FIRST SCHOOLS, PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS—ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS—EARLY SCHOOLS AND PIONEER TEACHERS—DISTRICT SCHOOLS—STATISTICS—MANUAL TRAINING—ATCHISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL—COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION—ATCHISON CITY SCHOOLS—PRIVATE SCHOOLS—MT. ST. SCHOLASTICA’s ACADEMY—PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS—MIDLAND COLLEGE AND WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY—ST. BENEDICT’S COLLEGE.
During the turmoil and confusion that accompanied the movement of population into Atchison when the town and county were organized, the question of schools appeared to be a secondary one. It was not until the bitter days of 1854, 1855 and 1856 had passed that the attention of the people was directed to this important question. The first schools in Atchison were private institutions, and a number of them flourished until after the beginning of the Civil war. Among those which were first in the educational field here was the Baptist Seminary, at the northeast corner of Eleventh and Santa Fe streets. It was a school for young women and was conducted by Mr. Stork. Later Mrs. Lizzie Abbott, who afterwards became the wife of Judge Cassius C. Foster, conducted a young ladies’ school at the northeast corner of Sixth and Laramie streets, and in the eighties Miss Mary Teasdale conducted a private school at the same place. Miss Lizzie Bay, the daughter of Hugh Bay, a prosperous farmer living southwest of Atchison, was also active in early day educational affairs, and so was Mrs. Amanda Blair, at that time Miss Amanda Meeker, who is a resident of Atchison in 1916. Mrs. Blair was the first teacher in Atchison county. While there was no activity in educational affairs during the period just mentioned, the first Territorial legislature did, in fact, pass a law in the summer of 1855 providing for the establishment 267of common schools, but the history of the Atchison county school system did not begin until 1858. The city of Atchison, District Number 1, was organized August 5, 1858. On September 13th of that year a meeting was held in the law office of Franklin B. Adams, and the following school officers were elected: James A. Coulter, director; Dr. William Grimes, treasurer, and Franklin G. Adams, clerk. O. F. Short was the other member. Phillip D. Plattenburg, who had previously served as county superintendent of Fulton county, Illinois, was elected principal of the schools and Mrs. Blair his assistant. School was opened the first week in November, in two rooms over Bury’s Grocery Store, on the corner of Fourth and Commercial streets, where the Y. M. C. A. building now stands. The next year the corps of teachers had increased to four, and Miss Lizzie Bay and Miss Melissa Kipp, who subsequently became the wife of Chief Justice Martin, became the other two teachers. The school was moved to the old Masonic building further west on Commercial street, where it was conducted for two years. Mr. Plattenburg was also appointed county superintendent, and the first teacher’s certificate issued by him in Atchison county was to D. W. Rippy, who died in Severance, Kan., in 1914, the richest man in Doniphan county. Mr. Rippy taught the first school in the Second district, organized near the Waggener farm, southwest of Atchison. Mrs. Blair had her teaching certificate when she arrived in Atchison, as one was issued to her by Dr. Plattenburg in Fulton county, Illinois, before she came to Atchison. Her school opened in Atchison the first Monday in November, 1858, and she had charge of the primary and intermediate departments. Dr. Plattenburg received a salary of $100.00 a month and Mrs. Blair a salary of $45.00, which was increased to $50.00 by Dr. Plattenburg giving her $5.00 of his own salary. Mrs. Blair had sixty-five pupils. Mrs. Blair says that the first spelling match in Atchison county took place in W. D. Rippy’s school. She participated in the spelling match, and was spelled down on the word “Poisonous.”
Mr. Plattenburg served in the capacity of principal and superintendent of schools until May, 1861, when the schools were closed for lack of funds. Because of the Civil war very little progress in education was made, and the records of the county superintendent’s office for that period are not available. The earliest record in the office of the county superintendent concerning the schools of Atchison county is found in an old record book of July 7, 1863, as follows:
“Through the kindness of the present board of County Commissioners, E. Leighton, B. Wallack and C. G. Foster, this book was furnished for the 268records of the public schools of Atchison county. It is hoped that every superintendent, into whose possession this book may fall, will perform every duty devolving upon him officially, and make every effort to advance the cause of education.
“Orlando Sawyer,
“Superintendent of Public Instruction,
“Atchison County.”
Old High School Building, Atchison, Kan.
In spite of the fact that the records of County Superintendent Sawyer, who held his office from 1863 to 1867, are somewhat incomplete, they contain much interesting information.
The average length of the school term for the first year was three and one-half months, and in some districts, owing to the distance and the rigors of the winter climate, school was held only during the summer months. Among the early teachers in this county were Miss Lizzie Keith, who taught in District No. 29 in 1863; Miss Mary A. Shields, who taught in District No. 16 in the same year; Miss Helen L. Bishop, of District No. 26, and Miss Stewart, of District No. 31. Miss Bishop was a pioneer in advocating the teaching of vocational subjects in the public schools, including domestic science, manual training, agriculture and sewing, and for her zeal in this respect she was derided 269and laughed at. Women teachers in those days, as now, outnumbered the men. The following are the names of those who received teacher’s certificates in 1863: July 8, Michael Roach; July 27, Mrs. Esther Thayer; July 30, W. D. Barnett; August 15, Mary A. Shields; August 15, Solomon K. McCrary; August 27, Richard Dunn; September 14, Martha Stewart; September 25, Allen Abbott; September 27, Adelia Guest; October 11, Carlos E. Pease; October 14, John C. Butman; November 23, I. J. Adams; December 1, R. S. Cook; December 4, L. A. Messenger; December 4, Harriet Hollister, and December 4, W. R. DeWitt.
There were thirty-one districts in the county in that year, and the amount of State funds apportioned to Atchison county was $295.30. The school population was 1941, with an enrollment of 1,072, and an average daily attendance of 500. Twenty-nine teachers were employed, twenty-two women and seven men, with an average monthly salary for the men of $25.20 and $16.75 for the women. The total valuation of school houses was $1,050, and the amount of money received from the county was $827.05. The following is a list of the Atchison county school officers in the year 1863:
District No. 1: P. H. Woodard, director; M. S. Gaylord, clerk; F. Bier, treasurer; District No. 3: Peter Boyer, L. A. Messenger and A. Wheeler; District No. 5: Nathan McClintic, Hosea Norris and James Cravins; District No. 6. W. H. Bowen, J. W. Cain and Jonathan Hartman; District No. 8: S. Cummings, Milo Carleton and Lewis Brockman; District No. 9: George Scarborough, Joseph Scarborough and Jacob Pochler; District No. 10: Jacob Beck, Frederick Neerman and James A. Smith; District No. 11: John Graves, Henry Shell and Henry Widner; District No. 15: John W. Best, George Lamberson and Boaz W. Williamson; District No. 17: Hiram Quiett, Chas. Williamson and Wm. Cummings; District No. 18: W. J. Young, F. L. Fortune and A. J. Reed; District No. 19: Henry Cline, F. Leighton and W. J. Mayfield; District No. 20: W. J. Oliphant, D. H. Sprong and Dandridge Holladay; District No. 21: Dwight Williams, Jacob Reese and John J. Halligan; District No. 22: F. Roach, C. B. Keith and Joseph Speer; District No. 23: W. A. Adams, W. H. Seever and W. M. Hamm; District No. 24: James R. May, E. S. Evington and Jefferson Gragg; District No. 26: R. Breedlone, C. May and James Fletcher; District No. 27: James F. Butcher, C. G. Means and W. L. Davis; District No. 28: Andrew C. Pittman, David Earhart and George H. McPherson; District No. 29: Anderson Pate, James M. Wylie and H. T. Gill; District No. 30: P. B. Chadwick, J. W. Roberson and R. A. Van Winkle; District No. 31: Samuel Vanatta, William Hamon and Hamilton 270Bailey; District No. 33: Benj. Rivers, Silas A. Hooey and J. Plotner; District No. 34: D. Kottle, John S. Van Winkle and A. King; District No. 35: A. A. F. Randolph, D. M. Stillman and Joshua Wheeler; union District No. 1: J. A. Anderson, M. C. Willis and George Storch; union District No. 2: James Cooley, L. H. Masterson and Wm. H. Cook; union District No. 3: W. J. Brown, Thos. A. Snoddy and J. Lasswell, and union District No. 4: Richmon Dalton, Albert Henson and Frederick Eleman.
The next record that can be found of the progress of schools in this county is of 1868, when Norman Dunshee was county superintendent. In that year there were forty-six organized school districts, and a school population of 3,878, with a total enrollment of 2,247, and an average daily attendance of 1281. The term for white children was increased to five and one-half months and for colored children to ten months. There was a total of sixty-four teachers, of whom thirty-seven were women and twenty-seven men. The wages of the men were $42.92 a month, and for the women, $28.76 a month, and there was a total of $15,117.87 paid out for wages. The amount received from the State was $2,627.09, and an additional source of revenue was from the pounding of stray livestock, which brought into the school fund of the county that year $589.58. The amount raised by district school tax was $24,373.21, and there were forty-three school houses in the county, of which twelve were built of logs, twenty-six of frame construction, and five of stone, with a total valuation of $16,750.00. During the interim between 1863 and 1868, the Third Kansas Teachers’ Association met in Atchison. The meeting was held July, 1865, and there were fifty-nine teachers present in Price’s Hall. John A. Martin, John J. Ingalls and Geo. W. Glick attended the meeting and made addresses.
In comparison with the figures of those days, the figures of 1915 are interesting, and they are here given as follows:
School population, June 30, 1915 3,530
Total enrollment, 1914–1915 2,477
Average daily attendance, 1914–1915 1,915
Teachers employed, 1915–1916, including county high school, males 23, females 81 104
Teachers employed 1915–1916, including county high school, holding State certificates 19
Normal training 33, first grade 22, second grade 27
Teachers without previous experience 21
271Teachers serving first year in present positions 56
Teachers more than two years in present position 16
Average experience of teachers:
One-teacher schools 5 years
Graded schools 6 years
Average length of term in weeks: 1914–15 1915–16
One-teacher schools 30.4 30.65
Graded schools 35.3 35.33
Average salary of male teachers: 1914–15 1915–16
One-teacher schools 63.75 67.25
Graded schools 84.77 85.81
Average salary of female teachers: 1914–15 1915–16
One-teacher schools 58.16 57.45
Graded schools 59.64 60.00
Average attendance per teacher: 1914–15
One-teacher schools 21
Graded schools 26
Average cost per pupil per month in attendance: 1914–15
One-teacher schools $ 3.69
Graded schools 4.38
Amount expended for school purposes: 1914–15
One-teacher schools $39,756.47
Graded schools 19,212.88
County high school 17,719.71
Total $76,689.06
Common school graduates, 1915:
Boys 57, girls 71, total 128.
High school graduates, 1915:
Boys 17, girls 19, total 36.
Total number of libraries in rural schools 63
Number of volumes in rural libraries 4,314
Number of schools having room or basement furnaces 66
Number of county certificates issued during year:
First grade 9
Second grade 24
Third grade 7 Total 40
272Number of first grade renewed 5
Number of State certificates registered 7
Number teachers normal training certificates registered 13
Number of first grades indorsed 3
Number of second grades indorsed 1
The city of Atchison is not included in any of the above statistics.
It is interesting to note that the vision of Miss Helen E. Bishop of 1863 has been realized, for in every school in Atchison county, not only agriculture is taught, but in about one-third of the schools, plain sewing and various kinds of fancy needlework are taught also, and while no rural school as yet is equipped to teach cooking, a number of the teachers are directing some work along this line and it is done in accordance with the teacher’s directions in the homes, with the assistance of the mothers. More attention than ever is also being given to drawing and music. Earnest efforts are being made by superintendents and teachers to secure the co?peration of parents by means of community gatherings. In many districts teachers’ associations, literary societies and debating clubs have been organized, in which parents as well as children are taking a great interest. Many of the districts have availed themselves of the opportunity to use the stereopticon lectures sent out by the University of Kansas. Lecture courses are being made in some of the schools, and provisions have been made for serving hot lunches for children. Medical inspection is also provided for, through the efforts of teachers. One of the most interesting and valuable features introduced into the rural school work of the county in recent years is the community school fair. The plan is to have three to five schools unite and meet at a school house, where the children enter exhibits of corn, cereals, seeds of various kinds, vegetables and fruits, and in addition to these are also exhibited canned fruits, peaches, jelly and loaves of bread, and other samples of the art of cooking, together with articles of fancy needlework and plain sewing. Many prizes are awarded for the best exhibit, and the result is that much interest is stimulated among the children in these accomplishments. The county farm agent is also lending great assistance in organizing school gardens, and boys’ and girls’ clubs of various kinds for the purpose of agricultural development. Much attention is also paid to the supervision of the children at play, on the theory that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the equipment for the playground of various kinds has been supplied. Six rural schools of the county have organized basketball teams.
273Besides the rural and graded schools, Atchison county has four high schools. Muscotah maintains an accredited four-year high school, offering a college preparatory and general course, and the school building which was destroyed by fire January 13, 1916, will be replaced by a larger and better school, reference to which has already been made in this history.
Under the direction of J. S. Blosser, an excellent two year high school is maintained in Huron.
THE ATCHISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL.
In 1888 Atchison county, in accordance with an act of the Kansas legislature of 1866, established the second county high school in the State, and it was due to the efforts of Senator B. F. Wallack, and also the efforts of the public spirited citizens of Effingham, that this school was located there. The first board of trustees of this school were as follows: A. J. Harwi, A. S. Best. J. E. Logan, F. E. Cloyes, L. R. Spangler and W. E. Knight. John Klopfenstein, who was at that time county superintendent, became the first president of the board.
The present site, which comprises a spacious campus of eight acres, was purchased by the city of Effingham and donated to the county. A handsome pressed brick and stone building was erected in compliance with plans and specifications designed by Alfred Meier, of Atchison. The building, costing more than $22,000.00, was completed in June, 1891. School opened September 14, 1891, with F. J. Squires, principal, assisted by J. O. Ward, Miss Julia Heath, and Miss N. Grace Murphy. Three courses of study were provided for: Normal, general and college preparatory.
On the night of November 6, 1893, the building was destroyed by fire. School was opened the next morning and was continued the remainder of the year down town in lodge rooms, churches, and the public school building. The present building, erected on the same site, was ready for occupancy by the fall of 1894.
Following are the names of the principals who have served the school: J. F. Squires, 1891 to 1893; S. J. Hunter, 1893 and 1896; J. W. Wilson, 1896 to 1907; W. H. Keller, 1907 to 1908; E. H. McMath, 1908 to 1911: J. R. Thierstein, 1911 to 1915, and A. J. McAllister and G. W. Salisbury. 1915 to 1916.
The county high school exists mainly to afford free high school education to every boy and girl in the county. Since its students come principally 274from the rural districts, it must educate them to become better homemakers and better farmers, and to appreciate more fully the advantages of rural life. It must also help prepare better teachers for the rural schools and train them for business as well as for college.
Atchison County High School, Effingham, Kansas
It has grown in efficiency and influence until it is recognized as one of the best high schools in the State and is on the accredited list of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This means that our school is recognized by the colleges of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado, which admit our graduates without examination.
The faculty has increased in number from four in 1892 to twelve in 1915. The number of graduates in 1892 was two, in 1915, thirty. Since its organization the departments of commerce, music, manual training, domestic art, domestic science, and agriculture have been added, a farmers’ short course established, and a demonstration farm in connection with the work in agriculture put into operation.
The school is well equipped in laboratories, and has a library of 3,000 275volumes, and all the leading magazines and papers. A lively interest is taken in athletics, both Young Men’s Christian Association and Young Women’s Christian Association have a large membership. Every year the students have the benefit of a splendid lecture course.
From its halls have been graduated 387 young men and young women, who are now filling positions of honor as doctors, lawyers, ministers, teachers, superintendents, farmers, bankers and missionaries, and are found in nearly every State in the union and in some foreign countries.
Atchison county further increased its educational advantages in June, 1915, by establishing at Potter, a rural high school, in accordance with a law passed by the legislature in 1915. This district is known as Rural High School, District No. 1, and comprises 26? square miles, including portions of nine school districts, five of which lie wholly in Atchison county, and the four others jointly in Atchison, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties.
August 9, 1915, the first school meeting in this district was held, and J. E. Remsburg was elected director, T. F. Hall, treasurer and D. H. Strong, Jr., clerk. It was not necessary for this district to vote bonds for a building, because union District No. 1, which includes Potter, and is a part of the new high school district, already had a beautiful modern four-room structure, which was leased to the newly organized high school district. A. T. Foster was elected first president, and Miss Sarah Armstrong, assistant. The school opened September 6, 1915, with an enrollment of eighteen pupils. The course of study is that prescribed by the State, board of education, and covers four years.
The year 1915–16 has been a year of progress for the schools of Atchison county. The State department of education, by virtue of authority given them by the State legislature in 1915, established a definite standard of efficiency for the rural schools of the State, and formulated plans for standardizing rural schools. As a result, two rural school supervisors were added to the State department. J. A. Shoemaker, county superintendent of this county, was appointed as one of those supervisors, and was succeeded in office by Miss D. Anna Speer, who is making one of the most earnest and efficient county superintendents this county has ever had. It is universally conceded that the board of county commissioners made no mistake when they selected Miss Speer as a successor to Mr. Shoemaker. Miss Speer is making an earnest effort to bring our schools up to the standard set by the State department of education, in which she is receiving the cordial co?peration on the part of the school officers, parents and children of the county. The work that 276is being accomplished here has been highly commended by Miss Julia Stone, one of the new State supervisors, and three schools, approved by the supervisor, have the honor of the first three “Standard Schools” in northeastern Kansas. These are: New Malden District No. 45, H. S. Mahan and Eugene Crawford, teachers; Lancaster District No. 10, O. E. Seeber and Miss Ione Gibson, teachers, and White Clay District No. 6, J. M. Pennington, teacher. In 1915 the County Normal Institute was combined with Midland College Institute, at Midland College. A six weeks’ session was held, June 15 to July 28. Besides thorough reviews of all subjects required for county teachers’ certificates, numerous courses for college credit were offered. The corps of instructors consisted of county superintendent, Miss D. Anna Speer: professors, W. E. Tilberg. E. M. Stahl, S. L. Soper, D. W. Crouse. C. F. Malmberg and Bruno Meinecke.
The following is a list of county superintendents of public instruction of Atchison county from the beginning of our history to the present time:
Philip D. Plattenburg, served September, 1858, to May, 1861.
Orlando Sawyer, served July, 1830, to January, 1867.
Norman Dunsher, served January, 1867, to January, 1869.
Thomas F. Cook, served January, 1869, to January, 1873.
J. E. Remsburg, served January, 1873, to January, 1877.
Mr. Martin, served January, 1877, to January, 1879.
W. H. Tucker, served January, 1879, to January, 1883.
A. G. Drew, served January, 1883, to January, 1885.
J. F. Class, served January, 1885, to January, 1887.
George A. Ward, served January, 1887, to January, 1889.
John Klopfenstein, served January, 1889, to January, 1893.
Samuel Ernst, served January, 1893, to January, 1895.
C. E. Reynolds, served January, 1895, to January, 1899.
John Klopfenstein, served January, 1899, to January, 1901.
E. E. Campbell, served January, 1901, to May, 1901.
The Kansas legislature of 1901 changed the date of beginning of superintendent’s term from the second Monday in January to the second Monday in May, thus creating a vacancy in the office for four months. Mr. Campbell was appointed by the county commissioners to serve during that period.
John Klopfenstein, served May, 1901, to May, 1903.
O. O. Hastings, served May, 1903, to May, 1907.
277J. W. Campbell, served May, 1907, to March 18, 1909, when he died.
J. A. Shoemaker, served March 23, 1909, to July 1, 1915.
D. Anna Speer, served July 1, 1915, and still remains superintendent.
ATCHISON CITY SCHOOLS.
It was lamentable, but, nevertheless true, that there were many residents of the city of Atchison of the early period in its history who doubted the justice of supporting free schools. In 1860 the school board refused to levy a tax for school purposes in the city of Atchison. Following this, however, a more progressive spirit prevailed, and free schools were regularly supported by annual tax levies. For ten years the schools occupied rented quarters, excepting two frame buildings in South Atchison. The basement of the Congregational church, the lower floor of the old Masonic building that stood near the corner of Eighth and Commercial streets, the upper floor of the Auld building on Commercial street, near Sixth, Price’s Hall and probably other buildings were used during those years.
There was little or no general supervision of the work of the schools up to 1866, little or no system, and little distinction between public and private schools.
During this unorganized period the business affairs of the schools were administered by a district board of three members.
Under a law approved March 1, 1867, the Atchison city schools were organized June 3, 1867, at which time the first board of education of Atchison was elected, as follows: First ward, Wm. Scoville, Wm. C. Smith; Second ward, M. L. Gaylord, L. R. Elliott; Third ward, John A. Martin. Julius Holthaus; Fourth ward, Geo. W. Gillespie, Jacob Poehler. In the organization of the first board, Wm. Scoville was elected president, John A. Martin, vice-president, and M. L. Gaylord, clerk.
The board consisted of eight members until Atchison became a city of the first class in 1881, at which time the ward representation was increased to three members each, giving a board of twelve members. At the organization of the first enlarged board, J. C. Fox was elected president; J. B. Kurth, vice-president. The time of organization was the first regular meeting in August, a change from the former time, the first regular meeting in May, which was the law till 1881. During this year the time of organization was extended three months, giving fifteen months’ service under the organization of May, 1880. Another change made at this time was the election of a clerk not a 278member of the board. At the organization, August 1, 1881, M. Noll was elected clerk. He was succeeded in October, by C. N. Seip, who was followed in May, 1882, by James H. Garside.
By the addition of the Fifth ward, 1884, the board organized in August, that year had fifteen members. The board organized in August, 1885, had ten members. This representation continued till the law of 1911 provided for the............