Development of the Schools
School Names
When the school districts were being formed in Greene County,
people in the school districts had high hopes for their school
and took an interest in the naming of the school. In nearly all
instances the school was named for same physical feature on the
landscape or carried the neighborhood name. The names of trees
and groves were always good names. Pin Oak, White Oak, Elm Dale,
Bending Oak, Birch, Elm Grove, Locust Grove, Union Grove, Walnut
Grove, Walnut Hill, Maple Grove, Oak Grove, .... Schools were
also named after the towns and neighborhoods. There was Kemper,
Pleasant Hill, Felter, Damn, Jericho, Highstreet, etc.
Most of the official names stuck especially when named after
a family of a settlement. Pinhook School, in Wright township,
was known by that name first, last, and always. Brush College in
Woodville township and Swan College in Carrollton township
always retained their names. My first 4 years of school was at
Pacific Union School in Bluffdale township. At home this was
always Pacific Union, but every other family in the district
knew it as Whistle Jack.
In Linder township, after much trouble naming Broughs School,
it was still commonly known as Buzzards Glory. Spencer School,
in Athensville township, was known as Pumpkin Valley. Golden Era
School, near Roodhouse, was forever known as Leatherhead. Mt.
Hope was known as Jump Stump. Everyone knew that Mt. Airy was
Lick Skillet, and Batty was actually Back Behind. My dad always
talked about Dog Tail, Tar Hollar, Rough Edge and Hardscrabble.
Probably today he couldn't point them out by their proper names
of Christian Grove, Pleasant Dale, Pleasant Grove and Elm Dale.
Today school teams attach names to their schools such as the
Eagles, Warriors, Lions, ... to strike fear in the hearts of
their opponents, but the modern names lack the character of old.
Just imagine: The Hardscrabble Hardrocks vs The Tar Hollar Tar
Pots; and, The Whistle Jacket Jack Legs vs Rough Edge Rowdies;
and, consider "Three cheers for the Jump Stump, Stump Jumpers!"
Now try yelling that three times.
Local Public Schools Developed Slowly Over
Period of 100 Years
It's schools have always been "The Pride of Carrollton." Even
back in 1852, when the severely plain two-story frame school
house, with four school rooms and a little square belfry on top,
was erected on the southeast corner of the block on which the
county jail was built seven years later. The account of the
dedication of that building printed in the local paper referred
to it as "our splendid public school edifice," and declared that
every citizen present felt profound gratification that "our town
can boast of such a structure devoted to the cause of
education."
Schools there were of a sort, back in the very early days of
the village—the "loud school" in which the pupils all studied
aloud in a babel of confusion, as described by the late Samuel
Willard, who was a boy here in the 1830s. Julius Willard,
Samuel's father, conducted a school on more civilized lines, and
introduced the use of a blackboard. Those early schools were
sustained solely by subscription, parents paying a quarterly fee
for tuition.
The first so-called "public school" was opened in 1850 by
William Bartle, afterward a Presbyterian minister. Bartle's
strong anti-slavery views, quite openly expressed, were
unpopular in this community, and he was dismissed within the
year.
John Russell, who had previously won distinction as an author
and educator, and had been editor of the first newspaper in
Greene County, opened the school in the fall of 1851, with Henry
Bonfoy as assistant, and Miss E. J. Gunning in charge of the
"female department."
Old Frame School House
The frame school building, already referred to, was then
under construction and was dedicated early in June, 1852. Henry
Bonfoy succeeded John Russell as principal the following year.
The public school of that period, and for years afterward,
was modeled more on the line of the old academy than that of the
present graded school system. School announcements printed then
indicate that comparatively little attention was, given to
primary education, more stress being laid upon, Latin, Greek,
French, geometry, etc. Tuition fees varying from $1.00 to $4.00
a quarter, were charged, but pupils residing in the district
received the benefit of the school fund. The school must have
been supported largely by tuition payments, as it appears from
the records that not until 1855 was the school tax regularly
levied.
In 1855 David G. Peabody came out from Vermont and became
principal of the school at a salary of $600, and his sister,
Miss Hannah G. Peabody, came as his assistant. The latter
continued as a teacher here for 31 years, and many who became
prominent in Carrollton affairs were her pupils. Chas. K.
Gilchrist, later a distinguished jurist of Utah, was principal
in 1857-8. He was succeeded by Dr. Justus Bulkley, later of
Shurtleff college, Upper Alton, who taught here two winters.
Francis W. Parker made the start of a famous career in
education, as principal of the school in 1860. He resigned to go
into the Civil war, and later originated what was known as the
"Quincy system" at Quincy, Massachusetts; afterward was
principal of the Cook County Normal of Chicago. Alfred Harvey,
also widely known as a teacher in later years, succeeded Parker.
Second Pride of Carrollton
The public school endured the proximity of the county jail on
an adjacent corner of the block for eleven years, and then, in
1870, the second “Pride of Carrollton” was erected on the
present school grounds. The school board at that time was
composed of George W. Davis, Thos. H. Boyd and Elder E. L.
Craig. Measured by architectural standards of that time, it was
a magnificent building, three stories, a basement and a mansard
roof, and it cost $44,000. It continued to be looked upon with
pride by Carrollton people for eighteen years, and then on the
night of Nov. 16, 1888, it burned. It has since been described
as a veritable fire-trap, its flights of stairs, a menace to
health, and the incendiary was credited with some degree of
humanity for setting fire to it in the night and thus saving
several hundred lives. The beauty of that building had never
been spoiled by the preparedness of fire escapes.
Going back to the beginning of that eighteen-year period,
Joseph Dobbin, then principal, transferred the pupils to that
building in January, 1871. W. H. Wilson was principal in the
school year of 1871-2.
High School Organized in 1872
In the fall of 1872 E. A. Doolittle became principal, and
effected the complete organization of the High School. He
continued at the head of the school for seven years. A number of
elderly people in Carrollton now have pleasant memories of their
school days during that period.
Following Mr. Doolittle, J. S. Kenyon was principal for three
years, and in 1882 he was succeeded by David Felmley, who had
been assistant principal under him. Mr. Felmley continued as
principal for eight years, resigning in 1890 to accept the chair
of mathematics in the State Normal University, of which
institution he was afterward president for a number of years.
New Building, Phoenix-Like
In the meantime, fire destroyed the school building in
November, 1888, and steps were taken at once to replace it with
a more modern structure. With $16,875 from the insurance,
$12,000 bonds voted by the people, and Principal Felmley
superintending the job, the board of education erected what is
the main west front of the present building. The building,
completed and occupied by the school January 20, 1890, showed a
marked change in architecture, with its large bays and steep
gables, its splendid stone arched entrance, less dignified,
perhaps, but altogether a poem in brick and stone.
Upon the resignation of Mr. Felmley in 1890, Clyde Stone was
promoted form the position of first assistant to that of
principal, continuing as head of the school for nine years. He
is the only graduate of the High School who has ever attained
that position. He was a member of the class of 1883, and
graduated from the University of Michigan in 1888.
From 1899 to 1903 the school was in charge of E. A.
Thornhill, a graduate of the State Normal and of Havard
University. Up to this time the High School course covered only
three years, with an additional year for students taking Latin.
Under Mr. Thornhill the course was raised to full four years,
with German added.
A. B. Carroll followed Mr. Thornhill for one year, and was
succeeded by J. R. Sparks, who was the first to be offically
styled superintendent, the title of "principal" now falling to
the first assistant. This change was made to conform to general
usage throughout the state. During Mr. Sparks' regime of two
years (1905 and 1906) manual training and domestic science were
introduced into the curriculum.
Doolittle Again Heads School
Many friends and former students of the school started a
movement to ask E. A. Doolittle to again take charge of the
school. He consented to do so, and in the fall of 1907 he
returned to the position he had resigned 26 years before to
enter law practice. Many of his former pupils believed that his
return saved the prestige of the school.
The school ran along smoothly for thirteen more years under
Superintendent Doolittle, making a total of twenty years in his
two periods as head of the school. In the spring of 1919, he
refused to be considered for reappointment, and at the
commencement handed diplomas to his twentieth class.
T. H. Cobb became superintendent in the fall of 1919, and
served three years. During the next eight years superintendents
were:
J. G. Pollard, one year, 1922-3.
H. H. David, one year, 1923-4.
E. T. Jackson, three years, 1924-5 to 1926-7.
Reuben Ebert, two years, 1927-8 and 1928-9.
P. M. Tinsley, one year, 1929-30.
Supt. Hanson Since 1930
In September, 1930, Abel A. Hanson, the present
superintendent, came to the school. He is now completing his
eighth year, and his administration has been eminently
satisfactory. Before coming to Carrollton, Mr. Hanson had been a
teacher for seven years, three years as superintendent of the
grade school at Paxton, and had received his degree of B. Ed. at
the State Normal University in June, 1930. He has taken summer
courses at the University of Illinois nearly every year since
then.
The need for more room was felt more than a dozen years ago.
Bonds were voted, and in May, 1926, the contract was let for a
large addition to the building, 45x125 feet. This addition
nearly doubled the High School assembly room, provided a large
gymnasium, used also for entertainments, commencements, etc.,
domestic science and other class rooms and numerous other
improvements. The total cost, including plumbing, heat and
ventilating was $66,222.
The enrollment in the school at the beginning of the year,
last September was: High School 207, grades 232.
Rural Schools Uplift
[unknown source, pages 229 - 231] Another installment of County Superintendent Scott’s notes on
rural schools that have made the necessary improvements to
comply with the new sanitation law is given below. These
improved conditions not only put the schools in shape to do
better work by making the health of pupils safer and better, but
they have an important influence upon the community. A recent
issue of the Educational Press Bulletin comments on this point
as follows:
“It is not too much to expect that the campaign that is now
going forward for better sanitary conditions in rural schools
will influence the communities which send children to these
better schools. When a board of directors is required to see
that the water which the pupils drink is free from contamination
that requirement will be discussed throughout the community and
it will lead to the examination of many well or leaky cistern
which is being used by some farmer and his family. The
requirement that all outhouses shall be screened from flies and
that the reservoir shall be made watertight so that no
contamination is possible, will lead to a study of this question
in every country home. The outbreaks of typhoid fever in rural
districts can be traced very directly to the carelessness of
country people with respect to their outhouses.
“People who live in the open country are very negligent
respecting questions of ventilation. During the summer months
they live so much in the open that the question of pure air
inside their homes and churches and schoolhouses does not appeal
to them as being a large question. Mr. Gulick has facetiously
said: ‘The reason there is so much good air in the open country
is that the people keep all the bad air shut up in their homes
and churches and schoolhouses.’ There is good reason to believe
that one of the direct results of the sanitation law will be a
widespread study of these requirements in all rural communities
and a much more general conformity to these principles by
farming communities in their own homes.”
White Oaks, District 24, Miss Ina Secor, teacher. This school
has made all the necessary improvements to meet the requirements
of the sanitation law. All it lacked before the law was passed
was outhouses of the proper kind, and these were provided last
summer.
Swamp College, District 67, Miss Nellie Gibler, teacher. During
the school term last year the old frame building in this
district was destroyed by fire. Last summer a new brick building
was erected on the same site at a cost of more than $2000. A dry
and well lighted basement is under the whole building, and this
provides a fine place for the children to play in stormy
weather. In this basement is also a hot air furnace, with coal
bin conveniently placed. The house faces north, with entrance
and separate cloak rooms for boys and girls. Has a roomy well
lighted study room, also a library room. The pupils face west
with all light from the south. This building is the final word
in rural school architecture, and the directors are to be
heartily congratulated for having built it.
Greene Summit, District 40, Wiley E. Berry, teacher. This is now
a standard school. Mr. Berry has taught here continuously for
four or five years, and each year, with the cooperation of a
good board of directors, has added something in the way of
improvements. Last summer new outhouses were built, and the
school now meets all requirements of the sanitation law.
Woodbury, District 52, Miss Leontine Sharon, teacher. New single
seats of the proper sizes and arrangement have been put in at
this school and new outhouses have been built. The school has a
fine well and good drainage.
Brush College, District 54, Miss Verna Schroder, teacher. This
school has made decided improvements throughout. A new flue
connecting with a modern heater and ventilating system, and new
single seats of proper sizes have been installed. New outhouses
have been built and the well has been improved. The school now
meets the requirements to every respect.
Pleasant Grove, District 75, Miss Gladys King, teacher. This
school already had a good, well lighted building, furnished with
single seats of proper sizes. Last summer a new flue was built,
and a heater with ventilation system attached was in stalled.
The school has a cistern on which some improvements were made.
South Lincoln, District 60, Miss Myrtle Greaves, teacher. This
school is located close to Macoupin creek, and during the floods
the water rose in the building almost to the window sills,
ruining the seats, library, stove, floor and in fact almost
everything in the school room. Last summer a new floor was put
over the old one, new singles seats and a new stove were
installed. The directors intend to make further improvements as
they can.
Hay Press, District 86, Chas. Sackett, teacher. This is a good
new building, erected four or five years ago. Very substantial
improvements were made last summer, including a new flue for
heater and ventilation system, new single seats of proper size
and outhouses of the right kind. The school has no well, but the
improvements made bring it up to the requirements.
Keach, District 87, Miss Zerilda Bushnell, teacher. This is a
new building erected a year and a half ago, at a cost of some
$1200 or $1500. It is built according to model plane furnished
by the state department of public instruction. The pupils face
east with the light coming from the north and on their left.
Building faces south with entrance and separate cloak rooms for
boys and girls. Heater with ventilation system is installed in
the northwest corner. The well is tightly covered and properly
drained. New concrete walks have been built to the well and coal
house. The school meets the requirements.
Robley, District 85, Miss Clover Robley, teacher. This house is
old and too small for the number of pupils that attend. A good
new flue has been built and a heater and ventilation system
installed. New single seats have taken the place of the old
double seats. A good new coal and outhouses have been built.
These much-needed improvements have brought the school up to the
requirements.
