Untitled Document

SCHOOLS.

The first school in the township was taught by Elizabeth Collins, in the rear part of her father's (John Collins), residence, in 1840, which, during its existence, was kept up by subscription. The first public school building in the township was erected in 1842. and stood on a hill in the eastern part of the village of Viola, north of the present site of the steam mill, and was used until 1856, when a two story brick building was erected, about forty rods southwest of it. which was occupied until 1871, when the large increase in attendance made it necessary to erect a new and larger building.

Accordingly, the people of the district held a meeting, for the purpose of ascertaining the sentiment in regard to it, and it was decided to proceed at once with the work. Dr. J. V. Frazier drew up and submitted to the meeting a plan for the proposed building, which was adopted. and Delos Crosby employed to superintend the construction of the same. The grounds selected upon which to erect the building are in block 114, where two lots were purchased, at a cost of about $500. The building, one of the best in the county, was completed in 1871, and school opened in the fall of that year, Miss Sarah Hayes being the first principal.

For reasons which might be mysterious to some and. transparent to others, the accounts of the expenditures on the building were very imperfectly kept ; in fact they were not kept at all, and the. people of the district are today ignorant of the cost of their school edifice. An investigating committee was once appointed to look into the matter, but their labors were rewarded by the same success that usually attends such efforts. They were obliged. to guess at both the cost of the building, and the disposal that was made of the public funds. We will state that their opinion in regard to the former, but will withhold it in reference to the latter.

According to their estimate, the building, including grounds, cost .about $7,000. The building is two stories in height, the main build-ing, 54 x 32 feet in size, and the wing 17 x 20. It is divided into four .departments, which are designated in alphabetical order, beginning at A. Mr. S. P. Wiley, of Aledo, is the present principal, and is consduting the school to the entire satisfaction of the people of the district.

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