The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

OhCL AoL away ALOAI W 1CSClNO
good education. A large amount
of money has been expended up to the
present. time for this purpose and
doubtless will be in the future.
The earliest schools were select or
subscription schools, the first one
being taught by Miss Sarah Hanna,
now Mrs. J. @. A. Marsh. Several of
these were taught by different parties
until 1854, when the first assessment |
for tax for school purposes was levied |
and this was very small, so that the |
school then taught by L. @. M.
Fletcher was partly paid by subscrip
tion. The following year the log
school house was built by subscription
and occupied until the Union build
ing was erected on its present site just
where the log house stood, in 1866.
T. Parsons and Rev. James Thomp.
son, the first Presbyterian minister in
this city,. were probably members of
the first board. Frank Bunker was
later a member Mr.. Fletcher had a
thriving school of 81 scholars in
54'55, and by the winter of 1873
about 30 were enrolled. In 1853 50
Alfred Miner and an assistant taught.
All the early records have been de-
stroyed and the first one is dated
April II, 1868. The secretaries from that
time to the present are Messrs. Coul-
son, J. W. Hoerr, E. D, B. Porter,
Hartman, Fletcher, Parsons Sparrow,
Brewster and Sparrow.
/, At the time of the erection of the
Union building J. A. Willard, Jno.
N. Hall, John W. Hoerr, Thomas R.
Coulson and J. c. Wise Sr. were mem
bers of the board. Mr.. Hall is t
only one now living.
There are six buildings in the city,
r although one, the East ManFato, is
D not in. use at present. The Union
q building is valued at $1S, geo, and is a
a large three story. brick structure. The
y Franklin building has cost about
$50, 900. 1t is a substantial two story
g brick building erected in 1874. The
f Pleasant Grove building was erected
: in 1871 and is large two story build
v ing. In 1884 the West Mankato build,
+ ing was erected and is now valued al
g 81, 900. 1t is also two story building
q of brick.
n TIE high school building is the
IS most expensive and newest of oul
8 school buildings. 1t was erected IL
!. 1891 and is valued at $43, 500. 1t con
If tains large assembly room, recitation
rooms, gymnasium. laboratory ant
superintendent Offices, as we'll as tn
rooms for the eighth grade. In tn
fall manual training department TO
bows will be established with Ernes
- B. Pierce as teacher. This department
% has long been needed and desired b.
a the patrons and will be great impetu
=. to our schools. 1t is hoped that tn
department may be extended yer
shortly so that the girls may be bene
fitted.
There is large library of l., 90
volumes in the high school and tn
other schools have small librarle
started, which are great assistanc
to the students. The supply of appar
atus books of reference, charts, etc.
is very fine.
The work of the schools is under tn
able direction of Supt. Edwin E
Uline, and he has accomplished
1g great deal for their bettermen
He is full of the energy an
nd push which are needed everywhere
and especially in school work, and b
is ably seconded in his plans by til
g teachers under him. Miss Carolir
A. Fullerton is the principal OF TT
high school and Miss Esther FRIED
H. lander, the teacher in Latin; Mi
Emma G. O'Donnell, teacher in alg
bra Miss Bonita Cornish, teacher
English and history F. P. Crandal
the German teacher and W. E. Buscl
the science teacher are her able asst
tauts for next year. The teachers
lis the eighth grade, which occupies thr'
To rooms in the high school building al
d, Misses Minnie Van Blarcum, Liz
be Lewis and Grace e. Comtsock. I'll
principals of the other buildings al
as follows: Franklin, Miss MINI
nd Bangerter; Union, Miss Julia \
yo BIekre; Pleasant Grove, Miss Amel
of Iceberg; West Mankato, Miss MAJ
or Yeoman. Miss Fannie Pitcher
of supervisor of music and drawn
throughout the schools
u The course of study in the hig
y school we'll covers the ground, the
4 being three courses, Latin, Germs
and the general course, each GOVERN
four years. The class this year nun
bered twenty-six, the largest class ev
4 graduated here.
4 The enrolment of the schools W;
4 1850 the past year, and it is expectt
j to largely increase in the near futur
4 Taken all in all the outlook is vel
bright for the advancement of educ;
ton in Mankato.
i The normal school in this city W;
organized Oct. 6, 1858, in the vestl
4 of the Methodist Episcopal churcl
1 and met there for actual work the fo
i lowing day. 1t was the second norm
school established in this state. II
church vestry was used for scho
3 purposes for two weeks, until the cor
pletion of the brick building at Il
= corner of Front and Main streets,