Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1924-05-28
PUPILS WRITE
HISTORY OF
BOWEN SCHOOL
CONTINUED from last week.

Continued from last week.
Those of the early settlers who
could not buy the candles read and
did their work by a fire light or a
blazing pine knot held in the hand
of a member of the family, or by what
was called dip light, made by burn
ing a piece of cloth dipped In plate
of grease All the homes were heated
by a huge fireplace in which big logs
were burned.
Recreations and amusements were
very scarce, but the settlers were very
hospitable and would go miles to WISH
each other. They never went nome
without eating a meal
Chapter VI-Early Schools
The first school was built in 1881
and was located on the site OF the
present Bowen school. The land for
the school was donated by a man
named Thomas Bowen, and thereby
derived the name by which 1t is called
today. 80 - so
In the early COS between 40 and 81
n11nils attended and were from the
age of six years to eighteen ana
twenty. The first county superlnten-
dent was E. Root. He served from
1S49 to 1851. a,nn
The principal studies were reading,
arithmetic and spelling. The BOOKS
used were the McGuffys.
some of the early teachers were
William Wright, Sarah Drake, Estner
Carter Sarah Smith, Anna Grltflth'
lydia Carter, Mr.. McFran, moline
Rracke Eunice Morse, Amos Morse.
Games were played in those days
much as the children's school SanleS
are now. - ond
| Punishmehts were very severe ana
tho rod was used without mercy on
bovs and girls alike for any small Oh
tense. ,ocA no
One of the school boys of 1864 re-
lated TO the writer how scnool mas
tor at the Bowen school in an angry
nassion threw an open jackknlte at
one of the boy pupils. The knlIe mss
ed the boy and imbedded the plaue III
the wall back of him.
In 1866 or 1867 the Bowen school
district was divided and the Welcn
district was formed, the little frame
building being too small TO accohl lI,,o
date the growing population. ~
district was divided again III 1880 oliu
Mr.. Bruss and Mr.. Welsbenner were
nlaced in the Grays Mill dlstrlct. IL
1890 on 1881 a new school mousse was
hIilt to replace the school OF the carry
SOS. The new school was conSlueleu
very modern as there were Idc'U ny
made desks and an arched roof. Inc
building was built by man n'' ~,
Ianas Mahan. At the time the new
building was put up the nunlpeI "
nuniIs had decreased until there were
only about twenty III atIenodno?
| Aroono the first teachers who occupl-
ed the new school house were n o1l a.
lane Shellcross (now Mrs. Ropert
CoIIiar living at Patch Grove), Mary
I1orro1I retired teacher, living at Ian
caster. aosorihad
ooboo1 building burned in the nlght
and all records, registers, etc, were
dnstroyed. A new modern school mouse
,,1os hI1ilt if having no equal Tor It's
size in the county. IT,. Co..
In renlving 10 a letter asking Ior
dates in pioneer history, one OF the
GIRLS of the early COS wrote: l re-
member the base tree, gnarleu olI
aal- that stood between the ScnoOl
b0nse and the road. One day III lateI
Years I passed by and found II nd4 1
boon ont down. | could not put Ieel
cad when I remembered the MANY
obildish hands that had touched II
and cried. The last to the Base Tree
is the Dodger' But very many VI
those hands were then folded anu
roonv have been since and are, as 10
tho old Base tree, gone forever
Cbontnr VII-Early Churches ana
Missionaries
Church services were held at the
Rownn school by a Primitive Metho-
dist minister named Wood, VINO CAME
occasionally from another mission.
LATER a parsonage was built ana
rocidont minister held services at the
WEIGH school until 1890 when union
church was built, then services IN the
school were discontinued.
Cbanter VIII-The Part 1t TOOK Ill
the Wars
Little Grant sent many brave ooyo
+o foht for Democracy. The Bowen
school sent the following named boys
George Bracket, John George Garth-
waite Isaac Garthwaite, Edmond
Garthwaite. William Creamy, JOSH
James and Plez Pritchett, henry Go9-
lev. Horace Underwood, Frank BID
we'll and Ben Bidwell.
While the Bowen school dlstflcC
sent but two boys to the World war
Little Grant township sent full quo
ia. Some of that number did not re
turn and some have since joined their
comrades cover there" The two boys
from the Bowen district were FLOYD
Govier, son of Ed Govier, and Lutte
Garthwaite, son of Isaac GarthWalte,
the Civil war veteran of 81.
| CHAPTER iX-PeOple Who Live or
Once Lived in the District
The following biography of the pl-
oneer settlers of the Bowen school
district begins in the year 1882. There
NAV be mistakes in dates and original
purchase of the land but it is as au-
thentic as possible after lapse OF
eighty years and no records have been
kept.
There were a good many families
lived in the district who were not land
owners, consequently we cannot trace
them. We may have missed some but
it is unintentional.
ADAMSON WEIGH came from Eng
Hand in 1S43 with his parents, two