Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-09-17
The State Normal School
Origin, Growth, Present
Condition, Future
Prospects, Etc.
Rebuilding Of the Burnt District :
It's General Appearance.
Other Improvements Manufacturing
Interests General Notes, Etc.
rHp NORMAL SCHOOL. J

vile and come away without doing"
the Normal School, no apology nged
be offered for giving publicity to' the
following memoranda:
In the eighth annual catalogue OF
of this institution the following IS
printed under the head of general in.
formation:
This School was established by the Board
Of Regents of Normal Schools, by virtue OF
power conferred by Chapter 2l6, GeneSsai
Laws of 1866. On the 2Sth of. February, 1866,
the Board, after considering the several pro-
posals for the establishment of the Normal
Schools, by ballot selected Plattevile ~ tse
location of one Of them, In the May To- -
ing, the State accepted the title to the hn.}ric
inc and the grounds of the Pla:tevlle Acade~
nv. and the School was finally located at that
place.
The new building having been completed /,
was formally dedicated on Wednesday, Sep
TENDER 9th, 1868.
And in the "Legislative Manual
for 1874 appears the following, which
is certainly of sufficient interest and
Importance, at this time, to be trans
ferred, bodily to these columns:
Among the provisions for education in the
Constitution of the State, as adopted In lS4S,
il was provided
sThat the revenue of the school fund shall
be exclusively applied to the following OBJ
jects:
DIST. To the support and maintenance of
ah oil IN ush GNhnnI
the purchase of suitable libraries and appur-
tenances therefor.
H2d. That the residue of the Income of the
school fund shall be appropriated to the sup
port of Academies and Normal schools, and
suitable libraries and appurtenances therefor"
Thus early was the need of Normal schools
recognized, but nothing was done to make
any provision for them until 1857, when an
act was passed, providing, "That the income
of twenty five per cent. of the proceeds aris-
ing from the sale of swamp and overlooked
lands, should be appropriated to Normal In
stitutes and Academies, under the supervision
and direction of Board OF Regents OF Nor
NAL Schools who were to be appointed in
pursuance OF the provisions OF that part.
Under this law the income placed at the
dlsposa of the Regents was distributed for
several years to such colleges, academies and
high schools as maintained normal class,
and in proportion TO the number of pupils in
the class who passed satisfactory examlna-
tons, conducted by an agent OF the Board.
This phase of normal work received fresh
impetus under the efforts OF DIR. Henry Bar
nard, who was ageut of the Board while he
continued Chancellor of the University, and
who inaugurated system of Teachers Insti-
tutes, al branch of normal work. Consid-
cradle good was accomplished IN this way,
but the educational sentiment of the State de-
manded the establishment of Normal Schools
proper.
In 1865 the Legislature divided the swamp
lands and swamp land fund into two equal
parts one set apart for drainage purposes,
the other to constitute Normal School Fund
the increase of which should be applied TO
establishing, supporting and maintaining Nor
NAL Schools, under the din eCtion and manage
ment of the Board of Regents of Normal
Schools, with provlso, that cne-fourth oil
such income should be transferred to the COM
mon school fund, until the annual income OF
the school should reach S2O0,0OO.
During the same year, proposals were IN
vted for extending aid in the establishment
of Normal School, IN money, land or build
ings Propositions were received from various
places, and their merits examined and report
ed upon by committee.
In 1866 the Board of Regents was incorpo-
rated by the Legislature. In February, Platte
Vile was conditionally selected as the site OF
a school, and as il had become apparent that
a productive fund of about 100000, with a
net income Of over $4,000, was already in
hand, with prospect of steady increase as
fast as lands were sold, the Board, after care
full investigation and consideration of different
methods, decided upon the policy of establish
ing several schools, and of locating them IN
several parts of the State.
At meeting held on the I'd day of May in
the same year, the Board designated White
water as the site of school for the southeast
ern section of the State, and where building
was subsequently erected; and on the 10th,
perm anently located school at Plattevile,
the academy building having been donated
for that purpose. Oshkosh, Stoughton and
Sheboygan were also designated as suitable
places at which TO locate schools.
The school at Patteville was opened Octo-
Der 8, 1866, under Pref. Chas. III. Allen, pre-
viously agent of the Board, and professor in
charge of the Normal Department of The
State University. Prof. Allen resigned al
the close of four years. service, and the
school has since been in charge of Prof. E..
A. Charlton, from Lockport, N. Y.
In visiting the Platteville Normal
School one very naturally gets closet
ed in President Charlton's private of
fee. This is an intellectual looking
room, of which the very air is redo
lent of the classics and triangles and
remarkable vans and things. Here il
is easy for one 30 be a professor; or,
as Gath might put it, to sit down with
one of these big books open and think
one is professor. Here the Faculty
often sit in council and figure out how
many statesmen and poets and philos-
ophers are composed in The current
class of Seniors.
On the first or ground floor of this
edifice are nine rooms, all fitted to per-
lection for their different offices. The
cloak rooms, three in number, are GER
tainly very handy and are utilized as
they ought to be. The cleansing art
can be practiced successfully in all OF
them, there being water and soap 10
abundance. The mirrors are used a
good deal, particularly those which
reflect the winning faces Otto be
(not) continued.
Now we are conducted into
THE PRIMARY DEPARTMENT,
which is presided over by Miss Mary
Brayman, and this room is neat and
tidy. The tiny souls who inhabit it,
thirty five, plainly show
that they love and highly respect their
teacher, as they are all attention-and
perfect for children SO
young. Miss Brayman apparently
takes great interest in her class and
endeavors to inculcate pure and
noble ideas into the brains of the little
citizens under her charge. We step
IL IL.