was able to fit NIU into her busy schedule.”

Using artifacts and graphics, Webb led students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, listen to poetry, solve arithmetic problems on the blackboard, analyze photographs of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and read aloud from the famous McGuffey readers.

She also told humorous stories of life in rural Midwestern communities and showed the class a 1908 photograph of her father and uncle standing in front of their one-room school in Missouri.

Webb also entertained students and faculty in a reception hosted by the interdisciplinary Museum Studies Certificate of Graduate Study Program Committee and the Blackwell History of Education Museum. She recounted her experiences as a country school re-enactor in Virginia, Connecticut and Alabama, including the methods she used to research the lives and memorabilia of those who attended and/or taught in country schools.

“I’m called ‘America’s traveling schoolmarm’ because I travel to different parts of the country to make historical presentations,” Webb said. “Most historical re-enactors perform in only one school museum.”

On this trip, Webb traveled from her home in Birmingham, Ala., to her alma mater, Clarke College, in Dubuque, Iowa, where she gave a presentation. From there, she went on to Ames, Iowa, where she participated in the ninth annual Iowa country school preservation conference. A charter member of the Country School Association of America, she regularly makes presentations at the association’s annual conferences.

Webb also makes presentations throughout Alabama under the auspices of the Alabama Humanities Foundation, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Thanks to Dr. Lucy Townsend for submitting this article.

 

NIU Offers Museum Class in 2009

Of Interest to Schoolhouse Museums 

Dr. Lucy Townsend, Curator of the Blackwell History of Education Museum of Northern Illinois University will offer a graduate class called MUSEUM EDUCATION in the spring semester of 2009. Schoolhouse museum docents and curators in the area may well be interested.

If you want to develop more expertise in your work as a museum educator and live within driving distance of Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, Illinois, consider taking this spring semester course called MUSEUM EDUCATION. 

Dr.Townsend is also the executive director of the Country School Association of America and has shared her expertise at all eight CSAA Annual Conferences.

When will the course meet?

Jan 16- May 14, Wednesdays, 6:30-9:00 on the NIU campus.

What activities will be included in this course?

Participants will visit area museums to analyze exhibits and programs, dialogue with museum educators in the field, plan a museum education program/exhibition for an imaginary or actual museum, discuss recent publications on museum education.

For more information about museum studies at NIU, visit http://www.clas.niu.edu/mstudies/ or phone Lucy at 815-753-1236.

Photo: Mary Devine, a student docent in the reconstructed Milan Township District #83 school at NIU campus.

Indian Rock Schoolhouse, Amenia, NY

Celebrating Indian Rock's 150th Birthday!

Indian Rock Schoolhouse in Amenia, NY is a preservation success. Just ask the supporters who wrote to us recently to let us know of local efforts to promote their schoolhouse. Their Fall 2008 newsletter,The Inkwell, Download Inkwell-Oct08.doc published by the Webutuck Country Schoolhouse Association, highlights the recent celebration of the school's 150th birthday! 

WCSA President Ann Linden wrote:

"Hello....here we are busy as usual with our picnics, trunk shows, class visits and workshops....but the biggest news of all is that we have at last collected and published all the articles written for the local papers about the research we did from 2001-2003 on all the one-room common schools in our school district here in Eastern New York State.  The book of 100 or more pages, entitled "Memories from a Country Schoolhouse" was completed just in time for our annual picnic this last September.  

The author, John Quinn, was on hand to do a book signing and we sold over $1500 worth of books in just that one day. John Quinn's new book "Memories from a Country Schoolhouse is now available for only $15 at Oblong Books in Millerton, Merritt Books in Millbrook and at Havens Real Estate in Amenia.  This reprint of all the articles published in the Millerton News from 2001-2003 tells the story of many children's school experiences here in Eastern Dutchess.

 

There will be a book signing at Havens Real Estate on 

Dec. 7th from 2 to 4 pm.  Location is 3300 Route 343 in Amenia.  Tree lighting at Fountain Square follows at 4 pm.  This book is a terrific holiday gift for everyone you know.  Also available that day: the Amenia Cookbook and the Baseball book, assorted Amenia postcards and gift wrapping.

 

The book has not yet been reviewed in the local papers, but will be shortly. It is illustrated with photos of area schoolhouses which we collected with the help of local historical societies.

Schoolhouse Tour Possible?

Also this winter several of the towns here in Dutchess County, NY and nearby Connecticut are planning to organize a consortium to promote all the local schoolhouses which have programs for students or for the public.   Already on board: Hyde Park and East Fishkill, NY....plus Kent, CT and Copake, Columbia County New York. We are interested in sponsoring driving tours to visit all the active schoolhouses in this area, similar to the Silver Ribbon Tours run annually by the Dutchess County Historical Society.  I see on your blog that there are other groups doing the same....

 

Thanks for your support of all our efforts...

Ann Linden

IndianRockschool@aol.com 

President, Indian Rock Schoolhouse Association

PO box 172

Amenia, NY 12501

2008 Iowa County School Conference

Perceptions and Preservation

By Bill Sherman

Parents and children had different perceptions of the one-room country school experience. In her keynote address at the ninth annual Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance Country School Conference, Iowa State University Professor Pamela Riney-Kehrberg explained this difference. 

Parents saw learning and self-discipline as the most important objects of schooling.  But for many farm children it was the entertainment value of school that made attendance worthwhile. Morning and afternoon recesses plus free time following lunch were the only regularly scheduled playtimes for many farm children. The topic is covered in detail in her book, Childhood on the Farm: Work, Play, and Coming of Age in the Midwest.

Other speakers discussed topics including program resources, deciding what time period to use for re-enactment activities, writing grants, and creating a website.  During the two day conference participants had a chance to travel along the historic Lincoln Highway and visit restored country schools in Ames, Nevada, State Center and Marshalltown. Some 64 participants from as far away as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, New Hampshire and Michigan attended the conference.

Each year the conference has been held at a different location. The 2009 meeting will be held Oct. 2-3 at Iowa’s newest museum facility—the Agribition Center in Independence. Attendees will visit public and private Amish one-room schools.

To receive notification about the 2009 conference contact IHPA Board member Bill Sherman by calling 

1-800-434-2039 or emailing him at wsherman@networkiowa.com

For Your Book Collection

Stepping Back in Time...Tales from the Country Schools

By Judith C. Liscum

Several years ago, Kay Bradley, the secretary of the Grammar School in Canton,NY organized a reunion celebration for the one-room schools of the area. The gala event included memorabilia and written narratives from past students and teachers of the one-room schools. Oh, the stories that were told! The celebration was a huge success. Kay was overwhelmed and delighted to receive close to one hundred stories; these remembrances sparked her idea of someday publishing them. For some years, Kay and I would casually discuss her idea of creating a book. But...on a sad note, Kay was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. 

I visited Kay at the nursing home. She took my hand and reminded me that in the past she had talked about publishing the one-room narratives. As she reached in the corner of her room for the bag her daughter had brought, she said, "I won't be able to now, Judy. Will you?" 

After studying the hand-written narratives for a time, I went  back to see Kay at the nursing home. By this time, my friend was not able to see or speak, but she could hear what I said to her. I assured Kay that the stories needed to be told and I promised her. The promise has been met!

How I Researched...

Since Kay's passing, I have collected one-room photos to accompany the stories. (There are 68 photos in the book.) First, I bought a good-quality scanner and spent many hours in town and county museums. Newspaper articles and word of mouth brought numerous phone calls, and my scanner and I visited several farmhouses and nursing homes. Of course, more stories accompanied the photos and soon, I realized that I had gathered more than I needed for the first book. Will there be a second book? Friends ask that question every day. Probably! There are still so many stories and pictures 'out there', but if they are not 'captured' soon, all will be lost!

Author Bio...

Educator Judy Liscum was raised on a farm outside the village of Canton, NY. Two one-room schools were situated within a mile of her home, but since she lived closer to the village, she and her brothers attended the Grammar School in Canton. In 1963 she began teaching at that same school and worked with several teachers who had "closed" area country schools, but still had a strong passion for those little institutions of learning. In 1997, Judy retired from Canton Central School, but wasn't out of the classroom long. She began working as an adjunct instructor at St. Lawrence University and has continued for twelve years. Judy and her husband Reg are parents of two children and grandparents of five. They still call themselves Northern New Yorkers and split their time between the North Country and Florida.

How to Order...

Stepping Back in Time...Tales from the Country Schools
may be ordered by contacting the author directly:

Send a check for $25.00 ($19.99 plus tax and postage) to:
Judith C. Liscum, PO Box 15,  Canton, NY 13617
OR  author may be contacted at:
saltboxpub@aol.com

Tour NJ Schoolhouses November 8th

One-Day Tour of Nine One-Room Schoolhouses

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, New Jersey and The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders present  Historic Schoolhouses of Burlington County Tour on Saturday, November 8, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Schools will be open to the public with interactive programs at each site. There is a self-guided tour available or you may choose to take a narrated bus tour with box lunch and trained guide. (Photo: Clara Barton School- Bordentown, NJ) We hope to see you there!

For more complete information on cost and reservations access the link below:

Download NJSchoolTour.doc

Schoolhouse Alumni Gather For Reunion

Sandwich, NH Hosts Annual Schoolhouse Picnic

The little white schoolhouse sits by the side of the dirt road where it has withstood 182 New England winters and 728 changes of the seasons. Built in 1825, The Lower Corner School in Sandwich, NH, originally named the John Quincy Adams School and later District #16, survives today as the headquarters of the Sandwich Historical Society and a site for both living and re-living history. Local classes use the schoolhouse today to experience a day in a country school.

On a fair summer day in August, threatened by clouds from a month of violent thunderstorms, a stalwart group of former students met at Lower Corner for their Annual Alumni Picnic to share their stories and their lunches. The fondest memories were undimmed by time, repeated over the years as a testament to the country schoolhouse education they value to this day.

Cora Jo (Vittum) Wills drove all the way from Maine to meet up with her school chums for the 2008 reunion and the stories began to flow! She was a twin, one of eight Vittum children who moved to Sandwich from Oklahoma in the 1930's so her dad could take a job as a "road agent," today's DPW. She clearly remembers her mother packing eight school lunches that often froze solid in the vestibule of the schoolhouse! Cora Jo could point out with certainty the locations of the well, the outhouse and the woodshed and recounted how her sister served as the janitor, carting the wood and water and starting the fire in the woodstove. Three different teachers worked at the school during her eight years at Lower Corner, Miss Cyr, Miss Norton and Miss Vittum, the latter being her own cousin who she doesn't recall with any particular fondness, saying she was a "mean one." She made them put their heads down on the desk, used the ruler for punishment, and shook the stuffings out of them. Cora says she wouldn't miss the annual picnic and is particularly proud of the efforts of alumni and volunteers who work to keep the schoolhouse in repair. (Photo above left: Janet Bickford, Cora Jo Wills, Joan Cook)

Pat (Forristall) Cook was one of six children in her family who attended the Lower Corner School in the mid 1930's. She distinctly remembers saying the Lord's Prayer each day and the teacher's inspection of the students for cleanliness. They brought their own cups to school for the water jug by this time instead of a common dipper. She spoke of how the "teacher was boss and the children showed respect," and how because you came to school with brothers and sisters, families watched out for each other. With delight in her voice and clarity we can only wish for, Pat recalled memories that most stood out for her. One day the students had deermeat stew that the teacher made on the pot bellied stove, on another, "Ullman's dog got into the schoolhouse and ate the students' lunches!" She related how there was a traveling music teacher, Mr. Musgrove, and a district superintendent of schools who visited about four times a year and once brought a film with him entitled,"All About Beavers." She spoke of learning to square dance in the schoolhouse. (Photo: Alumni and Pat Cook farthest right holding a bag.)

Of all the memories shared, one was of a teacher named Mr. Bigelow, who taught in the schoolhouse after World War II when it was used as a junior high for a short time. Former student, Hubert Atwood, said, "Either he didn't fit or we didn't fit." He had no "way" with the students as he had come from the military and tried to regiment the students with discipline. They quietly rebelled with their antics. They stuffed the chimney to block the smoke and one student, Bobby Nudd, actually SAT on the chimney to smoke Bigelow out of the schoolhouse!

In fact, the most memorable accounts involved pranks! There was and still is a huge boulder down the road a short distance from the schoolhouse where you might see smoke rising from it's top...the boys were out sneaking cigarettes again. Those at the reunion told how a student actually threw 22 shells into the stove and the fireworks began! Or, the boys would smash 22 shells on the boulder. They recalled how students once found pollywogs in their sandwiches at lunchtime, and how boys would shoot off "matchstick" darts..." when Bigelow was there." Boys admitted to drilling a hole in the trap door of the privie where they congregated to take a peek into the girls' side.

It was clear that the students agreed on one thing in particular. Their favorite teacher was Alice Pierce! One former student said, "She made everyone feel like they were the teacher's pet." She decorated the room and drew colorful borders around the blackboard and read to them from Pollyanna, from adventure stories, and poetry. Hubert Atwood said, "She was the best teacher I ever had!"

Others remembered the Christmas program each year, cutting the tree right in the woods, and families donating lights to string on the tree when the school was electrified.

Joan Cook and Janet Bickford, former students of Lower Corner School and members of the Sandwich Historical Society, attended CSAA's 7th Annual Country School Conference in Nashua in 2007 and were gratified to learn just how many people are involved as they are in the preservation of one-room shcoolhouses across the nation.

Joan Cook is the author of a book entitled, "Exposed, Unbanked, Weatherbeaten, Knowledge Box", The Schools of Sandwich, New Hampshire 1802-1950, a beautiful compilation of student memories, vintage photos, and histories of the schools of Sandwich. Copies are available from: Sandwich Historical Society, Maple Street, Center Sandwich,NH 03227. For more information on this book:Exposed, Unbanked, Weatherbeaten, Knowledge Box

Vintage Magazine Examines One-Room School

A Moment in Time - September 1941

By Sarah S. Uthoff

One of the biggest mistakes people make about one-room schools is assuming that they are all the same. These people appear to feel whether someone attended a one-room school in 1890 or 1950, in Iowa or Kentucky, it was all the same experience, but it was clearly not. I thought it might be enlightening to look at a particular school that was frozen in time to compare to your experience or school museum. I found one in the pages of “Good Housekeeping.” They were on their best behavior, and might have “fixed themselves up” before the reporter and photographer got there and maybe they didn’t answer all the questions we would ask, but nobody can deny this was a snapshot of that exact time. How does it compare to your school?

In the September 1941 issue, “Good Housekeeping” is an article and photo spread about the life of teachers of rural, one-room schools. They choose to focus on one school, selecting a school in Bullitt County, Kentucky taught by a former city girl, 23 year-old Dotty Johnson. They felt that it was a typical school for that year, although one-room schools were felt to becoming less common “such schools still flourish in remote sections of America.” There is no indication whether this is a particularly rich or particularly poor school. They probably chose an average income school and that is shown with them having some more modern equipment (like their desks) and some older (the woodstove rather than a furnace). The article and photos give a peek inside one country school in 1941, with my observations.

The School Building

The school was then 50 years old, although it does not specify whether it’s the same building or not. People seemed to refer to a school as the same if it was in the same place with the same name even if the actual building was replaced. Whether it had a name or a number is not given in the article. The school has a belfry and a porch covering the steps. Although the photos are in black and white, the building appears to be freshly painted white on the outside. There is hand pump for water outside the door, so no running for water to the next door farm.

The photos are all in black and white, so colors are unclear. The interior does not appear to be white, but possibly yellow, beige, tan or a lighter green. Blackboards cover the front of the room with at least one more, smaller board on a side wall. However, there is no Palmer Method alphabet line above either visible blackboard. Windows are evenly spaced along at least one wall (probably 3 of them from comparing photos) and from their placement there was probably a duplicate line of windows along the opposite wall as well. The windows are covered with white roller shades. In one of the photos a student has lifted one roller off its hooks, but whether he is dusting or trying to get it rolled up again, there is no information.

The desks all match and are of the type that are a cross between the traditional one-room school type desk and the more modern version that replaced them. The seat is all one piece like a chair and the fancy iron work is replaced with fairly plain stamped metal. This type of desk is prevalent in school supply catalogs from the time, but older looking desks are still offered for sale as well. The school is heated by a trash burner type stove. I thought for sure they would burn coal as I think of Kentucky as coal country, but they burn wood. There is a separate woodshed from the school that holds the wood supply. Often people restore only the schoolhouse, but schools had outbuildings. A woodshed or coal shed was very common. On cold days in Dotty’s school, they keep their coats on all day. There is no indication of artificial light either from oil lamps or electricity, but possibly electric lights might just be out of frame. There is no row of kerosene lamps with reflectors between the windows.

The Students

There are 24 students attending the school and they range in age from 5 to 15 and live between 1 and 4 miles from the school. Kentucky was not settled as firmly along section lines as were the states of the Midwest and so schools were usually not so evenly spaced. However, the difference in distance could also be due to whether there were enough students to support a second school within the area as schools often opened and closed according to local population shifts. At least in the later years of the one-room school era students sometimes were recruited out of the immediate district to help keep a school open. This school was open from July 1 to March 1 when weather and crop needs make school harder to get to. An unusual schedule in my experience, but I don’t know how common it was in other areas. It would coincide with the schedule of tenant farmers who might be moving out of the district when the rental year was up on March 1st. Also, they didn’t mention a breaking of the year into terms with different teachers as I have seen in other schools of the time, but they might just failed to mention it.

One student named Duggie used to play hooky. Now Dotty wakes him up a 5 am, so he can get to school on time. In the photo, he doesn’t look like he really appreciates it, but they are fishing together. There is no indication if this is why she has to get him up so early or just to get ready for school.

The Teacher

Dotty makes $76 dollars a month, but must pay $15 of that a month in board to the local family she lives with. They don’t have running water and cook on a woodstove. She has completed 1 year of the 2 year normal course at the University of Louisville, a state teacher college and continues to work toward her BA. She owns a car she purchased for $18, but only uses it to go home on the weekends. To get to school she rides to school with the daughter of the family she boards with on a horse. The family’s hired man actually controls the horse and the other two ride behind. He then takes the horse home to work on the farm for the day. There isn’t a mention of whether or not he comes back to pick them up.

During her off duty time, Dotty spends most evenings with the family she boards with. They do have a radio to listen to, but they are all in bed by 9 pm. On Wednesday nights she goes with the family she boards with to a Baptist prayer meeting. She’s also expected to help keep with chores around the house like helping wash dishes. However, she dates and has several boyfriends. They go to the movies or the county fair and sometimes they travel to Louisville for the evening. There is no indication that this is uncommon or that she has to ask anybody’s permission to do so.

The School Schedule

Dotty’s daily tasks include sweeping and dusting the schoolhouse, filling the inkwells, pinning up maps needed that day and lighting the stove on cold mornings. School starts at 8 am. Dotty is wearing a wristwatch and it’s the school’s official time. No sign of a clock in the school, but it could be on the desk, if it was small or in the back half of the classroom which wasn’t shown. Awards are given for promptness and attendance, scoldings for tardiness. Dotty teaches 12 subjects, including reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history, modeling in clay, spelling, singing, drawing, literature, health and grammar. Health includes things like brushing your teeth, what makes a balanced died, vitamins and how to get them. The county supervisor is W. H. McFarland. He visits the school during the photo shoot. His reported duties involve checking reports and awarding prizes.

Recess Dotty also organizes recess, sometimes she plays along. Girls play rope skipping up to 3 girls at a time. The boys play mublety-peg and the little kids play Farmer in the Dell.

Lunch

The students bring lunch. There is no indication of an attempt to have any type of hot dish. Lunch pails range from what looks like a modern rectangle lunch box to the black workmen’s style to oval aluminum kinds to two printed, handles over the top type boxes. The students and teacher sit together to eat on the porch and they are pumping water to drink with the meal. The article indicates they eat “biscuit sandwiches."

The article probably says more about the school than they meant it to. It gives a clear picture of one school in 1941. Contrast it to your school.

Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance Conference

"Perceptions of the Country School"

The 9th Annual Iowa Country School Preservation Conference will be held Oct. 10-11, 2008, in Ames. This year's conference, Perceptions of the Country School, will feature Dr. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, ISU Director of Graduate Education, Program in Agricultural History and Rural Studies. Learn the pros and cons of restoring a country school to a specific time period, how to create a website for your country school museum, and how to beautify your country school's grounds appropriately. The agenda also includes a session on program resources for country schools, information on the country school grant program from the State Historical Society of Iowa, and much, much, more! On Saturday, tour Nevada's historic village, Colo's Reed-Niland restored gas station and motel, and country schools in State Center and Marshalltown. To access the reistration form click on the link below:

Download 2008_One_Room_School_Brochure.pdf

Photo: Halley School, Nevada IA

CSAA Member Works in Bronze

"Time for School"

To this day, Dr. Bill Faller of Wisconsin remembers exactly where his grand uncle's sculptures were placed in his grandmother's living room. Not only was his uncle, Professor F. William L. Dittke, a talented artist and creator of the scultptures, he was hailed in a turn of the century newspaper article as "probably the youngest art instructor in the United States" teaching at Colorado College at the age of only 19! Apparently the talent for sculpting runs in the family. Just ask the CSAA members who were treated to Bill's exhibit in June.

At the 8th Annual CSAA Country School Conference at Miami University, Bill displayed his own original bronze sculpture entitled,"Time for School," evoking memories of the walk to the one-room schoolhouse, while conveying his belief that, "Children have an innate curiosity for nature and were able to exercise that curiosity by walking to school in a natural environment." Captured in a moment, Grace leans over her little brother urging him on with,"Glenn, it's time for school," (words inscribed in the base), while Glenn is busily examining a tiny frog. Conference participants examined the bronze with reverence and awe studying Bill's attention to detail and his nostalgic portrayal of one facet of attending a country schoolhouse circa 1890...the long walk. As for Grace and Glenn, Bill found his grandchildren to be the perfect models.  

In describing the sculpture, Bill reflected the sentiments of many of us who appreciate some of the simpler benefits of the good old days. "The opportunity for children to commune with nature on the way to school today has been severely limited by the design of our cities and suburbs and busing," he said. "They're missing a part of their education as well as some physical activity....making the children less happy and prepared to settle down in class when they get to school." He added that, "Having the older sister pulling on her little brother shows her feeling the press of time that seems to come with age."

Bill, soft spoken and humble about his artistic talent, says that he was never formally trained, but had taken an interest in sculpture from a very early age. He took art classes in high school, a figurative art class at the Art Institute of Chicago when he was in his teens, and attended several classes in bronze casting at the Peninsula Art School in Door County, Wisconsin when he retired six years ago. Visiting art museums, Bill says he learned a lot just by observing great art.

Bill Faller's interest in country schools comes from his efforts to restore a country school that was on his grandfather's farm in Illinois and now a country school that he hopes to move to the Agricultural Resource Heritage Farm in Kewaunee County. "The CSAA conferences are wonderful because when I stand in the two schools I am involved with restoring, I can see and feel what went on in them when teachers and children were present," he remarked.

Dr. Faller attended public schools in Hyde Park in Chicago, Wabash College, Northwestern University Medical School and trained at the University of Chicago Hospital and Clinics. He subsequently spent three years on active duty in the army after which he practiced pathology centered at St. Mary's Hospital in Green Bay, WI. Bill told us the practice of medicine teaches you to observe and be disciplined. We believe Grace and Glenn in his bronze speak of his sensitive side.

Editor's Note: With all the sculptures in Washington, DC, we were wondering outloud at the conference how many are dedicated to American public education. While The Department of Education has built facades to their front doors resembling litle red one-room schoolhouses, (see newsletter archive article September 21, 2006) we can't recall statues that commemorate the common education of countless Americans. I'll be making a visit to the Education Department in November...scouting out an answer and possibly making a few suggestions. Bill Faller has also sculped a life-sized bronze of a firefighter which is currently on public display. More information on this statue will follow.

Thanks to Bill Faller for his marvelous sculpture and his information for this posting. Thanks also to Gloria Hawkins for her photo of "Time for School."

Schoolhouse Events Across the Country

Schoolhouse supporters across the country continue to plan events for fundraising or showcasing their schools. The CSAA newsletter is pleased to highlight the following in case you'll be in the area.

1. Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social: Weber-Blaess One-Room School, 520 Woodland Drive, Saline, MI. Sunday, August 17, 2008 from 1-4 p.m. You can access full details with this link. Download IceCreamNewsrelease.pdf

2. Historic Schoolhouse Museum Tour: Burlington County, NJ, Saturday, November 8, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visit 9 historic schoolhouses on a self-guided driving tour or a take a bus trip with box lunch. Bus price will be determined. Contact the Colonial Dames of NJ at 609-267-6996 or Email: info@colonialdamesnj.org. More details will appear here when reservations are available.

Photo: Old Historic Schoolhouse-1859, Mount Holly, New Jersey. One of the schoolhouses on the tour.

3. Lower Corner Schoolhouse Alumni Picnic: Center Sandwich, NH. Sunday, August 3, 2008 from  12-3 p.m. Reunion for all who attended one-room schoolhouses in Sandwich. Bring a lunch and a chair. Guests are welcome. At the Lower Corner Schoolhouse. Sandwich Historical Society

Photo Above: Lower Corner Schoolhouse

McGuffey Family Papers and Reader Collection

Betsy Butler of the King Library at Miami University has offered the text of her CSAA presentation on The William Holmes McGuffey Collection with the following link. 

Download McGuffeyCollectionsatMiamiUniversity.pdf

Betsy spoke about the Walter Havighurst Special Collection, which includes McGuffey Readers and family papers, especially letters written to and from McGuffey between 1826 and 1873. During the CSAA's recent national conference, The King Library graciously displayed priceless copies of McGuffey readers in various versions, while Betsy offered suggestions to enhance our exploration of the McGuffey home.

Feel free to add her presentation text to your treasure of schoolhouse information. We offer our sincere thanks to: Betsy Butler, Special Collections Librarian, 350 King Library, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio!

And, while we're on the subject of William Holmes McGuffey, you may want to access another free document issued by the National Park Service, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, entitled: William Holmes McGuffey and His Readers. The link is: Download NPSmcguffey.pdf  It's an excellent synopsis of his life and contributions.

Photos: Top: Interior of McGuffey Home and Museum; Left: Portraits of William H. McGuffey and Harriet McGuffey, his wife.

"...everything old is new again!"

How Much Has Education REALLY Changed?

by Nancy Law Anderson

It was 1916 when six-year old, blonde haired, blue eyed Florine Luckel headed off with her big sister, Mildred, and her father in the family horse and buggy to her first day of school. She would swell the student body population to ten at Washington School, the one-room schoolhouse everyone called "Corner School," located just east of Camp Point, IL. She would finally find out first-hand what went on in a real classroom--an experience she eagerly anticipated. (Photo: Florine is the 1st girl, left)

The moment she walked through the school's big double doors, her teacher, Miss Knoblock, gave her a welcoming hug and introduced her to the nine other students. Instantly Florine knew her goal of becoming a teacher was not a mistake. She loved the routine of entering the classroom each morning, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and settling in to share textbooks with the other first grader, Kenneth Hunsaker. At a time when telephones were a relatively recent technological development and the Model T Ford was still an amazing new-fangled invention, the ten students at the Corner School worked hard to master a myriad of facts deemed important by Adams County educators.

According to Florine, each school day began at 9 a.m. and was filled with lessons including: reading, penmanship, arithmetic, geography, history and civics. As if that weren't enough, upper grade students had additional classes in orthography (language rules), agriculture, Illinois history, and physiology. With a twinkle in her eye, Florine pointed out that penmanship lessons never immediately followed recess because Miss Knoblock said each scholar's hands might be heated up from the excitement of play--thereby, not producing the best penmanship possible.

At Corner School, students looked forward to helping each other; this was both fun and efficient, according to Florine, because each student got to use her/his expertise to help other students. Of course it helped Miss Knoblock deal with lesson plans for as many as eight differemt grade levels and eleven subjects. Florine smiled at the fact that this form of "cooperative learning" was happening long before such techniques were advocated in teaching methods classes in college.

It was sixteen years later after her first day as a student at Corner School that Florine began appreciating her childhood country school experiences for a different reason. After graduating from a  two-year teaching program at Western Illinois State Teachers College in 1932, Florine was hired to be the official schoolmarm at Brushy School--another Adams County country school located a few miles north of Coatsburg. (Photo Right: Florine-High School)

She soon found out that being a student was much easier than being a teacher; writing lesson plans for the multiple subjects covered in grades one through eight was only part of the challenge. Florine borrowed her father's car to drive the eight miles from Camp Point to Brushy each day, arriving early enough to carry in the coal and get the fire started in the pot bellied stove before classes began. At times even getting to work proved to be a feat! She vividly remembers that driving on dirt roads on snowy days proved to be so hazardous, that sometimes she had to stay overnight with a family who lived close to the Brushy School. She points out that her 16 students didn't mind the snowy weather, since they could ride their sleds to school instead of having to walk. It would be many years before buses became a routine part of school life for students living in the country.

Florine managed to make her work a bit easier when she figured out that she could pay a student who lived nearby a dollar a week to start the fire each morning. Even though she was paid only $75 a month, she says the dollar a week was money well spent, because she got to sleep a few minutes longer each morning.

Brushy School, unlike Corner School, had a belltower, so each week a different student had the honor of ringing the bell to signify the beginning of the school day. Florine warmly remembers that during these years, education was thought of as a privilege and her students wanted very much to succeed.

Since the school had been endowed with a piano, after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, the first activity of the day was singing. As Florine played the piano, students sang popular tunes like "I've Ben Working on the Railroad" and "America the Beautiful." Next, one responsible student was assigned the task of passing out the appropriate books to students. As students listened intently, Florine would then present information for the specific subject and grade level. Inspired by her teacher, Miss Knoblock, she used the method of having her students help each other master the knowledge at hand. Brushy was also equipped with a recitation bench--a long church pew kind of seat--which she used when working with five or six students at a time. This was undoubtedly a forerunner to today's classroom areas designated as specialized learning centers. (Photo Left: Florine with her 3rd & 4th graders in 1936-37 at Maplewood School, Camp Point, IL)

When country school students in the early 20th century had breaks from classroom activities, they weren't playing computer games or rushing out to the basketball court. Instead, the most popular Brushy School recess diversion was a game called "handy over," in which a student would throw a ball over the bell tower and then run around to try to catch it on the other side of the tower. Students actually gained several benefits from playing this seemingly simple game. Eye-hand coordination improved, it was a great cardio workout, and students learned to share the ball.

The ultimate educational goal, as Florine saw it, was to have each student pass the 8th Grade Final Exam--a standardized proficiency test administered each spring by the Adams County Superintendent of Schools. After much preparation for the exam, Florine had to take all of the 8th graders attending Brushy to another schol to be tested, since a teacher could not give the exam to her own students. Just as today's standardized exams are carefully guarded and students vigilantly monitored, the same was true in the 1930's.

If an 8th grader failed after three attempts to pass this 60-question exam, he/she had to repeat the 8th grade until they did pass the exam. It is not surprising that some students had trouble passing, with questions like: "How, when and from whom was the following territory acquired: Louisiana, Florida, Alaska, Philippine Islands, Gadsden Purchase?" or "Write the five rules for pronunciation." Students who succeeded were rewarded with a district-wide graduation/picnic celebration held in August at Bailey Park in Camp Point. As Florine talked about this exam mandated in the 1930's, she commented that it sounds much like the accountablility part of the federal government's current "No Child Left Behind" law.

Florine had indeed chosen the right goal back in 1916. She loved teaching and went on to teach all eight grades at Brushy School through 1935. She then taught an additional  27 years--most of those at Maplewood School in Camp Point. Even though she has been retired for 30 years and is 97, she still keeps abreast of current educational trends. Many times she chuckles when she hears or reads about a "new" approach to teaching math or spelling or English, because it turns out to be a method she used in a country school long ago. With her mischievous smile, she wisely states, "If you wait long enough, everything old is new again!" (Photo Above Left: Florine Luckel Law celebrating her 96th birthday. She is now 97!)

After thoughts: One of Florine's favorite possessions is a quilt given to her for Christmas by her 1934 Brushy students. Each square in the quilt contains a student's name, hand embroidered by either her student or her/his mother. 74 years later she occasionally hears from her Brushy students!

Though in bad repair, Brushy School still stands three miles north of Coatsburg. The road is now paved. Washington (Corner) School was demolished many years ago.

The author, a retired high school teacher, is the daughter of Florine Luckel Law and may be contacted at nlanderson2@cox.net.

This article was submitted by Paul and Jane Moody, One-Room School Co-Chairmen for the Adams County Retired Teachers Association. Permission to print this article was given by the author Nancy Law Anderson. We thank you all for sharing this story!!

8th Annual CSAA Conference Another Success!

McGuffey, Museums, and Schoolhouse Memories

The 8th Annual CSAA Conference, held this year at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is not far behind us, but we're still processing the 25 presentations that covered new and thought-provoking ground. We're poring over our photos of the Williams Holmes McGuffey Museum and the Wednesday bus trip to area country schools. Attendees spanned the map, arriving from as far away as Texas, Alabama, New Hampshire, New York, and NORWAY!

We owe our thanks this year to Suzanne Daniel of Michigan and Nancy Hughes of Indiana for coordinating another informative national event on behalf of the CSAA. These conferences are planned a year in advance to ensure a successful program, and Suzanne and Nancy certainly did their homework! It is gratifying to note that continued participation of our members in the annual conference confirms the importance of our work to preserve our one-room schoolhouses. (Photo Left: W.H. McGuffey)

During the three-day event, Dr. Leidulf Mydland of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage in Oslo gave us our biggest boost when he presented a comparison of schoolhouse preservation in the Midwest and Norway. He praised our spirit and showed enthusiasm for the American effort to save the most humble icons of our educational history. He admires our tenacity in restoration even though our schoolhouses are not designed by famous architects, representative of any particular style, "important" architecture, of monumental value, or boasting decorative details..." all prerequisites for the Norwegian national list of historic buildings. He explained that no one-room schools in Norway are on the national list because they simply don't fit these basic requirements. Dr. Mydland encourages historic preservationists in Norway to save their one-room schools before it's too late, but finds this a hard sell. His presentation was entitled:"Country Schools in the Midwest and Norway as Cultural Heritage, A Different Approach." (Photo Right: Dr. Leidulf Mydland)

A wide range of topics were presented in the two-day program. Dr. Kate Rousmaniere of Miami University presented "A History of the Normal School at Oxford, OH," a fitting prelude to our three-day adventure at Miami University. Nancy Huges of Avon, IN portraying schoolmarm "Miss Ellie" at the Pittsboro One-Room Schoolhouse, offered "Naturally McGuffey/Feathers in My Books." She pointed out McGuffeys wide use of animal stories and distributed a list of every chapter relating to animals and nature found in the McGuffey Eclectic Readers. Susan Webb of Brimingham, AL, The Traveling Schoolmarm, shared sample lessons from the McGuffey series explaining how she introduces them into her living history program. Susan's handouts and booklets are always treasures to schoolhouse re-enactors. She titled her presentation:"From the Pages of Country School Readers."

Eleanor Ent of New Alexandria, PA presented "Pump Up the Volume: Antique Reed Organs in the One-Rooom School." She entertained us with the history of pump organs and even brought along two that she has restored. She played songs that were common to music programs across the country. Dr. Pamela Stover of Southern Illinois University presented "Victrolas, Phonographs and School Recordings." She explained the difference between the machines and how they were used in country schools. Sarah Uthoff shared the results of her year-long and on-going survey entitled "What's for Lunch," highlighting memories of just what was inside that basket or lunch box, what students drank, whether and how they washed up, and how they set up their desks for the noon meal. (Photo Left: Eleanor Ent)

Betsy Butler of the King Library Special Collections Division at MU introduced us to "The William Holmes McGuffey Family Papers and The McGuffey Reader Collection: Two Bright Ornaments in the Walter Havighurst Special Collections at Miami University." She also told us what to look for in the museum, McGuffey's former home in Oxford. On display for our visit were countless volumes from the McGuffey Readers collection spanning decades of publication.

Leigh Ann Randak of "The Coralville Schoolhouse Museum" in Coralville, IA spoke of the history of her schoolhouse and offered ideas for fundraising and programming. We were relieved to learn that her schoolhouse was spared the ravages of the Iowa floods despite devastation throughout her city.

Two colorful and graphic presentations involved schoolhouse restoration: "Renovating a One-Room School on a Shoestring Budget" was the topic of Mary Fulton, Peebles,OH and Carol Motza, Winchester,OH. They told how the project was initially funded by the Adams County Retired Teachers Association and illustrated the story of the restoration of The Page School in West Union, OH, Adams County. Following this, Mary Sue Divine of Livingston, WI told the story of the "Hazel Dell One-Room Schoolhouse Restoration" in Livingston between 2003 and 2006 culiminating in its re-opening to an admiring public. She discussed history, fundraising, repair, and community involvement leading to the school's rebirth. (Photos: Hazel Dell 2006 and 2003)                                              

"What's In It For Us?" was the question answered by Susan Fineman of Nashua, NH  as she highlighted the reasons why we are resolute in preserving our humble little schools. Her presentation was a pictorial trek through schoolhouse history noting building styles, school names, famous one-room schools and attendees, restoration success, and current living history programs in restored schoolhouses across America.

Caroline Bradekamp of Spragueville, IA left no stone unturned in "Awakening the Memories Within: The Rebirth of the North Bend Schoolhouse and Community." Her detailed program listed countless ideas for getting your restoration job done, marshalling the community, fundraising, record-keeping, grant-writing, muscling your way through red tape, etc. She redoubled her efforts in her second presentation entitled, "Collecting, Recording & Sharing Memories & Artifacts of a Schoolhouse and Its Community." Whew! You won't have to reinvent the wheel if you contact Caroline!

In "Celebrations-Honoring Educators," Dr. Lucy Townsend of Northern Illinois University explored how to use country schools in creative ways, particularly as places to honor teachers and hold public exhibitions of children's art and musical talents. She also suggested reenacting the Christmas play, a staple of the holiday progams staged in one-room schools. (Photo:from Student Art Exhibit, Blackwell History of Education Museum, NIU)

A survey of one-room schools on college campuses was conducted by Jessica Conley of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. during the past year and half. In "The One-Room School Goes to College," Jessica reported her findings and her methods, and included photos and notable facts about the 41 schoolhouses residing on American campuses. Many of the schoolhouses were saved by the colleges and universities in honor of their historical beginnings as normal schools.

Historical researcher Bob Frenz of McHenry County, IL has published a book entitled "Historic Country Schools of McHenry County, IL". He distributed tax records of 1857-1859 to illustrate expenditures on local schools and the fine detail involved in researching local records.(Information on how to purchase this book will appear elsewhere on this site.)

"Building an Archive of Country School Records" followed. Dr. Sue Grosboll of the University of Northern Iowa reported on their windfall acquisition of all Iowa rural school records that had been housed in Area Education Agencies since 1972 (collected from County Superintendents Offices throughout the state). The records cover the period roughly from 1850 to 1965, which gives an idea of the scope of storage, preservation, and cataloguing ahead for the UNI Museum where this collection now awaits processing. The red tapeto acquire the records was long and bright.

This year's $300 CSAA Prize for Artistry went to Jeannette Kottke of Fredericksburg, IA who produced the film, "One-Room Rural School House Days," a moving tribute to one-room schools and those who attended. The film focuses on the Chickasaw County Country School with interviews from attendees and teachers of the now restored schoolhouse.

Dr. Kouider Mokhtari of Miami University spoke of how "Modern Reading" must be undertaken differently and more critically than in the past, considering the global nature of the Internet and it's influence in our lives.

Dr. Mark Dewalt of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC offered his assessment of "Summer Meetings: Critical Component of the Amish Country School System?". Mark, a noted expert on Amish school culture, told how the school is the center of community life with the responsibility for its success shared by all. Teacher and community members, he explained, attend their summer meetings together to "energize."

A novel topic, "A Peek at Calisthenics of the Late 1800's" was presented by Lindsay McLean of Cincinnati, OH. She offered vintage photos from physical education texts of the day explaining the benefits of such unique exercise and conditioning programs for schoolchildren. Few were familiar with this widespread and supposedly healthful practice.

A "Depiction of the Country School by American Artists" was presented by Bill Sherman of Des Moines, IA. Displaying works from Winslow Homer to Grant Wood and P. Buckley Moss, Bill shared numerous renditions of schoolhouses in paintings. Interesting to note: Bill was instrumental in Iowa's choice of the Grant Wood 1932 schoolhouse painting Arbor Day as the artwork for the Iowa quarter!!!

Dr. Mary Outlaw of Berry College, Mount Berry, GA recounted a brief history of "Noble Hill School:The First Rosenwald School in Northwest Georgia" and the steps taken toward its restoration and rededication in 1989. It remains open today as a museum dedicated to the black culture of Bartow County,GA.

Finally, a detailed presentation for those who want to get the word out about their museums was offered by Richard Lewis of League City, Texas in "Getting Noticed in a Noisy World." Richard covered areas including the public arena, the print media, direct appeal to the customer, the web, TV, and video and film. These tips will be shared in an entire newsletter article in themselves...keep watch.

                                                                                           

Conference Report On It's Way...

2009 Conference Slated for Latrobe, PA

Be sure to plan for next year's CSAA Conference, June 15-17, 2009 at St. Vincent's College, Latrobe, PA. Details will follow. We also hope to publish links to some of our 2008 presenters' Powerpoint presentations if we can obtain permission. They get better every year!

Keeping Order in the Schoolhouse

Early School Discipline

by Michael Day

Young visitors to a restored one room schoolhouse are always interested in the punishments that were used. Everyone has heard of the "hickory stick" and many wonder if it is true that children were routinely beaten with sticks. Were teachers that harsh? Didn't parents complain? Corporal punishments were quite common in nineteenth century schools and the punishments took many forms. The most common means of punishing students was with the ferule, a long thin piece of wood used for beating students. Because it had a straight edge, it was also useful for drawing straight lines on paper. This is the origin of the school ruler. But there were many other ways of punishing unruly students, and there were also many teachers who relied solely on their own moral authority to control their classes. Many nineteenth century writers have included is their works remembrances of their school experiences, and from these we can gain a picture of the range of approaches to school discipline.

Warren Burton, author of The District School As It Was, tells us of one particularly harsh teacher and the punishments he enployed. "Almost every method was tried that was ever suggested to the brain of pedagogue. Some were feruled on the hand; some were whipped with a rod on the back; some were compelled to hold out, at arm’s length, the largest book which could be found, or a great leaden inkstand, till muscle and nerve, bone and marrow, were tortured with the continued exertion. If the arm bent or inclined from the horizontal level, it was forced back again by a knock of the feruler on the elbow.

"He had recourse to another method, almost as barbarous. It was standing in a stooping posture, with a finger on the head of a nail in the floor. It was a position not particularly favorable to health of body or soundness of mind; the head being brought about as low as the knees, the blood rushing to it, and pressing unnaturally on the veins, often caused a dull pain, and a staggering dizziness.

"These punishments were sometimes rendered doubly painful by their taking place directly in front of the enormous fire, so that the pitiable culprit was roasted as well as racked. Another mode of punishment — an anti-whispering process — was setting the jaws at a painful distance apart, by inserting a chip perpendicularly between the teeth. Then we occasionally had our hair pulled, our noses tweaked, our ears pinched and boxed, or snapped. There were minor penalties, moreover, for minor faults. The uneasy urchins were clapped into the closet, thrust under the desk, or perched on its top. Boys were made to sit in the girls’ seats, amusing the school with their grinning awkwardness; and girls were obliged to sit on the masculine side of the aisle, with crimsoned necks, and faces buried in their aprons.

"I would not have it understood that this master was singular in his punishments; for such methods of correcting offenders have been in use time out of mind. He was distinguished only for resorting to them more frequently than any other instructor within my own observation. The truth is that it seemed to be the prevailing opinion both among teachers and parents, that boys and girls would play and be mischievous, and that consequently masters must punish in some way or other. It was a matter of course; nothing better was expected."

The thinking that Burton reported - "that masters must punish in some way or other" - undoubtedly led many teachers to inflict on their students the same punishments that had been inflicted upon them. But some people questioned the old ways and sought better ways to control their classes. Eliphalet Nott, whose teaching career would ultimately take him to a college presidency, had like many other children, suffered under harsh masters, but he determined not to follow in their footsteps. Of his childhood experiences he remembered that, "if I was not whipped more than three times a week, I considered  myself for the time peculiarly fortunate. This discipline of the rod became peculiarly irksome to me, and I thought, unjustified; and I formed a resolution, if I lived to be a man, I would not be like other men   in  regard to their treatment of children. Through the mercy of God I did live to be a man, and when at the age of eighteen I became installed as master of a district school in the eastern part of Franklin, Connecticut, I made up my mind to substitute in my school moral motives in the place of the rod; and I frankly told my assembled pupils so. The school responded to my appeal, and thereafter, though we played and gamboled together as equals in play-hours, the moment we entered the school-house, a subordination and application to study was observable, that became a matter of remark and admiration among the inhabitants of the district."

George Hoar, a prominent Massachusetts political leader, who attended school in the 1830’s remembered that, “In the infant schools, which were kept by women, of course, the discipline was not expected to be so severe. The schoolmistress in those days wore a busk – a flat piece of lancewood, hornbeam, or some other like tough and elastic wood, thrust into a sort of pocket or sheath in her dress, which came up almost to the chin and came down below the waist. This was intended to preserve the straightness and grace of her figure. When the small boy misbehaved, the schoolma’am would unsheathe this weapon, and for some time thereafter, the culprit found sitting down exceedingly uncomfortable. Sometimes the sole of the schoolmistress’s slipper answered the same purpose, and sometimes a stick from some neighboring birch-tree. It all came to pretty much the same thing in the end. The schoolmistress knew well how to accomplish her purpose. There was a diversity of gifts but the same spirit.” Writing some fifty later, Wilbur Cross, (later a Governor of Connecticut) also found that women were less severe than men: “Women teachers confined their discipline to the ferule which, as it hit the palm of the hand, hurt worse than head bumping, but all in all, corporal punishment was more or less a farce. As it was expected, it did not disturb us much. And it was sheer amusement when the other boy got the licking.” Cross also remembered the unique way one of his early teachers had of dealing with whisperers. “One master carried a pair of horse’s bits in his pocket, which he used to toss on our desk when we got too noisy, where they struck with a rattle that silenced all other sounds. After a recitation was over he would put the bits into the mouth of one of us. Not a bad way to stop whispering throughout the entire school for that day.”

Lucy Lane Allen was well respected during her short teaching career and prided herself on never using corporal punishments: "Before I was seventeen years old I was requested to teach the summer school in the center of the town of Medford, Mass. This I accepted, and was examined by Thomas Prentiss, D.D., in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and sewing. Geography and arithmetic were not taught at that time in the summer schools. Between fifty and sixth pupils attended, some nearly as old as myself. Many of the boys and girls brought work - straw-braiding, sewing and knitting. I taught in that town four summers - until I married - never taking a stick into school or inflicting corporal punishment, as many of my pupils now living can attest. I was invited home with the children very often, and my success in discipline, I think, was owing in a great measure to my intimate acquaintance with the parents, and also to the fact that all of the pupils were busy at some work when not at their books."

An amusing approach to school-house management was reported by Salem Town. He remembered one teacher as, “an Englishman, and said to be well-educated, but half crazy. Folks said he was love-cracked, and I wondered what that meant. His mode of government was unique. When the scholars became noisy, he would stamp his foot upon the floor with tremendous power, and commence pounding his own head with his fist, exclaiming, ‘Children, if you do not behave better, I will go right off and leave you.’ This for the time being would frighten the children into silence".

James Garfield, who would later become the twentieth President of the United States, taught school in his early years as a way of earning money for college. In 1856, he apparently had some unruly students, and seemed to anticipate that words alone would not control them. In his diary he noted that “some of the boys” were “greatly disposed to quarrel with each other and I fear that the rod alone will subdue that pugnacious spirit. When nothing else will, I believe that the effect of it is very salutary. I hate to use it at all”. A few days later he again wrote that “They are inclined to fight and quarrel.” To deal with this, he, “Brought three whips into the schoolhouse, the first that I have had”, and a few days later, (May 6) he had occasion to use them: “Today I was, for the first time in this school, under the very disagreeable necessity of flogging two boys 12 or 14 years old. I had repeatedly warned them against fighting, and told them that if they fought I should castigate them. Today Wm Perdew and Edwin Boyce came to an open rupture and I flogged them thoroughly. I hope I shall have to do so no more. I am not totally averse to corporal punishment, yet I think there is ten times as much done as is necessary. As love is the stronger passion than fear it is better to govern by love as far as we can – but there are exceptions.” Several days later he noted in his dairy that, “I find that the flogging has had a good effect on the school.”

In time the more violent approaches were discontinued by masters or banned by school boards, but it was not until late in the twentieth century that physical punishment was effectively eliminated from the public schools.

Michael Day has been a regular contributor to our e-newsletter and publisher of Books for A One-Room Schoolhouse. We appreciate every submission from Mike! Visit his website at www.clippership-publications.com for resources for your one-room school museum. You can also write for a catalog at Clippership Publications, 13 Laurel Lane, Barkhamsted, CT 06063.

Group Offers Grants to Public Schools

Non-Profit Looks for Country Schools in Need

While the focus of the CSAA is primarily on the preservation of country schools still in existence, some of us may know of country schools still in operation who are in need of funds for special projects. This site may be the answer. Rachel Gurshman of DonorsChoose contacted the CSAA newsletter as a way of reaching out to country schools in particular. Feel free to pass this information on.

DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to fulfill needs and foster innovation in our public schools.  At this nonprofit web site, teachers submit ideas for experiences and materials that their students need to learn. The process is quick and easy and offers teachers the opportunity to bring their most creative ideas to life in the classroom.  These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.  In the past seven years, using this simple plan, DonorsChoose.org has raised and directed more than $14 million to public school classrooms.  In September 2007, DonorsChoose.org expanded nationally and is now available to every public school teacher in the U.S.  If you are a teacher, please submit a proposal today!

If you are not a teacher, but know one (and really, everyone knows a teacher) please direct them to DonorsChoose.org to request the resources their students need to learn.

Rachel J. Gurshman
National Teacher Engagement Manager, DonorsChoose.org
109-F New Street | Decatur, GA 30030
404-370-9004 | rachel@donorschoose.org

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

York Daily Record, 1891 Loucks Road, York, PA 17408, (717)771-2000

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.