Morgan City High School - Tiger Yearbook (Morgan City, LA)

Page 20 text:

if Q QM' mu g , Q . N H 'X n . Q X 1 5' 'fakmh

Page 19 text:

Later a steam boat line between Morgan City and New IbC1 if1 was established, and stage coaches were used farther west. At this time one of the chief industries was the hand- ling of commodities passing through here going to and coming from the Gulf Border Points. Thousands of head of cattle were driven through. Fish, oyster, and game came in for their, share of commercial activities, and the lumber business began to grow. On February 24, 1878, the name Brashear was changed to Morgan City in honor of Charles Morgan, owner of the rail- road and steamship line. In 1880 the first railroad bridge spanning Berwick Bay was constructed. The present bridge was built after 1900. During the first World War a shipyard was constructed here. This was the second great part Morgan City had played in war, fer during the Civil War, Fort Star, south of the railroad, Fort Buchannan, north of the town, and Fort Brashear on the west bank of the river were built by the Confederates and severe fighting occured here on several occasions. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Morgan City was ready to become the thrilling little city it now is. PUBLIC SCHOOLS As you have noticed, the early settlers were interested in educationg in fact, some were very well educated. Their idea of this training, however, was the instruction received fran private teachers, and they gave no thought to public schools. The earliest recorded movement toward the establishment of a public school is dated in 1861, when our present city was known as Brashear. A sum of three hundred dollars cssooy was provided by the mayor and councilmen'for the erection of a public school-house on the town square, and the remaining sun was raised by the School Board through public subscrip- ti.OI'lo In the early seventies this structure was used as a Union church and school-house. What became of this first building we do not know, but, the lower floor of the Masonic Hall replaced it. At that time, it was due to the efforts of Mr. Thomas Shannon, w h 0 served the schools for fourteen years, and of Mr. Gus Drews, President of the School Board, that a great interest 1 n S

Page 21 text:

Principal, and his assistants were Misses Rose Verret a n d education arose in our community. In fact, the number o f pupils attending school increased so greatly that it became necessary to replace this one room school house and to build our first two-room school, a little red building which stood on the spot new occupied by the Methodist Parsonage. On September le, l900, when the School Board met a n d elected MIM Wilbur Krammer superintendent, they decided t o divide the Parish of St. Mary into several districts accord- ing to the wards. They also agreed that schools should be located in these districts, provided that the School Board should incur no expense in building, renting, repairing, o r keeping the buildings in good condition. In short, the School Board would be responsible for nothing except Apaying the teachers, and purchasing the furniture, and school sup- plies. Morgan City along with Ramos, Amelia, Berwick, a n d Bayou Wax fell into the sixth district. At this same meet- ing, a resolution stating that the school in Morgan City be known as the Morgan City Grammar School and that it should have at least seven grades of study, four primary and three grammar, was adopted. It was further decided that Morgan City would have three teachers, a principal paid a salary of S75 a month and two assistants making S340 and a month respectively. During this session, Mr. W. C. Garret w a s Irene Harris. By 1901 the Morgan City Grammar School building had be- come overcrowded and needed an addition built to it. Mr. Thomas Shannon, representing the Town Council, appeared be- fore the School Beard to present a remedy for the situation. He stated that the council proposed to construct an addition to the school house, to cost not less than the amount due for taxes, if the School Board would accept this addition as payment of the delinquent taxes. So it was that in return for a receipt of the taxes of 1888 and 1889, Morgan City rc- ceived a larger building. For the term 1901-1902 there were again three teachersg the enrollment was one hundred and thirty pupilsg the month- ly payroll one hundred fortywfive dollars per monthg the P A ' D 3 V , average number of childre per -child per month one only to compare this with how far our community has In 1902-1905 another Cit School. lt ized the need of asked the School Thomas Shannon, a larger Board to per teacher forty four, and cost dollar and eleven cents. One has such items of today to appreciate gene in the field of education. teacher was added to the Morgan was during this year that the people real- building. Mayor Thomas Shannon approve a committee consisting of R. A. Squires, Gus Drews, J. R. Drackett,