Ransom High School - Longhorn Yearbook (Ransom, KS)

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HISTORY OF THE RANSOM SCHOOL SYSTEM The wide level lands along the northern part of Ness County have always been called the Flats . Only a few years after settlements were made, the Flats came to be called the Dutch Flats because many of the early settlers were German-speaking. The very first locations were made along the trail from Ness City to Wa- keeney and the first settlers were all of one Pennsylvania-Dutch family, the Mast family from Berks County, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1878, four men, John and Sam Mast, Jerry Young, and Pete Lawson and their families came to Ness County from Barton County, Kansas. They all made homestead lo- cations and built two sod houses for the Mast brothers. They then went back to Barton County for the winter. In the spring of 1879, the four families moved onto the Flats along the Wa- keeney road, which is now known as U.S. highway 283. They were joined here by the A. D. Baer family, and the elder Mr. Mast. Mr. Mast was the fa- ther of John and Sam Mast, as well as the father of Mrs. Young, Mrs. Law- son, and Mrs. Baer. In 1879 the Charles Schreiber family arrived on the flats . Following them, in 1880, were, Mrs. Schreiber's brother, Joseph Kraus and his family. They were ac- companied by the John Meik family. These families all arrived directly from Austria. Finally, in 1881, the last of the Mast's arrived. This being Emma (Mast) Moyer and her husband Franklin H. Moyer. The Young's and Lawson's moved away soon after set- tling, but all the rest of the Masts, as well as the Scherzinger, Schreiber, Kraus, Aeby, Ummel, Moyer, and Baer families stayed, and many of their descendents are still living in and around Ransom. Many are still farming their ancestors homesteads. The third group to settle on the Flats were the Swiss in 1882. Those who came were the Jacob Aeby fam- ilies and Abraham Ummel and his two sisters. Following them came the Amstutz families, the Rutschman and the Oppliger families, as well as the Julius Jaende family. Most of them arrived in Wakeeney on the Union Pa- cific Railroad and freighted down to Ransom. With this population explosion the need for a school became a press- ing one. So, in the winter of 1886, classes were held in a little sod house on the Jacob Aeby farm one-half mile east of what is now Ransom. The school board was composed of John Mast, Sam Mast, Sr., and Frank Moyer. The teacher was Mozelle Mul- vaney. The school term lasted only three months and even at that, there was not enough money to pay the teacher. On September 29, 1887, J. B. Bist- line, John A. Snodgrass, and Charles Horchem were elected to the office of school board. Then on October 31, 1887 a school district was formed in building, which had been built in 1888. This school had only one teach- er, Mr. J.M. (Clint) Bistline, who re- ceived $32.50 per month for his ser- vices. This school building stood just south of the east end of the present grade school and faced to the east. This first school building was used until 1902, when it was purchased and moved to be used as a church building Sod house of Frank and Emma (Mast) Moyer. Ogdensburg, (later to become named. Ransom), that being school district 71. With the organization of the school district and the completion of the railroad through Ogdensburg, there was enough money to pay the teacher, which again was Miss Mul- vaney. Money was sufficient enough to even pay Miss Mulvaney her back pay as well. According to the school daily term register of 1887, classes were held be- ginning November 21,1887 with Miss Cora Beardslee as teacher. This term ended January 13, 1888. Classes were held again from January 16th and ended February 15th. The roll of pu- fiils included; the Behymer children, enny. May, Oswald, and Rettie; the Carroll children, Charlie, Frank, Fred, and Walter; Franklin, Martin, and Re- becca Eshleman; David and Mary Field; Dollie and Fred Horchem; Da- vid, Martin, and Susanna Reiff; Otto Schell; Alman, Jacob, and Mary Young; Annie, Albert, and Mable Potts; and Emma Young. The first regular school term in Og- densburg began on September 3, 1888 and lasted until May 24, 1889. It was held in a new one room frame school by the Ransom Church of Christ. This building still stands on the Church grounds. The early 1900's were prosperous years in Ness County. The hard times of the 1890's had been overcome and the citizens were eager and financially able to improve their schools. Graded schools had been established in the smaller towns where before there had been only one-room ungraded schools. There was then but one high school in the County, at Ness City, the County seat. Since 1891 it had been offering two years's instruction beyond the 8th grade. There was great interest in education all over Kansas and the State began to take steps to standardize high schools, prescribe courses of study and specify require- ments for the entrance of graduates to colleges and universities. In 1907 the Ness City high school began offering the four years of high school specified by the State. In 1902 a new school building was built for the Ransom school system. This building was a large, two story, six room native stone structure, known as the Grammar Room. Henry Tilley was the stone mason in charge

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A yearbook can bring back memories of good times and special friends as fresh and clear as the day they happened. As the years have passed, events sometime seem to fade away. The purpose of this book is to rekindle those special events in your high school days. Alumni, special events, organiza- tions and the growth and development of the Ransom High School, since its beginning in 1886 to the present, have been recorded here in hopes that it may take you back to days gone by; special days that should never be forgotten. This book is being presented through the efforts of many people. Without the help of many alumni it could not have been compiled. To all of those who helped, THANK-YOU!! A special THANK-YOU should go to Mrs. Minnie (Dubbs) Millbrook whose articles and books have been used to record the early school history. Other history has been taken from the Ransom Journal' and the Ran- som Record , as well as from old High School Yearbooks, and School Newspapers. A new experience awaits all seniors as they leave RHS. Many will further their education at colleges and trade schools; some will take on their first full-time jobs; some will marry soon — but all will have benefited from their high school experience. Memories of RHS will linger as we take our place in the adult world. May this book help to bring back those memories.

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First School house, built in 1888 (Courtesy of Kansas State Historical Society.) of the construction and the stone used in the building was taken from his farm, six miles southwest of town. The town was very proud of this building. It faced the east and its one entrance opened into a narrow hall that ran clear across the east side. At the south end of this hall was the stairway to the second floor. At the north end was a small square room partitioned off, this room was called the Library. The rest of the first floor was divided into two large classrooms. the partition running east and west. The first teacher in the north room of this new building was John Sunley. This building was at first too spacious for the student body so the second floor was used by the city council for their meetings and also used for enter- tainment purposes. The Ransom grade school had two teachers. In the south room, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades were seated at desks running in rows from east to west. Each class when called upon to 1902 Grammar Room, used until 1954. recite came up to a long bench or row of chairs in front of the teachers desk at the east end of the room near the door to the hall. The same pattern was followed in the other classroom where the four upper grades were seated. The teacher of the higher grades was also the principal of the school. In 1907, there was some talk about establishing a high school in Ransom. It was to be comparatively inexpen- sive since space for it was available on the upper floor of the school building. A new and large high school district could be formed to bring in extra tax money to finance the extra cost and all the country school graduates could come to high school without paying tuition. Some approved and some thought that a school that taught a child to read, write, and figure was sufficient. What more did a farmer need? There was much argument and dis- cussion. One of the advocates for a high school was Dr. W.S. Grisell, the Ransom doctor. Dr. Grisell had a spe- cial counter set up in the S-D Mercan- tile Co., where he dispensed his drugs. He saw all the farmers who came into the store, and talked with them about the high school. Another person to give credit to in establishing the high school was Mrs. Florence (LaPlante) Dubbs, a country school teacher who was very devoted to the establishing of the high school. By 1909 the opinion had solidified and at the school meeting in the spring of that year, it was voted to organize a high school, beginning that fall. A teacher was founa, that being Mr. C.M. Livengood, who agreed to teach the four necessary high school subjects along with the four upper grades of the grammar school. Twen- ty-nine students were enrolled under Mr. Livengood, six of them for the high school courses. The second floor of the grade school was used for the high school classes. The subjects taught were, Latin, English, Ancient History, and Algebra. The members of the Freshman class were; Georgia Blocksome, Gladys Carroll, and Ag- nes, Minnie, and Albert Dubbs. Geor- gia dropped out at the end of the year and the remaining four made up the first graduation class of Ransom High School in 1913. As indicated earlier the first high school in Ransom was begun on tne second floor of the grade school. The attendance continued to grow until there was not sufficient room to ac- commodate this school building. The majority of the people decided the pu- pils needed more room, and voted bonds for $13,000 and built the fine new high school in 1915. This two story building was built on the south