The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-11-10
EARLY HISTORY or SCHOOLS
IN KENOSHA COUNTY.

The history of the early establis-
ment of schools in Kenosha County S
imperfect; especially is this true Of tie
towns back from the lake shop.
Friends of education in the several
towns would do an acceptable serYice
by furnishing facts of the first mQe-
ment for schools in their respective
localities. No county in the State his
a better ~recOrd for early attention o
education than this. Mr.. Whitfor(,
late State Superintendent of schools,
in his History of Education, says that
in 1885 there were eight pri0ate schools
in Wisconsin, with an attendance of
Is scholars; this gave an average of a
little over nine scholars to each school
The population of Wisconsin was then
5000.
In the winter of 1886 and 1895 Mis-
Laura Malthy collected about halfa
dozen scholars and opened school IN
the north side of the river, within tie
corporate limits of the present city pf
Kenosha. The place was then call.d
Pike; afterwards called Southport, ard
still later, in 1850, changed to Kenosh.
About the same time of the opening of
Miss Malthy's school in Pike, Rev. ].
LathrOp opened school in the neigh
borhOod known as Spring Brook, in the
town of Pleasant Prairie; a few months
later he began a school in Pike (now
KenOsha). Rev. ]. Lathrop deserves
more than a passing mention; he was
scholarly man. of diversified talent.
His bible commentaries and religious
works are still in manuscript, and may
never be published. He exercised his
genius in painting and poetry, also IN
various mechanical trades; besides, he
was popular preacher.
Mr.. G. Derbyshire collected a few
scholars into school in Pleasant Prsi
RE, on the old Milwaukee road, in 1896,
and Harriet Caldwell, in Somers, in the
same year.
The first school house built in the
county was in the fall of 1887; it was
constructed of logs hewn on the inside,
and in size twenty-five feet square. 1t
was located on Main street, where Nc
Dermott's liquor store now stands, in
Kenosha. This building was used not
only for school purposes, but for relig-
ious meetings, lyceums, caucuses, lee
lures, travelling shows, courts, social
gatherings, SC. About this time, or a
little later, few small schools were
commenced in log cabins in some of
the country towns, where scholars
could be collected from the scattered
families on the prairies. The first
schools established were supported by
subscription. In the winter of 1886
and 1887, the Territorial legislature
adopted the school code of Michigan,
after which, where school districts
were organized, the schools were sus-
tanned by a rate bill-that is, each
family was required to pay in proper
tion to the number of children sent to
school.
The first Free school in Wisconsin
was established in Kenosha (tlen
Southport) in 1S45. This was not only
the first free school in Wisconsin, but
is believed to be the first in what was
then known as the Northwest Terri
tory, now comprising four states. In
February, 1916, a law was passed by
the Territorial legislature allowing the
legal voters in the corporate limits of
Southport to establish school, to be
supported on the taxable property of
The town. By proviso of the law, it
was required to be submitted to vote
Of the people to render it effective.
The law encountered strenuous oppo-
'ition; frequent meetings were held to
discuss the expediency of free schools.
The first meeting called to vote ON the |
question of its adoption broke up in |
.reat confusion; at a second meeting
he law was adopted by a small ma
ority. Steps were at once taken to
AIRY the free schools into effect, and
he success of this pioneer enterprise