What I Remember about the early days of South Side School
Augusta Wynona Elliott
name originated in Selection of Site. District not as large as original west side given to help make Center View School
County. Prairie Land all around about School House East. North East and South East of Dist. tember Brush. no fence cattle & mules roamed the Prairie in herds. Cattle herders. Saddles.
Dress. School children were dressed very warm. girls Linsey dresses & sleeve aprons made of calico: Boys clothes made of jeans. boots fashioned like rubber boots of today. Boots & shoes had a brass or copper strip on toes and pegged soals.
transportation. Walked. rode on horse back.. lumber wagons. or sleighs. very few roads established. something unusual to go to school any other way except to walk..
1st Patrons of School owned their Homes. be they ever so humble. Families of District. 2 families Griffins. Obrines. Crawfords. Scotts. Elliotts Donnahoes. Perkepiles (writing difficult to decipher). Rays. James. Sulivans. Tangneys. Riders. (thanks to them for site for school house). Dumps. Barretts. Meines. Harms. Fishers. Mosbys. Carlins. Harrison. Milburns.
after a few years more Homes were established. Mahnkens. Tolers. Reeds. McDorvels. Leaches. Garrets. Hooks. Tom Donnohues. George Dump’s and others.
School Building erected more than 60 years ago. I started to school the fall of 1874. I was 5 yrs. I have a faint remembrance of my Father going to Sedalia for the lime & sand to plaster the walls of School House. a heavy rain was falling. Father stopped at home to get something to cover up the barrels. the lime was smoking like it was a fire (all of material was hauled by men of the district who volunteered to help.)
Size of Building 36 ft. L. 18 W. 10 1/2 H. l. door in the North. 3 windows on each side East & West. Rock door step. chimney on south. white plastered walls
Equipment 2 rows of long seats with desks & place for books. hand made table with shelf for teacher. large box stove with drum. Fuel. wood. a long low removable BlackBoard made of 2 wide pine planks with a 3 or 4 in frame all around . a place for chalk when not in use. erasers & old cloth. a seat under board called recitation bench. black board was used for table to serve our big last day of school dinner.
Water Suply. A dug cistern walled with rock. drew the water by hand with cag* and chain with horse shoes on one side to make the cag sink. a ceder bucket and tin dipper -- a few years later.
Later door was changed to S. & platform all the way across. Oval stove. Wall maps and Globe of world. chair for teacher & new seats & other equipments.
first Derectors. My Father, Isaac (Ike) Elliott.
these were among the first. Mr. Pete Dump. Mr. Andy Crawford. Mr. J. P. Carlin. Clerk. Mr. P. Donnohoe.
Qualification of teachers. School term. 4 or 5 mon. in winter. 3 mon. in summer April May & June. Price paid $2010 .40
First Teachers, Mr. Perkepile. Mrs. Perkepile.(Summer S1877) Mrs. Devol. (75. 76)
Mr. Wm. Beck. Mr. A. B. Coffey (74 + 75) Mr. J. T Mayfield (78. 1879) Miss Nora Riedy 1880 (79. 80) Later she taught a term & taught Bookkeeping to a class of young men in the community.
Method of teaching. No system. Each teacher made his or her own plans & rules. passed the children on according to their ability to learn I don’t know the exact date the grading system came into use. the first 8th Grade Graduates of South side School was 1896.
Teachers. Mr. Homer Yows. the Graduates. Will Donnahoe (disseased**), Herman McVey & Will Rider. Will’s Father G.H. Rider was President of the School Board. He had the pleasure of Presenting the Diplomas
Reading Taught Paragraphs were ( -----) each scholar read a paragraph in class each lesson. classes. had a list of words taken from the lesson closed book spelled them. 4th & 5th & 6th Reading class spelled & defined the words
Spelling. the school was divided into 2 classes 1st & 2nd class formed a line across school room. sometimes the teacher made a chalk line & we had to toe the mark. words pronounced by teacher beginning at head of class - gave head marks -
Arithmetic. each one who studied Arithmetic usualy was in a different place in the Book. if you could not work an example you had the privilege of going to the t’s*** table & hear she would do the work for you if he could. if not he would promise to bring it to you next day -
in class we recited the Rule and Multiplication table & work examples on board. We had no tablets. used a slate & pencil during study class.
Writing. was usualy taught by teacher setting us a copy on Fools Cap paper later we had coppy book. called Spencerian with coppys all written. all books put away & whole school had a period of 15 min-twice a day for writing. morning & evening. gave prizes for most improvement. here is one of prizes.
History & Geography was taught in different ways. Grammar we had to learn parts of speech. how to diagram a sentence. used slates to do our diagramming during study period in class. We also had memory work assigned us (put on B.Board) friday for Monday morning we had (to) know the work or stay in at play time & learn it.
Enrollment was usualy from 25 to 50 sometimes more.
there was no age limit. there was small opportunity to attend higher schools. I attended
school until the teachers told me it was no use to come any more. took a vacation a term or two was not satisfied. A teacher was employed who wanted to teach the higher branches. we organized a class & studdied a course equal to 2 yr. in High School. Teacher heard us recite at noon hr. & recesses. the class had elocution. Bottany. Composition. Civil Government. Algebra. Physical Geography. Mental Arithmetic & Ancient History & a few of class high Higher Arithmetic. the teacher helped us & we helped her by hearing the small children recite their lessons & work problems for the older ones.
Recreation. every other Friday after recess we had recitations or learned multiplication table by singing it & keeping time with our hands & feet.
Our games. we played Black Man. Dare Base. Anti over. Town Ball. Jump the rope. drop handkerchief. Skating. Snow Ball Battle. & spelling matches at night 2 - 3 times a term.
Other uses of the School Building. a Lodge called Grange was organized. was of a short duration. Sunday School & church services were held. Result. M. E. Church was organized & morals of teachers & people of community was of a high standard & Pt. Pleasant church was built year 1883.
Our School Building we have at present was built 1912. Mr. Henry Fitchen completed the Building for the sum 1175.00 & W. Bast was the designer. Received $54.00. Old Building was sold to Mr. Dan Donnahue for $40.00.
Remarks. Education is the use we make of the things we have learned. We read in the Book of all Books the Bible that the Savior of the world grew in wisdom and status & in favor with God & man. St. Paul admonished Timothy to study to show thy self approved
unto God a work man that needeth not to be ashamed. rightly dividing the truth.
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*cag = keg
**disseased = deceased
***t’s = teacher’s