Plymouth High School - Mayflower Yearbook (Plymouth, IN)

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and served as such continuously until 1900. a period of thirty tort years He at unee set .llxy reucuanixing the school» on'a ‘xisinCMand etfcjcatiofiai hu s. introducing many change» in the dministration of the schools A systematic course of study was idopied; the schools were graded a moreeitacl discipline was -rmduced. and from a stale of comparative contusion, as gards any settled pi Bdioa, the business of the schools •» as completely systematised as any business firm in town In 1874 a nets school bulking of brick, two stones, with a asement story divided into school rooms, was built About HID n addition to the mam building was erected, with an auditorium : a sea tin . of 600. with other convenience■» r •per management of the schools What was known as the Ward School Bialding was erected on ie south side In 1868 It was a two-story frame structure, and was wd for the accommodat ion of first grade pupils for several ‘ars With the growth of the town the need of be ter facilities ade It necessary to rrart a more commodious building, which as done in the Ms. and now there is ample room and every « • for the education of ihe entire school population of the m The high school was organised in 1874 and the first aduattng class was in 1876 I t A a BSSOAll • S.O N Mr Chase was succeeded as superintendent by R A Randall. Goshen, in IMS Some changes have been made since Mr ndall took charge of the schools, which were deemed iwmiarv r the advancement of our school interests The following stat kst ics for the school year 1»7 will afford some Idi aof the height to which the «choolscf Ply mouth have attained Number of school rooms in use. 21. total number of teachers and principals. 23. number of pupils enrolled. 87 3; per cent of attendance, high school. »7 5. grade». 968. promoted to high school. 51; graduates from high m um |. 38 T«MI HvmWf 0 Pwp.li Enrellrd m the S SooU toiNTur in mr Male remate Total Township schools I.N1 MB ) MO Towns 34 ni 140 C.»v H? 4 IS Tft Total : NT 1.0} S.Nt township schools or marshall county Nwnbae ot Schoo ousas .n h COVhty Boor bon loumhip C er ter township Genwo tOMnliip C'NfiiMmnip North township Potk township r«pe aneetown .p Union township Walnut township Wnt towns p Tot ) Bourbon towns Censer lowmh p German township Green townsh o North township Roth township 1 ipoecenoe ’owns p Union ownsh-o W etnwt township Wf«t township Br.cS Number «ITnuNri v.t-e Total ♦ 1 Number erf Townsh H.qh Vrtwees Center township North township Polk township T ippec nnor rowmhip hrst township Wetnut «ownvhip frame Total IS •1 1 14 IS ♦ to It 11 s II 10 11 t 1 10 • 1} •I 1» remote Total S 14 14 IS • t) s 10 s I 4 IS S It II 4 It 1 11 n til Inwood LaPaz Tyner Tippecanoe hnt Wa nut iS 1876 197b -10-

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Source: Democrat, May 19, 190» Topic: First public School OLD LANDMARK DESTROYED With the burning ofthe Plymouth Milling Co » plant passes one of Plymouth's oldest landmarks-the first public school building erected in this city. The building was built on the ground now occupied by the Washington school in I8S5 and was opened the same year with WJ Mcur.nowof Eldoca. Iowa, as principal Prior to that tune no public school had been conducted here, although there were several private institutiom. the most prominent being a girl’s seminary conducted by Kenney and Nichols on the property now owned by John G ret ringer The school was erected by Silas Morgan who has been dead several years and was considered an architectural wonder at the time Many of Plymouth’a most prominent men and women received iheir early education there and it was in 1 70 Prof R A Chase began his career of S3 years as principal of the Plymouth Public schools In 1872 a need for a larger building was felt and the old frame school house w as sold to Joseph Wester veil who moved it to its recent location and a more modem brick building w as put up Mr Weetervelt converted the building into a flour mill and. the building where before brains were nurtured, begain altering It to the wants of the stomach. It has changed hands a number of Ume «nee. Mr Zorp having had an interest in it for the past ten years. THE FOIST SCHOOLS It has been almost impossible to arrive at anything definite in regard to the first schools taught in the cotauy As stated there were no school house . and the schools taught for many years occupied vacated cabins, and at some cases the “sitting room in the cabin where a family resided In the winters of 1938 and 1837 there were sev eral attempts at leaching school in various parts of the county where enough children in the Mrsely settled neigh borhoods could be got together to justify a teacher to spend his time in that way. Among the first of these early schools was one taught by Thomas McDonald, in the winter of 1838. in a log house which had been occupied as a temporary residence on the farm then owned by Vincent Brownlee near Lake Maxmkuckee Bet- ween this lime and 1MD a hewed log school house was built about half a mile east of where this school was taught It was the first attempt at building a house especially for school purposes in Union township, and possibly in the county Those who taught in this house at the Aral were William E Thompson, H B. Dickson and Hugh Brownlee All of these old time country school masters are now dead, and, with two or three exceptions, all the boys and girls that went there then and made the woods ring at noontime with their shouts of joy and laughter have passed over to the unknown beyond During the winter of 1837 a school was taught about two miles west of Plymouth on the LaParte road by William N. Bailey. About this time, althoutfi II may have been a year afterward, a school was taught on or near the farm of Adam Snyder, m North township, by Abraham Johnson There was also a school taught in the Roberts neighborhood, fotr miles southeast of Plymouth, and one at the residence of Charles Ousterhai . on the Michigan road two miles south of Plymouth, and one about where the town Argi now stands, about the same time These were taught by Mi Catharine Logan, afterward Mrs. John Dickson, and a man by »h« name of Erskine In German township the first school was tau0i in an old log cabin about one mile north of the present town o Bremen, in the year 1 37. by a man by the name of Be mas Th average number of children present was about fifteen The first school in Bourbon township was taught in a log cab! which stood on ground owned by John Greer, in the south part o the present town of Bourbon, shortly after a settlement was mad there, probably about 1837-38. by Edward Park John Greer als taught school there one or two terms in those early days. oovcoe a chase SERVED AS SUPERINTENDENT OS THE PLYMOUTH SCHOC SYSTEM WO TO I SCO ESTAS .»SM«D THE HIGH SCHOOL PROO«A WITH THE PIRST GRADUATION IN ISIS Of all the teachers of former times Mr Molr has left behind hi the most pleasant recollections He is uniformly mentioned wi great respect by those who were his pup»b. and there can be i doubt that he inaugurated a new era in school matters Mr Moir was succeeded by C. H Blair, who was principal b part of one vrar. when he was follow ed by Hiram C. Burltngam wtvo had formerly resided in la Porte county He retired from U management of the schools in 1881, conducing that he had dm his share of missionary work, and that he would seek some le promising but more lucrative employment. Mark Cummings, who was for many years county sc he examiner then took charge of the schools. Mr. Gimmings w succeeded by D D Luke, who remained as principal until Augi 1870. when he was elected superintendent of the Goshen schoo upon his retirement Roscoe A Chase w » chosen superintende PHS 1676-19: —12—

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HKADIJGHT. tOtCAIKMAI. The Plymouth public school srv excel - kut specimens of I be Mi«B« public school system. They are graded «bools, under able supervision, and during the past few mn have made marrelou advancement. The school are fitted «ml with all the oec- eaaary imainriw. and offer exceptional opportunities for m complete an education a» can be obtained anywhere abort of a college. The system in vogue ta the reault of care- ful thought on the part of men who have giren aperiat attention to educational mat- ten for yean, and no detail haa Wen neglected that might strengthen the naelut- neas of the achoola The building are substantial Imck structures of modern architecture, furnished with every conven- ience to preserve the health and promote l he welfare of the pnptla. The new WrUter school building la a triumph of architec- tural akill. and lack» nothing to fulfill the requirements of a nineteenth century edu- cation. The aorth liuilding of the Waahington acbooi waa built ta 1»?$. Three yean ago the south building wais erected. Tlie build ing base l een remodeled several time . Our visiting correspondent of thia edition will frankly state that they are the moat complete and most neatly arranged acbooi hollaing that he Una had the pleasure of vkiting The hwainesa management of the acbooi is vested in a board of education, and the ettitena watch carefnlly the devel- opment of the avstem that ia promoting the welfare of the coming generation, and the mnwt liberal police is punned The course of instruction in the city schools ia divided Into twelve grade , num- bered from the ninth, or lowest, to the senior clam of the High School The three highest grade are included in the High School The different branches taught are : Heading, penmanship, spelling, language. Knglish grammar, geography, antli- ui e 11 c, United States history, drawing, singing, nature study, lit- erature. algebra, genera) history, rhetoric, geome- try. political rcon- omy, astronomy, cbemiatry. botany, and the usual com- mercial college course in book- keeping. The po- | Mils are divided into siateen din- uotti and taught by eighteen teach- m. The direct supemuo of I lie schools is under tb charge at Prof. Koaroe A. Chase, an educator of wide experience. Kuacoe A. Chase was lmen in the town of Killwgly. Connecticut, in t 47- 1 i« A hit family removed to Ashtabula County. Ohio. His elementary schooling was obtained in the common arhools and io Orwell Academy In theae schools be waa under the tuition of some of the Iwat teachers of the country, among whom may be named Mr. Anthony Warren, of Connecticut, still living at a very advanced age; Mtas Kllen South, for the last twenty flee years profeusor ami registrar of the University of Nebraska; Prof. S. J. Back, recently Profensor in Cornell College, Iowa ; Prof, lames F. Johnstone ; Mr . A. F. Johnstone, for many years preceptress of Oberlin College Mr. CIsaac took the classical course in Hillsdale College, receiving the degrees of H.A. and M.A. tn conrse. With the excep- tion of one year spent as clerk in a country store, his whole life since childhood haa teen spent in the schoolroom, either as pupil or teacher. Ilia teaching has been In the distrvcl school , aa Into» in college, as principal of village schools, and am superin- tendent of the Plymouth school , which latter position he haa held since i ?o. The following gentlemen comprise the Hoard of School Trustees : President. W M. Kendall; secretary. I r. F. M. Burkett; treasurer, David B. Snyder. The following are the instructors: Zk Frank Redd. High School, principal Phoebe Thompson. High School. R. A. Chase. High School; Jacob Martin, first ami second grade ; Peter D. Hurgman. third grade; Idalie R. Bell, fourth grade; F.va T. Meno, fifth grade • F.mtua S. Crowley, aisth grade ; Mamie Kleinsmith, siath ami seventh grades . Kiltie I ockwood. seventh grade. Maud Mrtsker, seventh and eighth grade Rene 1. Smith, eighth grade . Alma Holsctl. nfcasre school KA°f Vmool W£%St -I PHS ' H ’ ( ' ‘V