 Primary Sources are Priceless! by Susan Fineman Original documents are treasures to those of us who are researching our one-room schools. Whether we are trying to piece together the typical school day, learning about the rigors of teaching in a district school, or getting a feel for the community of the time, reading the words of those responsible for their schools brings the search to life. I am one of the fortunate schoolhouse docents who have access to priceless primary sources, the annual reports of the Superintending School Committee of our town or city, reports that are so detailed and numerous, we can trace the evolution of the district schools from their construction, to school consolidation, and eventually to their demise. The three men who comprised my city’s early committee were elected officials, often influential businessmen of Nashua, NH. They were articulate and thorough in their reporting, never short on words. It appears nothing escaped the notice of the committeemen and they spared no one's feelings in their very public observations and opinions. After visiting district schools to witness recitations and year end examinations they would write their reports. They openly assessed the job done by the prudential committeemen (prudential referring to each of the 11 individual district committeemen in Nashua), the teachers by name and school, the scholars, and even the parents! I have read reports that extol the virtues of loving teachers who deserve the “approbation” of the public, parents who were attentive and supportive, and scholars who excelled at their closing examination days. I have also seen specific teachers vilified in these reports as totally incompetent, parents as uncooperative and abusive, and scholars as vicious and unruly. They discuss in detail the progress or deficiencies of scholars, the effectiveness or failure of various teaching methods, the specific texts and quantities in each school, and disciplinary tactics. They discuss the condition of school buildings and offer lofty opinions about why some schools are run better than others. They chastise the parents about their children’s absenteeism, laziness, truancy, lack of cleanliness and their ganging up on teachers to drive them from their positions. They tackle a myriad of topics including the lack of uniformity in textbooks, districts not attending to the repair of their schools, ethnic newcomers and the troubles they cause in the schools, the poor articulation of teachers and scholars in recitation, the insidious practice of “whispering” in class, and corporal punishment. On the other hand, they are quick to praise districts that build sound new schools, readily name the schools whose scholars displayed good manners, sweetness in singing, or knowledge of geography, and often report on the proficiency of the readers and mathematicians among the “advanced” scholars of Nashua. The list of topics is seemingly endless, but quite familiar even in contemporary school settings. When you read a smattering of the reports you'll find that the more things change, the more they remain the same! Familiar themes are common to schools of yesterday and today. I begin by offering one of my favorites from the 1846-47 school year regarding the District #2 schoolhouse: “The school during the first six weeks of the winter term, under the charge of Mr. Cummings, was worse than useless. In the early part of the term, one young man assumed the authority on the school, and was of course expelled by the Committee, but by application, after suitable acknowledgement, was reinstated. Soon however, a combination appeared amongst the larger scholars, and during the night, the (master’s) desk would be nailed up, or benches pulled up and piled on top of it, talking aloud, and corn and beans were resorted to in school, etc. etc. All this was known to the district, without any knowledge of the Committee, to prevent it. This state of things was known to the Committee by an application of the teacher to dismiss two of the riotous leaders, and the larger scholars then all left, and by the advice of the Committee, the teacher left also, though no application was made to dismiss him. If these grossly outrageous proceedings had been perpetrated by young beardless boys, there would have been perhaps less cause for complaint, but when young men combine to get rid of a teacher by insults and injuries upon him and the schoolhouse, they should be taken into custody by legal authorities. (However…) their parents or guardians informed of the Statute should have provided to dismiss any teacher, who is not competent, suitable, or profitable. Finally, a man who has not authority enough to maintain his own supremacy in school should not undertake to teach.” Poor Mr. Cummings! More than a century and a half has passed and he remains indelibly incompetent! Apparently he needed a mentor like the teacher in the following account. In reading the following 1847-48 report on District #7 school, I began to wonder if the “loving” Miss Whitford was, (as was often the case) somehow related to a reporting official! Such a tribute: “The summer term continued three months and eleven days under the charge of Miss M.L Whitford. The whole number of scholars during the summer term was thirty-one, with an average attendance of twenty-three. The teacher secured the willing obedience of all her scholars, by adopting the law of kindness and love. She loved her scholars, loved her employment, loved to do her work by system, and to see her pupils doing theirs in the same way--- the scholars seeing the manifestations of that love, made a return of it, by being obedient to her instructions." They continued... "We have seldom seen so strong affection between teacher and scholars, as was exhibited in this school. The constant attendance of most of the scholars, and their rapid progress in the elementary branches, are good evidence of the teacher’s fidelity and success. Miss Whitford possesses a remarkable faculty of training small children to love their lessons and to learn—she infused a lively, attentive, and thoughtful spirit among them. Their movement in the schoolroom was easy, graceful, quick; that sluggish movement and awkward manner, sometimes observed in scholars, had been completely changed by her system of physical training---and the manners of her pupils had been molded by the example of the teacher. Whatever was peculiar and pleasing in her they copied. The children were taught to think and act quickly. There was more general satisfaction manifested by the parents of the district, at the success of Miss Whitford, than is often shown; their approbation of the school is certainly to her praise.” The beleaguered Mr. Cummings wasn't the only teacher to fail miserably in his efforts to command a one-room school. Turnover was common and expected. Teachers both "loving" and "worse than useless" rarely found themselves in a life-long profession in the classroom. Clearly, what stands out most in reading these reports is the eloquence in which the superintending committee wrote of the trials and tribulations of the school districts under their care. It is clear they set a high bar for the improvement of their school districts, while taxpayers demanded a great deal from the small percentage the town allotted to education. That's another story....
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 The Tradition of Greeting Cards...Click on the Photo! Thanksgiving is all about food and family for most of us, but if you're a collector of artifacts appropriate for your school's time period, this might be a good time to check through the ephemera section of your favorite antique shops. Add to your collection of Rewards of Merit and see if you can find Holiday Cards of the past....even for Thanksgiving! We have a number of members who make a point of collecting vintage cards. Our schoolhouse visitors enjoy seeing things from simpler times, and you can discuss how Thanksgiving has changed and what themes have lasted right up to modern times. They might be surprised that Hallmark didn't invent the tradition of holiday cards. Sending greetings and wishes were common even before paper was invented. I'll save some time and offer you a link to that history at left! In the meantime, here are few examples from Google photos, some of which include typical greeting card poetry suitable for a schoolhouse recitation lesson. Have some fun creating a new subject for your program. By the way...if you wish to copy these cards for display, click on each photo and it will enlarge nicely.  CLICK HERE TO ACCESS FREE DIGITAL GOOGLE BOOK "Memory Gems?" Until I began researching the role of a schoolmarm for my job in a local schoolhouse museum, I hadn't encountered the term that I understood as "aphorisms." Curators handed me a list of activities and referred to these sayings as Memory Gems, historically correct and a might easier term for scholars of all ages. It was apparent they were, and still are, an effective way to teach a moral lesson. Teachers in the past used them regularly as daily lessons and actual Memory Gem books were readily available. In District #1 School, we use memory gems for our penmanship lesson with dip ink pens and memorization lessons for recitation. Short and thoughtful, these intelligent moral guides are great for story starters and discussion. Admittedly, I was surprised and encouraged by the mature responses these gems elicited from our young visitors! If you'd like to add memory gems to your program or simply need more resources for variety, here are some suggestions. One immediate resource for Memory Gems, if you need more, can be found for free on Google Books. Memory Gems: A Compilation of Five Hundred Short and Easy Quotations from Three Hundred Authors William Anderson Bowles Jan 1908 · Goodson Gazette Press Two paperbacks that I've added to my collection are: Training for Citizenship: Memory Gems for Character Building-by William Alexander Smith Memory Gems for Children: Based on Nature and Ethics (Classic Reprint) Both are available on Amazon ($14.70) & Alibris and Abe Books, but are a bit higher in price.  Apply Online Now to the End of January 1. It's just about time for our members to think about submitting CSAA grant applications for Scholarship & Artistry, Innovative Curriculum and more. 2. CSAA Preservation grants are for the schoolhouse restoration or disaster relief. 3. Honor Awards are granted for Service, Craftsmanship, and our Young Preservationists. 4. January 31st of each year is the deadline for submission and recipients will be notified by March 31st. Access the links below!   CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO ACCESS THE SMITHSONIAN ONLINE EXHIBIT Meet Edmonia Highgate Thanks to CSAA Board Member, Ralph Buglass, for this fascinating submission! If you we were with us in 2019 at the CSAA Country School Conference, you may recall that the Hosanna School Museum was a school we featured through a presentation by Iris Barnes, Ph.D. The Hosanna School is currently showcased in a Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture online exhibit that you will surely enjoy. Click on the picture at left to reach the Smithsonian Exhibit! Edmonia Goodelle Highgate was an educator, writer, and activist during the Reconstruction Era. Born in Syracuse, New York in 1844, she was the eldest daughter of seven children by Charles and Hannah Francis Highgate. Edmonia graduated from Syracuse High School with honors in 1861. At age 17, she was the school’s first Black graduate. Highgate later earned a teaching certificate from the Syracuse Board of Education. And....the online exhibit also links to a great video about the Hosanna School and a preservation effort underway at a Rosenwald school in another Maryland locality."--Ralph During a leisurely visit to the Hosanna School website, enjoy a drone flyover and digital 3-D look inside this two-story schoolhouse!
www.hosannaschoolmuseum.org/copy-of-hosanna-school "COUNTRY SCHOOLS on COUNTRY ROADS" Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia to Host the 2025 CSAA Annual Country School Conference June 8-10, 2025 Click Button for More Details!  CSAA is celebrating a 20-year milestone and you are invited to join the festivities! It was in 2005 at a meeting in Barbourville, KY that an interested group of one-room school enthusiasts decided to consolidate their efforts and incorporate. The result was that the group became what we now know as the Country School Association of America. Plans are well underway to celebrate that significant beginning with an outstanding conference as we gather at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The 2025 CSAA Conference, "Country Schools on Country Roads," will be held from Sunday, June 8th through Tuesday, June 10th, 2025. The team at Marshall University, headed by Dr. Teresa Eagle, Dean of the College of Education & Professional Development, and Dr. Isaac Lairson, Professor of Literacy Education, are offering a conference focused not only on the traditional Three-R's, but also referencing the basics of historic preservation as set by the Secretary of the Interior: Restoration, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. Attendees will be afforded the opportunity to explore Appalachian heritage, industries, crafts, and cuisine during our time together. The 2025 conference, with an all-new format, begins on Sunday, June, 8th with a host of activities including schoolhouse, campus, and library tours at MU ahead of the 2:00 P.M. opening events. Dinner that evening will include the key note address and the Preservation, Artistry & Scholarship awards presentations. Monday, June 9th will be filled with programs, and that evening’s entertainment will treat attendees to regional music provided by the Stoney Point String Band. On Tuesday, June 10th the Annual Coach Tour, included this year, will provide a fascinating view of Appalachian heritage, industries, crafts, and cuisine as we travel along Country Roads together visiting Country Schools and historic sites reflecting the area’s 3-R's of Historic Preservation - Restoration, Recreation, Repurpose. Our trip culminates at Heritage Farm Museum & Village where we will have an opportunity to tour the open-air museum, visit the exhibits, and admire the beautifully restored one-room schoolhouse which sits on the former location of Ratcliff School. There we will enjoy dinner and a theatrical performance to round out the day and conclude CSAA’s 2025 conference. Mark your calendars! This will be a unique conference making historical connections to education and preservation while providing schoolhouse enthusiasts an opportunity to connect to friends old and new as they experience “Almost Heaven,” West Virginia!  Heritage Farm Museum and Village  CSAA Travel Memories & Virtual Tour In June of 2017, a skilled driver maneuvered his busload of CSAA conference goers half-way up Tucker Mountain Road in East Andover, NH. This is a dirt road wide enough...well...for one bus. Had you been a down the mountain traveler, it would have been a bit shocking to see a luxury coach in your path. The visit took us to the Tucker Mountain School as part of our annual coach tour of local schoolhouses. Colby- Sawyer College was the conference venue and we traveled to seven NH country schools that beautiful June day. Here, Andover Historical Society Trustee, Donna Baker-Hartwell, takes us on a virtual tour of the Tucker Mountain Schoolhouse. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a museum exhibiting details of an earlier way of education. The museum is open from 1 to 3 PM on the second Sunday of the month from June to October. The schoolhouse was built in 1837 to provide elementary education for the children of Tucker Mountain on land donated by William Tucker in 1836. The schoolhouse, built by William's brother Benjami Tucker, cost $100. This schoolhouse is the ONLY one of the 13 that existed in Andover at the end of the 19th century that remains in its original condition. It stands today on its original location, looking much as it did when it was active as a local schoolhouse. It was donated to the Andover Historical Society by Madelyn Thompson Baker in 2004 to ensure the continuing maintenance and preservation of this unique historic building. Tucker Mountain Bonus Video Below! Early Days of Education in New England "Year 1887: A Re-enactment of a Day at the Tucker Mountain School, E. Andover, New Hampshire" Written and produced by Donna Baker-Hartwell This authentic photo taken in 1887 would lead its owner to a delightful discovery and an endearing re-creation of that moment in time. Enjoy her original script and the story of the production! After researching town reports, Donna Baker-Hartwell discovered the teacher in her vintage photo was none other than her own great-grandmother, Stella Tuttle! She dreamed of bringing that photo alive in a video, and she set out to do just that. Donna wrote the script about a day at Tucker Mountain School, collected artifacts for the school, enlisted the help of locals to ready the schoolhouse, and organized residents and schoolchildren to portray their 19th century counterparts. She was ready to realize her dream. It is amazing to note is that the video was completed in only two days of filming with no rehearsals! Acknowledgement and thanks to: Donna Baker-Hartwell and the good citizens of E. Andover.  1887 Photo Inspires Reenactment Video in East Andover, NH A little red schoolhouse, a tree-lined lane, a young teacher watchful of her students, a batted ball in mid-flight. This captivating photograph of a moment in time in 1887 resurfaced in 2010 and piqued the interest of East Andover, NH native, Donna Baker-Hartwell, who lives a short distance from the Tucker Mountain School. In fact, Donna's mother purchased this schoolhouse in the 1960's and eventually donated it to the Andover Historical Society in 2004. In time, Donna would uncover her family's connection to the snapshot as well, and embark on a journey to bring the photo to life in a short film. Through Donna's own words, we will discover what she learned of its history and how she envisioned her project. Enjoy her video above! Donna's Story... Submitted by Donna Baker-Hartwell "I've always loved the old photo of the students playing outside the school. And I often thought that it would be fun to reenact that very moment. I began to plan for the reenactment at the Tucker Mountain School. I had just met Ethney McMahon (videographer) while she and friend Larry Chase were creating the video, "This Old Town." I showed her the old photo and told her what I wanted to do. She volunteered her time and talent to help. There could not have been anyone better to work with. The Schoolhouse Work Work to restore the outside of the schoolhouse had recently been done, putting wooden shingles on the roof and the installing a replica of the original chimney. However, inside the classroom, the ceiling needed to be restored to its original plaster surface. I called contractor Ken Reid to ask him if he thought it was possible to get it done before cold weather (which meant about 3 weeks). He said that he didn't see why not! His encouragement, enthusiasm and willingness to help get this done kept the reenactment project moving forward. The Cast, the Crew, and the Script I wanted Andover children to take part in the film and I was thrilled when four of the members of the cast were Tucker Mountain residents. Adult actors would be Andover residents as well. It was rather magical when things started to fall into place. Heather Makechnie was the best person for overseeing the making of the costumes. She had a good eye for detail. The costumes were made by volunteers and paid for by private donations. I wrote the script with the help of town and school reports and our two town history publications- the Eastman and Chaffee. Then I began collecting school books, slates and other artifacts which would be needed for authenticity. We held an organizational meeting with cast members and parents and set the dates for the filming. All of the interior scenes were to be filmed on April 18th of 2010 and all of the exterior scenes were to be filmed on June 5th. There were no rehearsals and we had one day for filming. The Revelation and Change of Plans! Two nights before the filming began, I was working on creating a "record book" for the classroom attendance. I went back through town and school reports. I had been focusing on the reports of 1889 and 1890 as these were the years history books had labeled this photo as having been taken. I happened to pick up the 1888 report and discovered that Issa Tuttle (my great-grandmother's sister) taught at the school in 1887. I knew I had one good photo of Issa in family genealogy files and soon I had it in my hands and could match it with the figure of the teacher in the photo. This lead to the discovery that the central figure in the photo was Issa's younger sister, my great-grandmother, Stella Tuttle! I had two days to correct the history, rewrite the script, give some of the cast new identities and add more students. I wanted the reenactment to be historically correct. It was both exciting and nerve wracking to say the least. The end result is a video clip of under ten minutes which I hope will be a useful teaching tool for understanding what rural education was like in New England in the late1800's. Musician, Kathy Lowe of New London volunteered her talent as a dulcimer player to provide music of the period." Additional information from Donna Baker-Hartwell's research....
 One of our more prolific contributors to CSAA publications across the years has been Mike Day of Barkhamsted, CT. Mike was always a dedicated schoolhouse preservationist and researcher and here we offer another of his varied essays on country schooling. Imagine the days when the schoolmarm or schoolmaster had to "live in" with the families in the district during their teaching term, sleeping, eating, and communing with their students and parents for some set period of time. Today, unthinkable! Here is Mike's take on an archaic practice.
BOARDING ROUND By Michael Day For much of the 19th century teachers were itinerant laborers who moved from one community to another in search of work. Certainly there were "home-grown" teachers, particularly in view of the fact that no special training was needed for the job. But if a community expected to attract an educated teacher, special accommodations had to be made, so communities routinely provided room and board for the teacher. In a story called "The Sufferings of a Country Schoolmaster," William Austin described how one community solicited bids at the Annual Town Meeting for the job of boarding and feeding the schoolmaster. There was, in effect, a reverse auction with the lowest bidder getting the job of keeping the teacher. Austin wrote that he was, "at noonday publicly sold at auction," and went on to describe how he was so poorly fed that he had to catch squirrels and wild rabbits in order to avoid starvation. But more often than not, the teachers were expected to "board round," that is, live with their students' families, often moving each week from one house to the next. This was considered a good way for the teacher to get to know the children and the families, and it did reduce the town's out-of-pocket expenses. For the teacher, "boarding round" could be a trial, and the conditions of their "board" are a common theme in the letters and stories that teachers wrote. One teacher from Wisconsin in an 1851 letter wrote of her experience boarding round: "I found it very unpleasant, especially during the winter and spring terms, for one week I would board where I would have a comfortable room; the next week my room would be so open that the snow would blow in, and sometimes I would find it on my bed, and also in it. A part of the places where I boarded I had flannel sheets to sleep in; and the others cotton. But the most unpleasant part was being obliged to walk through the snow and water. I suffered much from colds and a cough." Another young lady from Connecticut on her first teaching assignment on the frontier of Wisconsin wrote a similar letter and added, "But what was worse than all, I was obliged to sleep in the same room with Mr. & Mrs. Richardson. It is a very common thing for both sexes to sleep in the same room." The practice seems to have been wide-spread, but specifics are hard to find. In 1846 the report of the Connecticut Board of Education noted that, state-wide, 911 teachers were found to "board round" while 174 were found to "board themselves.” In the more rural counties "boarding round" was the norm. Windham County , in the northeast corner, reported 101 teachers boarding round and only one boarding himself; in Litchfield County , in the northwest corner, 157 teachers were boarding round, while 5 boarded themselves. Unfortunately, follow-up statistics were not included in subsequent State reports. That the practice continued is suggested by the fact that State reports on teacher pay throughout 1860's included the caveat, "including board." In the 1870's, teacher pay was reported as "including board where provided" but by 1885 the "board" notation was dropped entirely. The practice of "boarding round" probably died out gradually. By the late 1860's and early 70's, there was a significant increase in the number of female teachers and concerns were being voiced about the propriety of the arrangement. A correspondent was quoted in the 1869 State Board of Education report as saying, "The teachers in nearly all the districts "boarded round." This practice is especially objectionable, now that so many female teachers are employed in winter. It is in every respect for the interests of the town that the teachers should have one boarding place." The idea of "one boarding place" seems to have taken hold, and in later years we hear of towns owning a "Teacherage" where the teachers would live. *We have researched to locate Mike Day numerous times on-line and have been unsuccessful. At one time he produced many wonderful reproduction primers and print materials for use in country school museums, but Clippership Publications is also presumably out of business. If you know how to reach Mike Day please let us know how as well. Note: The subject of a Teacherage is a great idea for a future Report Card post!  Summit School or "Straw College" Historic Village and One-Room Schools in Kalona, IA - (Video) Fall Festival Information Attend this two-day event and visit a schoolhouse at Kalona Historical Village! Take a stroll through the scenic 1800’s village and explore pioneer life in 12 authentic buildings. Each building is restored and filled with interesting artifacts and informative displays depicting the rugged years our immigrant settlers spent taming the Iowa prairie. Leave behind the stress of today’s world and savor the family values, hard work ethic and unpretentious lifestyle of an earlier age. The second half of the video below deals mainly with the country school at the village named the Summit School. Built in 1850 it was nicknamed “Straw College” because straw was stuffed behind the wainscoting during the winter for insulation. The school originally stood on the prairie south of Kalona. As part of the Mid-Prairie School district, it was used as a typing room by them until they donated it to the Kalona Historical Village in 1972. It was restored in 1973. The Summit School hosted many much-anticipated yearly spelling bees. Students and families gathered in this one-room schoolhouse, excitedly waiting for the big bee. One teacher taught all the grade levels in one room. Students received instruction that was appropriate for living a better life as a pioneer on the prairie. Additional area schools are featured as well, and you can get a glimpse of the interior of a new order Amish school, Meadow Lane Schoolhouse, in Kalona. FALL FESTIVAL 2024 SEPTEMBER 27th AND 28th Thanks to Kalona Historical Village for this information and an invitation to visit! Check out the 2024 Fall Festival Friday, September 27th: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm Saturday, September 28th: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Click on the photo below!  CLICK ON THIS PHOTO FOR INFORMATION ON THE 2024 FALL FESTIVAL The poem below caught my eye as a very sweet tale about a country school boy who may have had more important things on his mind when his schoolmarm/master was teaching American history lessons. It raises the question though, "Did Johnny ever pass his 8th grade examination with THIS compendium of knowledge?" Johnny's History Lesson by Nixon Waterman I think, of all the things at school A boy has got to do, That studyin' hist'ry, as a rule, Is worst of all, don't you? Of dates there are an awful sight, An' though I study day an' night, There's only one I've got just right - That's 1492. Columbus crossed the Delaware In 1492. We whipped the British, fair an' square, In 1492. At Concord an' at Lexington. We kept the redcoats on the run, While the band played Johnny Get Your Gun, In 1492. Pat Henry, with his dyin' breath - In 1492 Said, "Gimme liberty or death!" In 1492. An' Barbara Frietchie, so 'tis said, Cried, "Shoot if you must this old, gray head, But I'd rather it be your own instead!" In 1492. The Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock In 1492. An' the Indians standin' on the dock Asked, "What are you goin' to do?" An' they said, "We seek your harbor drear(y) That our children's children's children dear, May boast that their forefathers landed here In 1492" Miss Pocahontas saved the life, In 1492. Of one John Smith, an' became his wife In 1492. An' the Smith tribe started then an' there, An' now, there are John Smiths everywhere, But they didn't have any Smiths to spare In 1492. Kentucky was settled by Daniel Boone In 1492. An' I think the cow jumped over the moon In 1492. Ben Franklin flew his kite so high He drew the lightnin' from the sky, An' Washington couldn't tell a lie, In 1492. Note: This little poem was one of many written by Nixon Waterman (much more serious, of course) who was born in 1859 in Kendall County, IL, when it was part of Indian Territory. He died in September 1944 in Canton, Massachusetts. Waterman was a newspaperman, prolific poet, essayist, and creator of countless stories and anthems. He became a noted Chautauqua lecturer who rose to prominence in the 1890s. His life story is fascinating, a pioneer who lived the American Dream. Here you'll find a link to an inspiring article about this very successful American wordsmith. Click on the poem by Nixon Waterman or his portrait below: If you make connections with country schools in your travels or on-line, an easy way to introduce caretakers to our organization is to share with them our 6-minute video slide show that explains how CSAA serves schoolhouse enthusiasts ....or copy and send them a link to this short promotion. The narrated video has been updated and says a lot in those six short minutes. Here is the link for their easy access or tune in yourself for a little review. The link will also take new people to our website where they can learn even more about grants, annual conference, resources, support, and friendship. Let's get the word out there about CSAA! The link to forward our video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnG-R8Ny-X0  Bill Locates "Best of Show" at Iowa State Fair There is good reason Bill Sherman is proud of artist Grant Wood. Both he and Wood are native sons of Iowa who have revered their beloved state and have shared that passion in different ways. CSAA's Co-Founder, Bill Sherman, is known by country school enthusiasts as the most ardent promotor of schoolhouse restoration, preservation, and history in Iowa and across the nation. Bill is so dedicated, he believes Iowa should be known as the "Country School Capital,".... and we'll give him that! Grant Wood is the artist whose best known and recognized work is "American Gothic" portraying a farmer (holding a pitchfork) and his daughter in front of a classic Iowa farmhouse of the 1930's, people Wood envisioned would live there. For those who love one-room schools, Grant Wood is remembered for the painting entitled "Arbor Day," a scene reminiscent of the days he attended a country school in Antioch, Iowa. Just this month, Bill made his annual pilgrimage to the Iowa State Fair and located a 3-D hand carved replica of Grant Wood's painting "Arbor Day" as it is portrayed on the 2004 edition of the Iowa quarter! Coincidently 2024 marks the 20th anniversary since Grant Wood's painting was selected as the image for the Iowa State coin that year. It depicts scholars at a one-room school planting a tree to celebrate Arbor Day, the holiday first instituted in Nebraska in 1872. The idea of Arbor Day spread quickly across the US and millions of trees were planted to observe the holiday. Today, it is generally celebrated the last Friday of April, but schedules are flexible due to climate. The decision to select "Arbor Day" as the motif for the Iowa quarter was made by then Governor Thomas Vilsack who now serves as the US Secretary of Agriculture. Possibly unknown to some of our readers, Bill Sherman was actually instrumental in promoting and securing that image (twenty years ago) for the casting of this Grant Wood commemorative coin! How fitting it was for Bill to locate the creative wood carving of "Arbor Day," awarded "Best of Show" at the Iowa State Fair. The vignette below describes Bill Sherman's usual search for anything SCHOOLHOUSE. "As you can see by the purple ribbon this original carving was selected as the “Best of Show” by the judges at the Iowa State Fair in a Miniature Room carving competition. I was unaware there was any such building at the Iowa State Fair but happened to stop by the 4-H Exhibits Building. I asked to speak to the woman who was in charge of this part of the 4-H program in Iowa to see if there were any one-room school exhibits on display this year at the fair. She said she didn’t think so, but a few moments later she said she had seen an image of the Arbor Day school building in another part of the fairgrounds. I asked where that building was located. I quickly raced over to the building and the rest is history as far as I'm concerned. I’m probably the only person who attended the fair that felt the same way." ...Bill Sherman The photo was taken by Bill on Saturday, August 17th at the Iowa State Fair which he reported set a daily attendance record of over 1,000,000 for the 12 day s the fair was open. We thank Bill Sherman for more than we could catalogue here, but we do know you'll enjoy the information he submitted for this post.  Rules for Teachers and Students As we visit country schoolhouse museums across the country we often find posted a set of "Rules for Teachers" and some schools post rules for students. The two most common are the Rules for Teachers of 1872 and Rules for Teachers 1915, both of which have questionable provenance and their veracity has been debated elsewhere on the web. (They're still fun to imagine!) And those rules for students? When you consult the numerous 19th century books of "manners for children," the lists of do's and don'ts are daunting and cover rules for deportment at the table, in public, with strangers, in hygiene, in church, with their superiors, in school, etc. If you enjoy reading memoirs of teachers in our early country schools, you can imagine the many rules that COULD have been set in stone for students to ponder in idle moments....and maybe they did appear in conspicuous places in the classroom. But, lists of rules could also be so extensive they created more complications than the infractions they were designed to arrest! Living history schoolmarms and schoolmasters enjoy talking about the rules of the past that today's students find instructive, strict, or even hilarious...as in the case of, "Only one student at a time may go to the outhouse, or "Students will sweep and dust the room at the close of school." They respond by asking WHY two people would EVER go in an outhouse together...or they explain that their, "custodian sweeps the room!" One of the many treasures left by our dear CSAA friend, Susan Webb ("The Traveling Schoolmarm") is a very simple and usable list of Scholar's Rules that can serve any schoolhouse museum if they wish to post a list of proper schoolhouse behaviors. We share it here...click on the image for a printable PDF.   If you need more ideas for your list, check out this set of Instructions and Manners for Your School! This one is courtesy of the District #1 Schoolhouse in Nashua, NH from their "Standard Second Reader," a compilation of 19th century stories and poems printed in a reproduction reader. Click in the image at left for a printable PDF.  The Haunted Schoolhouse of Newburyport, Massachusetts - 1873 From: Ghosts of Newburyport – Charles Street Schoolhouse Brick and Tree-October 2009, by indijerry77 The story goes like this....In about 1860, a male student at the Charles Street School in Newburyport, MA had committed some “horrible” (unspecified) act and had been given the appropriate (?!) punishment. He was severely beaten, locked in the basement of the building, and was left there the entire day while fellow students were ordered to ignore his cries and moans. When the school day ended he was helped home and died later that night. The teacher, "well within his rights as a disciplinarian," suffered no repercussions. It was this single event that began the rumors that the school was haunted by this boy but there was no sign of such a thing until the fateful year of 1871. This particular schoolhouse was situated very close to the port on the Atlantic. It was intended for the poorer children of the town and even in 1871 was in need of some repairs. The Charles Street School had become a dumping ground of the unwanted, needy kids of that day, and it tended to be overcrowded. Discipline was very strict in those days and may have been what triggered these ghostly happenings 11 years later. Spectral events began occurring in the schoolhouse that were basically the stuff of Hollywood special effects. There were ghostly apparitions of a boy, solid objects floated through the air and hovered above onlookers’ heads. There were loud knocking sounds and objects flying about the room. Teacher and children became increasingly alarmed and parents demanded an investigation. There were those who suspected that some of the activities were hoaxes, but many occurrences were seen by multiple witnesses and with no explanation at the time – the floating apparitions, heavy iron stove tops hovering in the air and the banging in desks and on the walls...in several different directions and locations at the same time! When the parents were told of these events by their children, they began to talk, and in turn the reports of the Charles Street ghost made it into the local newspaper, then into the Boston Media and soon enough, people across the country were reading about the young phantom of Newburyport, Massachusetts. For a brief time, Newburyport’s name was heard in excited conversations across the nation. In 1873 Loring Publishers of Boston wrote a detailed 24-page booklet detailing the happenings that unfolded at the Charles Street School, complete with line drawings, testimony, and local flavor, further spreading the belief that the events were indeed real. (You can access the digital copy of this pamphlet compliments of Harvard University at the end of this post!) Famous celebrities like Oliver Wendell Holmes came to try to debunk the story. Spiritualists who were an emerging movement at the time came to the school to perform seances to exorcise the "spirit." The town established a committee to investigate and possibly disprove the events. Their findings claimed that it was a hoax but most in the city felt the committee’s report was rigged from the start and no one took the findings seriously. They believed the ghost was real! "At a meeting of the school committee held Monday evening, February 24, 1873, the condition of the Charles Street primary school was taken into consideration and a sub-committee, previously appointed, reported in detail the facts that had been discovered after careful investigation. They recommended that a vacation of three or four weeks be allowed Miss Perkins, the teacher, and a substitute be employed to take her place. This report, signed by Samuel J. Spalding, pastor of the Whitefield Congregational church and society, and George D. Johnson, rector of St. Paul’s church, gave a brief summary of the facts established by the investigation, and closed with the following statement : After deducting the baseless and purely sensational stories put afloat and the exaggerations which the excited imaginations of credulous persons have made, and sights and sounds that can be accounted for by the most simple principles of natural philosophy, and by the tricks of mischievous boys (quite as natural), there is hardly enough left out of which to make a small ghost. The recommendations of the sub-committee were subsequently adopted. Miss Perkins was granted a vacation of several weeks for rest and recreation, after the severe mental strain that had seriously impaired her health and strength, and the Charles street school was placed in charge of Nathan A. Moulton. The ordinary routine of school work was resumed, the mysterious sights and sounds ceased, and all traces of ghostly visitors disappeared." A few years later the school building was sold by order of the committee on public property. It was repaired and remodeled, and according to local authorities of the time...the school is, "now a comfortable and convenient dwelling house." Just as they suddenly appeared, the apparition and supernatural activities ceased in 1873 just as quickly and no one has reported anything in the building since. Over the years, the homeowners reported no spectral activities after that. If we've piqued your interest you may wish to read the digital pamphlet provided below...or check out two other articles on the same story. FACT OR FICTION...decide for yourself! Do Not Miss This Post! Watch and Learn!
This is one of those compelling posts graciously submitted by some hard working members of our CSAA community. If you are lamenting that your historical society is aging out, interest is waning, or you can't marshal community support, here is a story that will give you both encouragement and hope that you can "spark joy" for history once again. At the 2024 CSAA Annual Country School Conference held in Toledo, OH (June 9-12), three dedicated schoolhouse enthusiasts told the story of a small town group that started with virtually nothing to amass enough from fundraisers, donations, and grants to engineer a site for the creation of an entire historical village! The dynamic ladies from Dunkerton, Iowa (population 821) presented their program entitled: “VILLAGE PEOPLE - YMCA?” Representatives LuAnn Chapman, Teresa Stafford, and Julie Heiple of the Dunkerton Historical & Tourism Association, shared the story of a local group's determination to spur an entire community into action. They explained in detail how a number of small town Iowa residents dreamed of moving a train depot, two school houses, and a chapel to build an educational village....and how they are succeeding! Their presentation covered in depth how their 501(c)(3) was formed, explaining the make-up of the board, and how community leaders were lobbied. It addressed how local architects and construction firms were approached to obtain bids and buy in on the project. And, they answered the question many of us continue to face: How can we start a grass roots funding project that can bring in over $100,000 in one year, all while building our online museum catalog of artifacts and historic memorabilia (including items related to our one room schoolhouses). They answered those questions while sharing their own undaunted success story! They offered ideas on grants, how to think outside the box for fund raising, and how you can use your local story to build support and achieve goals. How fortunate we are that the DHTA (Dunkerton Historical& Tourism Association) has kindly shared their presentation with readers of The Report Card. The resources they created are donated right here for your benefit. This group has walked the walk and they have succeeded! Their side show presentation will prove to you that community support is not only possible, but inevitable, if you lay the groundwork and do not waver. 1. Attached you will find a timeline...Two Years: Dunkerton Historical & Tourism Association April 2022-April 2024. The PDF list highlights the activities that brought in the funding for the realization of their dream. You will be astounded!! 2. You will also be treated to the actual slide presentation of their progress via YouTube. Turn up the volume and be inspired!!!! Individual slides are also attached. 3. Thrilling to all of us, watch the bird's eye view videos created recently with drone footage featuring the DHTA's move of two historic schoolhouses (Barclay #3 and Bennington/Gresham #1) to their property, the site of the future historic village. You are witness to the beginnings of this fascinating tourist attraction. Heartwarming!! 4. You are also invited to attend the one-day Iowa Country School Conference: Saturday, October 12,2024 - 11:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. - at the Dunkerton Public Library. 203 East Tower Street, Dunkerton, IA 50626...or access more information at www.dunkertonhistory.com. More detailed conference information will be posted on their website and on this blog as soon as we receive it.  Clifton Johnson, Author & Illustrator What was it Really Like? Clifton Johnson (January 25, 1865 – January 22, 1940) was an American author, illustrator, and photographer. He published some 125 books in many genres including travel books, children's stories, and biographies, many with his own illustrations and photographs. This is the opening for Clifton Johnson's biography on Wikipedia, which includes a detailed inventory of his contributions to the literary world. So what has Johnson to do with our focus on country schools? You'll be surprised to learn how this talented author wrote one of the definitive schoolhouse memoirs describing life in a typical New England 19th century one-room school in Hadley, Massachusetts. Interestingly enough, he wrote this book from memories, "largely his own," as he was 28 years old when he penned "The Country School" in 1893. He includes countless details he obtained from interviews with "friends and acquaintances" who were former students of 19th century schoolhouses. He admittedly staged the photographs for the book (which he took himself), setting up his subjects in the same schoolhouse he attended as a boy. Clifton not only attended the school, but he married the schoolmarm, Anna Tweed, who was teaching at the Hockanum School in 1896. The School still stands today in his hometown of Hadley. His career in writing and publishing is fascinating. Johnson breaks his chapters into "Old Fashioned School Days:" 1800-1825, "The Mid-Century Schools:" 1840-1860, and "The Country School of Today:" (1860-1893- apparently). His book was so popular it went into a number of printings through 1907. Free Digital Copy Link: The Country School, by Clifton Johnson The 1907 edition has been carefully digitized and I am attaching the link below so you can take full advantage of Johnson's remembrances as well as those he obtained through interviews. We thank the Wayback Machine Internet Archive for making this wonderful resource available online. Take a peek into the past for a revealing picture of the "goings on" involving a 19th century one-room school. Jam packed with details! Question: How many of us knew what a QR Code was before COVID hit and restaurants refused to hand out hand-held menus? That's when we were required to drag out our cell phones, center a QR code, and scroll through tiny little pages to decide what we could order for dinner! It was a learning curve for many of us but at least now we're comfortable with the utility of these strange little blocks of magic that lead us to relevant websites with the tap of a finger. Want to learn more? How fortunate we are that CSAA member Kristen Tyson of the West Bay Common School Museum in League City, Texas offered a presentation on how to create and use QR codes to enhance the museum experience for our visitors. Her program at the CSAA annual conference in Toledo was the shot in the arm we needed to learn how our own schoolhouse programs could benefit from their creative uses. Kristen's slide show will tell you why they are a terrific tool, explain their many uses, help you experiment with them, and show you how to create them. What a bonus! We thank Kristen Tyson for her creative graphics and her kind offer to share this program with our readers. A Quick Response for Your Museum Visitors! by Kristen Tyson As the next generation visits One Room Schoolhouses, it is vital to find ways to engage them and leave them with a better understanding of the value of schoolhouse museums. Quick Response Codes (QR) are a tool that can connect visitors with valuable information to expand their learning experience. A QR Code is a distinct image that is generated via a website and connects a web address to the code. When a visitor opens their smartphone camera, they simply let the camera “read” the image and it provides a link directly to the website. QR Codes have been used by marketing firms for years, but educators are realizing the value to continue the lesson and even expand on information not easily explained in person. At our schoolhouse (West Bay Common School), we are using QR Codes to provide information about our artifacts. This tool offers a cost-effective alternative to having a guided tour with limited staff, and it allows for additional immersive experiences with audio and video aids. Note: Photos are sample pages of Kristen's lessons.  Happy 4th of July- 248 Years! Quote by Educator John Orville Taylor in his book, The District School, 1834 “Schools are the depositories of liberty. He who founds a school of instruction establishes the liberty of his country, and he who educates the people makes them free. He who wishes his country to take a high standing among the nations of the earth, he who wishes for the growing improvement of his countrymen, and he who wishes the perpetuity of THIS glorious example of liberty and self-government will desire to do all in his power to educate the people.” And so it should be in 2024. Is it? Are we inculcating the ideals of patriotism and love of country in our public schools as we did in the common school era? Our public schools were founded on the ideals of producing a literate, united, and patriotic citizenry. Love of country pervades the histories of our one-room schools. Daily readings, the Pledge of Allegiance in various forms, national hymns and songs, poetry, and stories of our nation's heroes are all evident as we find lesson plans and journals in schoolhouse records or read memoirs of those who attended our country schools. Lucky for me, a copy of "The Patriotic Reader for Seventh and Eight Grades" (Houghton Mifflin Co. 1917) fell into my grateful hands a while back, a gift from a dear friend. It is one glimpse into the aspirations of our earlier public schools to teach children pride in the United States of America. Yet that practice started long before any book company created compilations. Fostering patriotism was a standard set by communities and teachers from the very beginning of our country schools. Categories in the Patriotic Reader's Table of Contents include: The Origin of Our Country, How We Became a Nation, The Glory of Our History, Our Greatest Leaders Washington and Lincoln. Amalgamation of Races in America, Our Country's Ideals, Our Flag, National Hymns and Songs, and Quotations and Short Selections. EACH category includes countless readings of prose and poetry, speeches, and reflections by famous people. Generations of school children were inspired by stories similar to these. My copy is characteristically well-worn and obviously well-loved. Maybe one of our presenters at a future CSAA conference would tackle the broader topic of country school patriotism...Hmmm.....Any takers?  Post Conference Outreach By Jackie Freeman, CSAA Member, Author Meeting the CSAA members at the 23rd Annual Country School Conference at the University of Toledo in June was a delight. The event was rich with knowledge, and the networking opportunities were exceptional. Though we may only meet in person once or twice a year, the connections we make are invaluable and lasting. After attending workshops or conferences, I make a conscious effort to maintain these bonds. Here’s how I do it: SOCIAL MEDIA: Many of the contacts we make are active on Facebook and Instagram or have websites where we can connect, like, and comment. This not only encourages each other but also boosts our visibility and connectivity. EMAILS OR BLOGS: I keep a list of conference attendees’ email addresses next to my calendar and try to stay updated on events happening in their areas. Staying connected and supporting each other helps us learn more about our new friends. I have attached the latest newsletter from the Wooden Old Stone Schoolhouse to let you know what we have been up to. Let’s keep the spirit of the CSAA 23rd Annual Conference alive by staying in touch. I look forward to seeing everyone at the 24th Annual Country School Conference in Huntington, West Virginia. On behalf of the Wooden Old Stone Schoolhouse Association, I would like to thank you all for your comments and accolades during your bus tour. (Check out the Wooden Old Stone Schoolhouse newsletter attached, Facebook links. We celebrate our 175th Anniversary in 2025, so please stop by if you are in our area. We’d love to see you. Jackie Freeman is one of our newest members of CSAA. She serves as a docent for the Wooden Old Stone Schoolhouse, and as you can see from the photos, she enjoys sharing the history of the one-room schoolhouse just down the road from her farm. She enjoys writing, reading, gardening, pickleball, and spending time with her family. She is the author of eight books, and her next children's picture book is about a little girl who attended the Wooden Schoolhouse. You can learn more at her website: www.jackiefreemanauthor.com. Note: We appreciate member input to The Report Card and hope you will consider sending your own post of interest to our readers. Thanks to Jackie Freeman (in pink below) for her kind thoughts on the benefits of our annual conference. We totally agree and look forward to meeting again next year in West Virginia!  Is There an Electric Salad Bowl in Your Schoolhouse Museum Collection? Opening excerpt by Sarah Uthoff (see full article at bottom) What’s an electric salad bowl, you ask? In the old Gil Gerard version of “Buck Rogers,” there was a scene when he was first shown his new apartment decorated by a historian of the 20th century. Did Buck point out to his friends everything this historian got right? No, he cocked an eyebrow and informed his friends that he didn’t have the heart to tell the historian that the lamp on the table wasn’t an "electric salad bowl." The reasons behind the misidentification were well thought out and made sense, but nothing could get around the fact (to those who really knew) that it just wasn’t an electric salad bowl. It’s easy to laugh, but there just might be some electric salad bowls (things wrongly identified, from a different time period, poor conservation practices) in your collection, too. (CLICK ON THE BLACK BUTTON BELOW FOR FULL ARTICLE- by Sarah Uthoff) Some of our readers will recognize this post! A thought provoking article from a past CSAA newsletter was written many years ago by CSAA member Sarah Uthoff, but it still resonates today. The clever title is intriguing and her questions and observations will have you checking your museum for items/artifacts that simply don't fit. Our schoolhouses that serve up living history to visitors are nostalgic recreations of country schools and we all try our best to offer lessons and activities that are time and materials appropriate. But, some of us might bend the rules a bit if our artifacts have been used at some time during the school's life. For example, many schoolhouses have desks from various eras collected from generous donors and we make do with variety. Exact time periods matched with the exact materials are often a difficult thing to pin down if records don't exist for our school. Globes on display should reflect the era of the schoolhouse, but political boundaries change as we speak. A kind donor dropped off an antique glass butter churner at our schoolhouse...did schoolchildren churn butter in school? As to authenticity, CSAA member Bill Sherman would specifically like to see dunce caps eliminated from our country schools contending that they are more myth than reality. While they appear in European art quite frequently, actual use in America requires more research. Young visitors still think they're a hoot! There are so many things to consider before chucking artifacts from our collections...#1 being we're attached to them and we love them! Nevertheless, have another go at Sarah's article to see if we might want to fine tune things about our collections and our practices. |
