MAHS to discuss one-room schoolhouses Thursday night

Students at the Pleasant Lake School. Photo courtesy of MAHS.

Submitted by Ray Berg

The Manchester Area Historical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 7 pm on Thursday, January 9, at the Kingsley-Jenter House, 302 E. Main St.

The presentation of one-room schoolhouses, organized by Ray Berg, Sue LaRocque, and David Renner, will provide an overview of the Manchester area one-room schoolhouses, which existed from the 1830s into the 1950s, what records we have, how they operated, which are still standing, and some of the key people involved in our early education.

There will also be a short business meeting with updates on MAHS activities, and refreshments provided by Betty Cummings. All are welcome to join us!

The intent with the presentation is to provide a summary of the village’s early schools, and then the rural district schools and how they were established. We’ll cover what paper and photographic records exist and where they are at, what it was like to teach at and be a student at these schools, and how detailed research can be approached for a particular school.

The presentation will include many photographs of these schools, both then and now. We’ll also have available several artifacts available for viewing in the recently completed museum schoolhouse display that features local one-room schoolhouses.

Learn about some interesting facts like:

1. The “winter term” was taught by a man, and the “summer term” taught by a woman. (Men were paid $18 per month, women $6 per month.)

2. Students in certain districts had to learn and speak English in school, but reverted to Swabian outside school.

3. What parents had to “pay” for their child to attend school (e.g. cords of firewood, eggs).

Besides this introduction to the history of these schools, the MAHS’ long-term intent is to develop a tour map and brief description of the approximately 40 schools that taught our early residents. The research going into this talk will be consolidated into the MAHS archives, along with a guide to the different locations where one-room schoolhouse records can be found.

We look forward to having you visit us!

Interior of Union School, built in 1867 and located where the Ackerson building is now. Photo courtesy of MAHS.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.