Janesville High School - Phoenix Yearbook (Janesville, WI)

Page 26 text:

.., , ell 111.1 4 P in History of Janesville 's Public Schools ' AEGQQQQSQ HE earliest settlers of Janesville pitched their camp and QR fu' erected their lirst log cabin in October, 1835, opposite the big l',..gVD rockn near the southern end of the bridge connecting Mon- M terey with the Spring Brook portion of the city. The first 1 SS? chool was t l l' l d 'n 1838 in the l ch ol h use on tl 'tvyL,,,4fQ-lej s es aJ1sie 1 I og s o v o ie Atl' 'I' property of Mr. Abram C. Bailey, on the south side of the bend of the river. The first teacher was Hiram H. Brown, who later lived in Green County. This was probably the first school opened in Rock County. if not in the entire Wisconsin portion of' the Rock River Valley. This primitive schoolhouse was of the rudest construction. Its chinked walls were of rough hevvn logs and the seats were basswood slabs. Thus at the big ford of the Rock River. within a few rods of the Big rock, from whose fiat summit Mucketay Muckekawkaik fl-Black Hawkj harangued his braves, was founded in 1838 the first educational institution in Rock County and the upper Rock River Valley. This log schoolhouse was used until 1843, when another log house was occupied by the school until the erection of the red frame schoolhouse of the joint districts of Rock and La Prairie in 1844, a .full half-mile east of the first log house. Daniel Nurse taught the school in the winter of 1841-42, and Mr. Benedict in 1842-43. Orrin Guernsey was the first teacher to wield the birch rod in the new frame building during the winter of 1843-44. Mr. Guern- sey in 1856 wrote the first history of Rock County, a work of 350 pages. pub- lished under the auspices of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Me- chanics' Institute. VVhile school matters were well under way in the Spring Brook region, the settlement near the Janes tavern and ferry also established a school. This school was opened in a log house in the woods near North Main Street three rods north of East Milwaukee Street. Miss Cornelia Sheldon later CMrs. Isaac VVoodlej taught the first term of school in the summer of 1840. She was succeeded the following winter by Rev. C. XV. Lawrence, who established the lirst debating society in 1841. Other instructors in the village school were Messrs. Little, Bennett, Arnold, VVood, and iNhite. The names of the women who taught sum- mer terms of the school are Miss VVingate, Miss True, Miss Bennett, and Mrs. Catlin. In 1845 a brick building was erected on Division Street which was regarded as a model of comfort and convenience in the early '40s and '50s. THE JANESVILLE ACADEMY Before the days of the free high school, private academies were established throughout the Middle VV est. In 1843 a charter was granted to S. Hyatt Smith, E. V. Whitoii, I. B. Doe, Charles Stevens, and VV. H. Bailey for the establish- ment of the Janesville Academy. A stone building was erected on High Street near Milwaukee Street on the site of the present Lincoln School, and in 1844 the academy was opened with Rev. Thomas DI. Ruger, an Episcopal clergyman, as principal. Many of the business men of that generation received their educa- tion at this old stone academy on High Street. Mr. Ruger was succeeded by Mr. Alden, and he by Messrs. VVoodard, Webb, Spicer, and Gorton. In the early '50s the school was known as the Janesville Collegiate Institution. It was pur- chased by the city in 1855 and became known as the Janesville Free Academy. It was used for public school purposes until 1876, when it was superseded by the present Lincoln school. i f X! S -i .rtecn

Page 25 text:

sv' Q, 49 fm.. WN 'W -. 0 -. W, - E . Qvll i-li l P. L f2f?5?iie6i4:5L.Z.',llflfQ 5 : Fifteen The jefferson School, located in the sixth ward, is at present used as a grade building. lt was erected in 1858 at a cost of 540.000, and housed the high school until 1895. In that year the high school plant was moved into the new building on High Street, which re- mained in use until Feb- ruary, 1923. In that month the first class was graduated from the splendid struc- ture on South Main Street, built at a cost of S5800,000, and said to be the most completely equipped high school in the state.

Page 27 text:

-N M ,,,ee:s:s,q1,r,,mv J W... . R 4 af H s-.T '- ' ifffflei .sf W , . . .1.. N M -st ,, f -f c. f gm gy w M21zsy,.,6wh3m . - We-if l - 9 A THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEBI For nearly ten years under the village charter Janesville maintained her district schools, but these were crude in methods and, as the population increased, a higher grade of culture was demanded. .VX few enterprising citizens with wise forethought determined upon thorough organization, and enthusiastic promoters of this achievement were Hon. R. Pease, Dr. Lyman J. Barrows, Hon. NV. .-X. Lawrence, Hon. james Sutherland, judge M. S. Pritchard, and Hon. B. 13. lildredge. In April. 1855. the present system of schools was adopted, although it was not in practical operation until the schools were thoroughly graded in 1856. At this time a record of educational and literary institutions of the city em- braced a central high school, eight schools of lower grade, three select schools. the state institution for the blind. and the Janesville Lyceum and Mechanics' Institute, the latter society assembling for improvement in arts and sciences. SCHOOL BUILDING In 1856 commodious buildings were erected in the Second and Fifth wards, and the schools were graded into high school, grammar. intermediate, and pri- mary departments, the old academy becoming the central or high school of the system. A demand for more room secured the erection of a high school building in 1858 at a cost of 340.000, and in 1859 the high school department, with Levi Cass as principal, was transferred to its new location. An increase of population soon rendered additional accommodations neces- sary, and in 1866 and 1873 buildings were erected in the 'First and Fourth wards. In 1875 requisite appropriation was made for the Lincoln School building, which was erected on the site of the old academy, now the Jefferson School. Since then the Second ward school house has been rebuilt. new buildings have been erected in the lifth, fourth, Hrst, and third wards. and in 1895 the second new high school building, thus, year by year the school property has- increased until its valuation in 1912 was approximately estimated at 31,300,000 with accommodations for nearly 4,000 pupils, THE HIGH SCHOOL The High School proper was organized in 1856. The first class of three was graduated in 1858. Since the first commencement in the old academy build- ing, which occurred without public exercise, the school has graduated 2151 stu- dents. Of this number 787 are boys and 1364 are girls. It is interesting toi note that about thirty per cent. of the 977 graduates since 1912 have continued their learning in schools of higher education. Of the Freshmen who entered in 1919, about eighty per cent. graduated. The average has been about fifty per cent. ' In February of 1923 the school was moved to the present site on South Main Street. This new structure was erected at a cost of S800,000. It is one of the very few completely equipped high schools in this section of the country. It includes forty nine class rooms, four study halls, a music room, a lecture room, a library, five complete laboratories for experimental work in, science, two large gymnasiums and swimming pools, commodious room for the manual training and for the domestic science department, a fine locker system, a splendid cafeteria equipped to serve 450, and a spacious auditorium which ac- commodates I500. At present there are sixty-three members of the faculty and 1255 students. Sewelzlecaz