The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-09
First Public School.

The children who now attend the public
schools Of Wichita, wher- they are pro-
vided with the best possible facilities for
obtaining an education seldom thiak-in
fact most Of them do not know-that
thirty-one years ago there was no public
school in y -chita- And many Of them do
NOT know when they read in the Eagles
reports Of the board Of education meet
ings. that J. n Martin. chairman of the
committee on buildings and grounds.
moved that the meeting adjourn. that TO
him belongs the credit OF establishing
public schools in this city
When asked by a reporter for the Eagle
- ten how the frsc school was establish
cd in Wichita. ar Martin said:
In 1s7l. the population OF Wichita was
about go There were a few residences
scattered over the prairie. four OF i've
stores on Main street. i've or SIX saloons.
two butcher shops and two churches.
the Episcopal and Presbyterian stockade-
In that year Wichita was made a CITY Of
the third class. and IN the spring an cleo
tion was held. Among the other ofEcials
elected, the following were chosen -aem-
bers OF the board OF education. J. ".
H. =,
clerk, Doctor LewelIen, treasm Soon
after the election the people begun to
say that Wichita could not be city IN
less Il had a school A meeting II the
board OF education was held in the store
Of DR.. LewelIen. and il was decided 70
hold school during three months Of May.
June and July. The only suitable place
ia which school could he held was The
Pres byterian church which stood Al the
corner Of Wichita and Second streets The
church was seated with benches. hit we
placed long tables there at which the
children could write. and which could
be easily removed whenever church ser
vice was 70 be held
The next problem was 10 ind a teach
or. There were not many young women
IN Wichita then who were capable q
teaching a school. but thought of Miss
Jennie Hunter. now Mrs J. H Black OF
this city Nv wife was friend % hers
and she agreed 70 ask the young woman.
TO teach the school Miss Hunter ilally
consented 10 do so. and then she and Mrs.
Martin went over ard induced abe1t s.
children Of ali ages and sizes to gst an
education.
The church was not very desirable
place in which 70 hold the school. as it
was or the prairie and the COW boy
frequently rode around the building and
would whoop in regulation style But
the teacher and the students persevered
and an went well The children were
taken 70 the Fourth Of July celebration Z
IN the park.
u the fan OF ISL. s5.oo0 worth Of bonds
we're issued for the purpose of building
a school house. A building costing 5000
was erected ora the sire Of the present
high school Ii was TWO stories hieh and
had two rooms C. s Caldwell. the pres
e1t secretary az the board Of education
helped 10 build II.
In December ISL, the new building
was dedicated with masquerade BAH.
remember that affair The tickets cost
1--we dollars. and many paid twenty for
heir costumes A man came down from
Kansas City 10 supply the people win cos
-u1nas.
Tho building was duly dedicated but
was n0t used for school purposes untI
.>-9 when the second term OF the plbIic
schools began. Mss Hunter who only
taught patriotic motives. did not teach
this year. and Two ether teachers were
secured.
The two rooms in the school b1rdinc
we're later divided and after that The
guiding had four rooms