Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-07
RECALLS HISTORY OF THE ELM GROVE
SCHOOL THAT is HALF A CENTURY OLD

The fiftieth anniversary of the Elm
Grove school, list Of the directors
! and those who taught there since its
beginning in 1864 is told in a letter
received by The Courier from w. w.
Spurgeon, a former director and an old
| resident of Richland township. The
letter follows:
Ottumwa, Iowa. March 6, 1914.
Editor of The Courier:
This year represents the fiftieth an
niversary of the founding, of Elm
Grove school, sub-district No, 5, Rich
land township, Wapello county, Iowa
Before this time it formed part of
the sub-district of Fairview, but get
ting consent to form a separate dis
trict. the people in March, 1864, cleo.
ted P F. Dang, subdirector. In the
fall of that year the school house was
built which has been used continuous
ly ever since. I
In looking back on our school life,
who is it that does not take pleasure
in recounting the strange incidents in
his school life? If a teacher or fellow
pupil rises to eminence we like to say.
~ went to his school," or He and |
went to school together at Elm Grove
We never tire of telling of the little
incidents that happened there. Most
of US got Impressions and habits there
that will stay with us through life.
By making inquiries of the old resi-
dents and sub-directors | have COM
pete list of all sub-directors and the
teachers they employed since the fall
of 1864.
Elm Grove has been fortunate in
having had good teachers. Some Of
them acquiring eminence in that pro-
fession:
Miss Fannie Thompson who has
held various rinciplships in this and
other states, is now principal of the
high school, Kirkville, la.
Thomas n. Cover has since teaching
at Elm Grove. graduated from Johns
Hopkins University. For the past ten
years he has been professor of eco
Monies and politics at Hazard uni
versity, and is now on the lecture bu-
reau of the United States department
of agriculture. He taught his first
term at Elm Grove.
Miss Catherine Wiersmith who has
taught in the public school Of Ottum-
wa, Iowa, for the past twenty-six years
and now principal of the Irving school,
also taught her first term here.
Other teachers have attained success
in the business world since they quit
teaching:
f. NJ. Jenison who was owner and
editor of The Ottumwa Review, and
now owning a newspaper at Albert
Lea, mimi, taught his first term at
Elm Grove after graduation from the
Iowa Wesleyan university at Mt
Pleasant. Iowa.
IS" w. S. Parks who was county record
er from 1S93-97, and now a partner in
the firm of Parks & Logan, Ottumwa.
taught here in 1888.
Miss Addie B. Brown who taught in
the spring of 1889 is one of the lead
ing women physicians of Los Angeles,
Cal. .s
il Griffith has been connected with
educational work nearly all his life. He
has been secretary of the school board
of Richland township for the past ten
years.
Thomas Crandell and VIM. Barnes
have since entered the ministry and
are working zealously in the Baptist
faith.
Jesse Spurgeon has held several
in this county. He
quit teaching in 1900. Since that time
he has been with the firm of J. H. Mer-
rill Co., Ottumwa.
One sad incident connected with the
school was the death of Miss Helen
Napier after teaching one month in
the spring of 1897. She had taught
in the Kirkville school till the time
she commenced this school. That
with waiting upon her father during
his fatal illness, undermined her
health. She was good teacher and
had bright future before her. II she
had not been summoned by that fate
which calleth to all men.
hope the next fifty years will be as
prosperous as the past May it con-
tinue to give forth those educational
advantage which the country school
can give. till the township is populous