River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-02-14
OUR SCHOOLS THEIR HISTORY.

DOdTu Oh Trustees by TesOluIlOn III
vited Benjamin Wilcox A. NJ. ito
take charge of the River Falls
Academy as principal and that the
use of the building be rendered to
him free of rent charge for the term
of three years, and that he be author
lied to collect and receive all the
proceeds of tuition of pupils as COM
pensation for his services; provided
he shall not use said building for any
other purposes than those needed for
instruction of pupils" Mr.. Wilcox
accepted the proposition of the Board
of Trustees, a prospectus of the school
was published in the Prescott Tran
script ''and one of the Hudson
papers, The lower rooms were
finished for occupancy so that Mr..
Wilcox was enabled to open the first
session of the school about the lst of
December, 1856. This was the first
and only school of higher grade than
the ordinary mixed country school
anywhere In the vicinity and the
prospect of such exceptional facilities
for better opportunities for instruc-
ton drew students from a wide area.
The school remained under the
direction of Mr.. Wilcox, in accordance
with the agreement, for three years,
at the termination of which time the
contract was renewed for one year.
At meeting of the Trustees, held
Oct. 2lSt. 1861, the following items
appear in the record, from which one
may ''read between the lines" that
there was some dissatisfaction with
the management of the school. 1T
| was moved that Mr.. Wilcox be
proffered the use of the Academy for
the ensuing term (?) if he will agree
TO pay rent at the rate of one dollar
| per scholar. The motion was lost
After discussion it was moved and
carried that the president and
secretary of the board be a committee
to enter into CORE spondence with
teachers, with view to employing
! one in place of Mr.. Wilcox. and that
they be authorized to proffer the use
| OF the Academy, for twenty five
| dollars per year, 10 any such teacher
as in their Judgment is suitable one
for the position" No other record
occurs until Nov. 22d, 1862, at which,
it being stockholders meeting, this
resolution appears, passing by 125
votes for, to Is against: THAT the
Board of Trustees be authorized to
give the use of the Academy building.
for the coming winter, to school
district No. /, of the town of River
Falls" The Trustees met the same
evening and after electing president,
a secretary, treasurer and a superin-
tendent adjourned. 1t does not
appear from the records that the
Trustees gave the use of the Academy
to the public school district as
authorized by the stockholders.
buC the presumption is that the
district took charge of the house and
conducted free school in the same
from December 1862, although the
corporation retained the ownership
of the property until 1866. Although
by the above record the trustees were
looking for another teacher for 1861
il seems to be the opinion Of people
residing here at that time and still
living in the community that Mr..
Wilcox conducted the school through
that year. They are certain that no
one else did, and if Mr.. Wilcox did not
the building was unoccupied.
The school had an excellent reputa-
tion and many residents of this city
and adjoining towns received instruc
tion under the direction of Mr.. Will
cox. 1t was for a long time the
principal school in this part of the
country from which teachers were
trained and equipped for the country
schools. Even up to the time of the
opening of the Normal here it was
the Mecca of the school teacher for
special training, and great army of
them have gone out all along from
this institution to preach the ''glad
tdings' of free education far and
wide.
No house of worship mad been
built i'm the town up to 1857, the
church people worshiping in the little
public school house. la Ohc spring of
this year the ladies Of the Congrega-
tional sewing society made a PROPOSE |
tiOn to the Board of Trustees to be |
permitted to assist in purchasing a |
bell for the Academy provided they be |
allowed the use of portion of the |
Academy for place of worship. The |
Board laid the petition ION the table"
March Odd 1867, the stockholders
held meetinga and passed resolution
by a vote of IA in favor, TO 30 opposed,
that the Trustees be authorized to |
rent the upper room to any society |
applying therefor when the same
shall be 50 finished as to admit of its
use for the purpose, on such terms as
they shall deem for the best interests
of the Institution" The Trustees
refused to rent the building for such
pun DOSCc. III Dtttll lilC AOIlRItRd- |
tional Society proposed to loan the
Society $500 to assist in finishing off
the upper room and afterwards to
rent it at Sl00a year. The Board re-
fused to accept this proposition The
action of the Trustees in refusing to
rent the building for religious purposes
at q good income seems little
inexplicable, in view OF the fact that
the stockholders by the decisive vote
of IA to 30 had authorized such action,
which would seem equivalent to
directing it. Looking over the list
of stockholders and checking off the
,tocI CT those favorable TO church
work we find a large proportion of the
stock owned by church people. In
the meeting of the stockholders each
person cas- as many votes az he owned
sharessof stock. but in the Board of
Trustees stock did not vote. but
indiridI0ls did
In the meantime a contract had
been made with G. Abbott to finish