The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1902-07-31
OLD SCHOOL DAYS.
Leonard Lee Relates Some of the Early
History of District Number Two.


An article appeared in the Tele-
graph Courier of July "a, under the
caption, "O1d Landmark Must Co."
referring to the school house of Dis
trict No. 2, Somers, which contained
many mis-statements.
The "old building was NOT the
first erected south of Milwaukee for
school purposes. There was one school
house IN use in the town, at Leet's,
three or four years previous to the first
edifice in District No. 2, which stood
just one-ha1f mile east of the present
ediice. 1t was a small frame building
consisting of one room and was burned
in the dead of cold night in January,
1852, without spectator, and no one
knew of its loss till the next morning.
The teacher, Huron 1. Hanks, of Ke-
nosha, piled his wood too near the
stove when he left the house, Verdict
of the district; stGlad of it-we'll have
new housev' This little building
was erected in 1912 instead of 1914.
After the burning of the first edifce
X
house of Ira Newman, at which it was
voted to raise by tax the sum of $500
for building new house on the pres
ent site. Cheap as building materials
and labor were at that time, the sum
was not sufficient and application was
made to the State Superintendent for
permission to raise an additional 500,
as an existing law did not permit dis
tricts to raise more than $500 without
his sanction. This was in 1852. The
contractors were the White Brothers,
of Kenosha, consisting of A1onzo,
Frank and Joshua, and for the sum of
1850. Their work was acceptable to
the district At the school meeting
one prominent citizen protested against
such extravaganza as raising an addi-
tional 500, declaring that che had edu-
Gated his own boys and didn't want to
be taxed to educate his neighbors'
young-uns. 1t would be building a
better house than they lived in at
home and would only attract the chill
dren away from home, where they
ought to bel" Notwithstanding such
e1oquence the vote was passed. The
structure remains substantially at this
time as it was originally built. The
FIRST seats were exchanged for those
more modern many years ago.
The people of the district were
thoroughly loyal and patriotic, and
furnished many volunteers, several of
whom laid down their lives on the
battlefield, but no meeting Of vo1un-
teers was ever held in heschooi house.
Robert Graham, one of the early
teachers, was a veteran teacher from
Washington county, New York, before
coming to this State, and was first en-
gagged as teacher by the writer, then
District Clerk, about 1858. Vischer
Barnes was small boy and one of
Mr.. Graham's pupils. Hosea Barnes
taught in school house on the RAJ
cine Road, but never In District No. Q.
His subsequent wife was one of his
pupils.
Mr.. Graham and other teachers
raised and maintained the standard of
the school for many years, equal, it
was said, to any school in the State of
its kind, and from reports it still main
tains high .standard. Among the
pupils of Mr.. Graham were the Jor-
dams, Lees, Clapps, Talcotts, New
mans, Foxes, Weeds, Northways,
Runa1s ~, Barnes, Bacons. Curtis,
Pennoyers, Ho1brooks, Pierces, Han
mans, and perhaps others from outside
the district. From the latter family
was the late James Hapnan, assistant
superintendent. of schools in Chicago.
Many mis-statements are of minor
importance, but, by those who know
nothing to the contrary, are accepted
as facts, and being published, pass
into history as such, and are referred
to by succeeding generations as un-
doubted truth. The statements made
by the writer are from personal rec
collections, having been District
Clerk of No. 2 for many years prior to
1867. Exact dates may vary single
year from some of those given, as they
are from memory, and not from
records.
1t is gratifying to note progress and
enterprise in the district by the sue
cessors of the old families and others
of later advent, and it is to be hoped
that their progress may continue. IF
reports are to be credited the school
still maintains high standard and in
erecting a new building, it will un-
doubted1y be credit to The district, as
much SO as was the present structure
half century ago, being then the
best country school in the county. 1t
is also to be hoped that the grounds
may be enlarged to respectable di-
mansions. The present limited area
was all that could be obtained at that
time.
LEONARD LEE.
Double Track to the Missouri River.